In the minutes of the Fiat Board of Directors meeting, founder member, Senator Giovanni Agnelli said, "Our technical office is studying an engine to power an aeroplane for the Army Corps of Engineers." It was 28 April 1908.

The design of an aeronautical engine was possible thanks to the know-how Fiat had acquired in the field of racing car engines. The SA8/75 V8 was Avio's first aeronautical engine, which was tested on military airships and some Farman-type aircraft.

Avio started up its activities in 1908 within the industrial initiatives of Fiat who chose to diversify its main business interests by exploiting its technological know-how in petrol combustion engines in secondary industrial branches: engines for ships and aviation.

Naturally, these two fields of activities followed very different historical evolutions, connected to the markets and their technological developments.

An even more radical departure was that represented by the development of the sector, which gave life to the space activities, in the 1960s.

We decided first to relate the historical milestones of our company, in the light of these differences, from its set up until today and, separately, the extraordinary evolutions over time of Aircraft and Engines, Marine Engines and Space: the business sectors that, still today, constitute three fundamental strategic pillars for Avio.