ABARTH: 70 YEARS OF RACING
use as the Fiat Group’s main competitions department
well into the 1990s.
The latter half of the 1950s was a prolific period for
Carlo and his eponymous company. First, he had
major commercial success with Derivazioneversions
of the Fiat 600/750, and then the ‘double bubble’
coupe heralded new models such as Zagato and
Allemano spiders, in addition to the Sestriere and
Record Monza Coupes.
But the 1950s at Abarth cannot be dismissed
without including the launch of the Fiat 500 in July- As is well known, Dante Giacosa’s microcar for
the masses was initially woefully underpowered with
its 479cc two-cylinder engine developing only 13hp. By
the middle of 1958, Carlo had produced versions that
pushed horsepower up to the giddy heights of 26hp
and they took long-distance records at Monza with it.
There was no looking back and Fiat cemented
relationships with Carlo by agreeing a cash payment to
him for every overall and class result achieved in all
motorsports by any Fiat-based Abarth car from then
on. I have a fond vision of a clerk in the ‘Kremlin’ Fiat
building every Monday morning sorting out the
applications from those who had achieved something
in their Abarths. A class win at Oddicombe hillclimb?
Where on earth was that?
1960-1965
Significant Abarths came thick and fast during the
early 1960s, from the Record Monzas with 750 and
850 motors, through the 500-based Abarth 595, the
600-based 850 and 1000 TCs and Corsas, the 1000
and 1300 Bialberos and the Simca Coupes. In America,
the 750 Zagatos swept all before them at the Sebring
12 Hours of 1959, taking 1-2-3-4 placings in class. The
Nürburgring Nordschleife was also a happy hunting
ground, with Abarths making the 500km race their
own during this period.
The models and, vitally for the survival of the
company, the results just kept on coming. For two
years running, in 1962 and 1963, Abarth 1000 Bialberos
won the sportscar World Manufacturers Championship.
But we should not forget the oddballs. The very small
run of 1600/2200/2400 Coupes and Cabriolets with