FIAT (FABBRICA ITALIANA AUTOMOBILI TO RINO), Italian motor car company was founded in The original car was specially designed to cope with mountain Condi tions in Northern Italy, and gave great satisfaction in this con nection for reliability and durability. The Fiat cars subsequently won numerous successes in road and track events. The works at Turin soon became one of the largest in Europe, and rank among the finest and best equipped in the world. Their equipment may be gathered from the fact that the roof is a testing-track, 78 ft. wide, nearly three-quarters of a mile round, placed over i oo f t. above ground level. During the World War the resources of the company were taxed to the utmost. Employment was found for 30,00o workers; over i oo cars and lorries were produced daily ; while in the output of aero engines the company ranked with the first in the world.
In the sphere of aeroplane engineering the company is proud of the fact that Fiat engines made possible the phenomenal world air speed record (1928) of 319 m.p.h. and the world's long distance flight record (1928) from Rome to Brazil, a distance of 4,850 miles. The company produces, on a large scale, motor cars, commercial vehicles, agricultural tractors, marine engines, loco motives, railway trucks and carriages, aviation engines, etc.
(M. N.)