The need for speed is deeply ingrained in us as humans. We have consistently beaten our own predecessors at their own game–our own game–by building better, faster machines that bend the laws of physics to their will. Going faster than the speed of sound used to be science fiction, now a run-of-the-mill aircraft can do that without even trying. Those of us who like to keep our wheels on the ground, however, are lagging behind because, you know, wheels have friction when rolling on the ground. What we have featured today is a faithful reproduction of what was, at one point, the fastest car in the world. And it’s a Fiat. You can find it here on eBay with a starting bid of $1,000.

I say faithful. I mean about as faithful as your average metalworker can get. You won’t win any Concours events with this, but it’s said to run, move, stop, and drive under its own power. There is no VIN, so if you want to buy this, you’ll need to bring your own trailer because it isn’t road legal. There’s not much information in the item description, but if I had to hazard a guess, I’d say that this was built on a Ford frame. To me, that solid front axle looks distinctly Model A, but the shifter mounted on the right, outside the body, has me confused. Maybe someone who knows more than I do can chime in with a better guess. It looks to be clear of rust, whatever it was originally, so that’s always a good sign.

The bodywork is definitely interesting. Not bad, but interesting. Looking up information on the Fiat S76 this is based on, most people are familiar with the fabled red “Beast of Turin” 28-liter record car that was recently restored and run at various historical events in Europe. Having said that, Fiat is said to have built two, and this seems to be based on the other one. Driven by Arthur Duray in Ostend, Belgium to a speed of 132 miles per hour. The key differences I’m noticing are centered around the front end. The red one has a gold radiator surround and a very Bugatti-esque horseshoe design, but the other one has some sort of cowcatcher thing going on. There’s no interior to speak of, but this isn’t really the type of car whose design philosophy gets caught up in trivial distractions like “having an interior.”

So, what do you say, dear reader? For $1,000 and a trailer ride, do you think you’re ready to flush out the details on this build and have your very own Beast of Turin?