Tipo 8CL - 1940-1946

The technical layout that proved so successful for the 4CL figured in this new car designed to compete in the tough International Formula: four valves per cylinder, square bore/stroke dimensions, and twin compressors feeding the two individual 4-cylinder blocks mounted in line on a common crankcase. The new single-seater had a slightly longer wheel base than the 8CTF it was replacing, and its in-line eight-cylinder engine also delivered a very powerful 415 bhp.

The start of the Second World War brought development of the 8CL to a halt, and by its end, the big displacement engines with compressors were confined to the Formule Libre races which turned out to be of little interest. As a result, production was limited to just two examples. The 8CL's greatest moment came in 1948 when Giuseppe Farina drove it to victory in the Mar del Plata Grand Prix and the Grand Prix des Nations at Geneva.