This huge engine, almost 6 feet in height, was installed in a slender well-braced frame with a 4-speed transmission and chain final drive. Despite significant development the car never achieved it's full potential. At Brooklands in 1911 it broke the 1-mile record at 121.3mph. In 1912 it was taken to Long Island, New York, where it once again broke the 1-mile record at 180.2 mph, but this was unsubstantiated elsewhere. In 1913, driven by Arthur Duray, the attempt was made to break the Blitzen Benz LSR record. A successful 132.3mph was achieved through the kilometer, but unfortunately the car broke down on the return run, thereby forfeiting recognition under the new two-way ruling. 

Nicknamed "The Beast of Turin" after the Italian city where it was built, only two of the massive Fiats were ever produced. One was retained by the manufacturer and the second was sold to an affluent Russian Prince who hired an Italian racing driver named Pietro Bordino to make the attempt on the land speed record.

Following the record attempts, the ensuing decades of ownership for the second S76 were murky until it was acquired by British car collector Duncan Pittaway in 2003. However, one very important piece of the puzzle was missing: the signature engine. In a remarkable stroke of luck, Duncan was able to locate the engine from the first S76 car, which Fiat had dismantled at some point following World War I. Once the chassis and engine were reunited, a lengthy restoration was undertaken, with the bodywork and mechanicals rebuilt to specifications gleaned from the original Fiat design drawings and a scant few period photographs.

The car still exists and competes in historic racing events in the hands of Duncan Pittaway.

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