The FIAT Emblem - 1899
It was on 11 July 1899 that Giovanni Agnelli, Lodovico Scarfiotti and Count Emanuele Bricherasio di Cacherano walked into the office of the notary public Ernesto Torretta at number 6 via Arsenale in Turin to file the articles of association of Fabbrica Italiana di Automobili Torino.
This marked the beginning of one of the most enthralling adventures of the XX century, a story of men, engines, roads, technology and, indeed, art as well. In the world of art, we find the Turin painter Giovanni Carpanetto, who the new company commissioned to create an advertising poster for the event. Top left, the artist paints a small parchment on which the initials of the company are each followed by an appropriate full stop in such a way that the name F.I.A.T. could not be read out as a single word, given the weighty biblical association ('fiat' means 'let there be' in Latin).
It was precisely this logo, which appeared on an advertising poster in 1899, that became the first trademark of the Turin Company. Reproduced in rococo style on a brass plate, it was perfect for the tastes of the period and the lines of the first vehicles, which were still stylistically very similar to horse-drawn carriages. This trademark bears the full name of the company (Fabbrica Italiana di Automobili Torino), the name F.I.A.T. and the serial number of the vehicle. From this it is clear that the acronym still wasn't the official name of the Company, but only the product's exclusive trademark, almost overshadowed by the serial number.
The first models to be decorated with this plate were the twenty-six examples of the Fiat 3 ½ HP, also known as the 4 HP at the time, manufactured between 1899 and 1900. Featuring a 679 cc horizontal twin-cylinder engine mounted transversally in the rear and delivering an output of 4.2 horsepower at 800 rpm, this model reached a top speed of 35km/h. The Fiat badge was located to the left of the front bonnet and the name was painted by hand. The Carpanetto trademark was also adopted by the 6/8 HP and, in 1901, by the 8 HP, the Company's first vehicle with a front-mounted engine - a vertical twin-cylinder design with an output of 10 horsepower at 1100 rpm, capable of taking it to 45 km/h. Last but not least, the first 12 HP models briefly bore the brass plate until the first true Fiat trademark - the result of a thorough in-depth stylistic and graphic design project - was used