Isotta Fraschini

Isotta Fraschini (Italian pronunciation: [iˈzɔtta fraˈskiːni]) is an Italian luxury car manufacturer and industrial engineering business. Founded in Milan, Italy, in 1900 as Società Milanese Automobili Isotta, Fraschini & C. by Cesare Isotta and the Fraschini brothers, Vincenzo, Antonio, and Oreste, the company first started as an importer, assembling Mors and Renault automobiles with Aster engines, but by 1904, they began manufacturing their own products and were among the earliest users of the four-wheel brake system, the overhead camshaft configuration, and the straight-eight engine. By the 1920s, Isotta Fraschini gained notoriety among the upper class for their production of luxury cars and saw further prominence in media and literature. The Great Depression and the Second World War adversely affected Isotta Fraschini's automobile business in the 1930s, prompting the company to shift to producing industrial aircraft engines; however, they eventually ceased production altogether, entering liquidation in 1949 and leaving their name on the company register. The company merged with mechanical engineering manufacturer Breda in Saronno and was subsequently renamed F.A. Isotta Fraschini e Motori Breda in 1955. The trademark for Isotta Fraschini was separated into two entities in the 1990s, with the engineering firm relocating to Bari, becoming Isotta Fraschini Motori S.p.A. and continuing to manufacture industrial services under the ownership of Fincantieri. The automotive and motorsport marque was revived in 2022 as Isotta Fraschini Milano Fabbrica Automobili s.r.l., based in Milan.