The car then spent some time being handed around within the Italian royal family until the end of WWII, when it went into service for the Italian prime ministers Einaudi and De Nicola until it was finally retired from the Quirinale Palace fleet in 1963.
In addition to the historical connection of this particular Fiat Torpedo, the car is a collector's piece in its own right. Based on a Fiat 2800, but bodied in a special Drophead Dual Cowl Phaeton style for the Italian military, only 12 such cars were built. Only half of those still exist today.
“The example that we are offering at our sale ‘The Legende et Passion’ which takes place at the Espace Fontviewille, in Monaco on Monday May 18th is the most famous of them all. We have already had huge interest from clients around the world as well as from a number of collectors in Italy.”
There has as yet been no speculation as to the price it might bring, but between the sheer rarity of the car and its historical significance, it could easily reach well into the millions of dollars.