82 | GOODWOOD REVIVAL SALE(^211) *
1961 Fiat abarth 850 tC nurburGrin G Corsa berlina
Four-seat CoMpetition/street saloon
Not registered in the UK
(previously registered in Italy: BA 288121)
Chassis no. 906.3872
The superbly successful ever-developing line of Fiat-Abarth 850 TC
saloon cars produced and campaigned during the 1960s featured
this ‘Nurburgring’ variant which was itself produced in two different
versions – normal road-going trim and stripped, stark racing.
The Fiat-Abarth 850TC Berlina (Turismo Competizione, or ‘touring
competition’) was introduced towards the end of 1960. It used the Fiat
600 integral bodyshell with suitable high-performance modifications,
most noticeable of them being the add-on nose pod that was provided
by Abarth to accommodate the oil cooler matrix. Wheel arches
were also bulged to accommodate the widest wheels and tyres that
contemporary regulations would accept, while the engine was a four-
cylinder in-line unit mounted in the car’s tail, derived from the Fiat 600,
taken out to a nominal 847cc capacity producing around 52bhp.
In 1962 the 850TC Nürburgring model was introduced, with 55bhp
power output at 6,500 rpm. The name of the world-famous German
circuit in the Eifel mountains had been adopted to commemorate the
Fiat Abarth 850s’ class victory at the 1961 500km race there.
Subsequently the 850TC series itself would be followed by the 850TC/
SS with slightly more horsepower; which was renamed the 850TC
Nürburgring Corsa. In more detail the engine was derived from the
Fiat 600D 4-cylinder design with bore and stroke of 62.5mm x 69mm
displacing 847cc. On a compression ratio of 9.8:1 and breathing
through a single Solex 32PBIC carburettor – the little engine developed
some 58bhp. Transmission was via a 4- or 5-speed gearbox and
disc brakes were featured at the front, drum brakes at the rear. The
two-door four-seat Fiat 600D bodyshell was suitably reinforced and
stiffened where legal – or sometimes where not – for competition use
and today its retention of original-design front-opening ‘suicide doors’
is notable. The car’s tiny dimensions – wheelbase only 2000mmm,
front and rear track widths 1150mm and 1160mm – restricted its
overall weight to around 470Kg – 1,036lbs – only.
This most appealing little ‘look alike’ competition saloon was first
registered for public road use to Pasquale Lovreglio on December 7,
1970, passing subsequently to Vito Paparello of Bari on November
23, 1970, then Raffaele Rimini of Bari on January 13, 1978.