When I was younger, cars with larger displacement engines and gobs of horsepower caught and held my attention. Now that I am older (and hopefully wiser) I have grown appreciation for cars that achieved maximum performance from small bore engines. The cars produced by Carlos Abarth & Co, have become an interest to me as both friends have owned and raced them, but also for the sheer engineering and development that went into Abarth cars whether Fiat, Simca or Porsche powered.
 |
 |
 |
 |
| 1947 Cisitalia-Abarth 202 SMM: The name "Cisitalia" derives from "Consorzio Industriale Sportive Italia", Using a Fiat 60 hp, 1100 cc engine with Pinnin Farina styled aluminium body, at the 1947 Mille Miglia, the Cistitalia spider really proved itself by leading most of the race in capable hands of Tazio Nuvolari and co-driver Francesco Carena. Despite having competition with engines three times larger, Nuvolari held back the competition placing 2nd overall and 1st in class. Model by STARLINE 1/43 |
1947 Cisitalia-Abarth 202 SMM: Model by STARLINE 1/43 |
1950 Cisitalia-Abarth 204A Sport Spyder: Built by Cisitalia in 1948 (Chassis 04), the car was sold to Carlo Abarth who modified the tube framed racer, coaxing the 1.1L OHC aluminium engine engine to 80hp, which made it a formidible class contender. This was one of the last Cisitalia racers built before that firm's bankruptcy and one of the first Abarth cars (Abarth Chassis #08). The great Tazio Nuvolari drove the car at the Targa Florio but failed to finish due to a broken gearbox, but won the Palermo-Montepellegrino Hillclimb with this car, reputed to be his last win and his last race. The car spent most of its life in Argentina after that, but surfaced and was sold at auction in 2013 for $4.62 million! Model by HANCHETTE 1/43 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| 1951 Cisitalia 202B Abarth Allemano Berlinetta: Like all Cisitalia 202's, this Berlinetta (Ch. #105) designed by Franco Scaglione and bodied by Carrozeria Allemano were low volume production, handmade and included several variants. This one-off car seemed to have an extra racing flair. Based on a common platform, the Cisitalia 202 cars were aluminum bodied and powered by a 1.1L 4-cyl engine. This car is unique in that it was supercharged, producing 70 HP and had a six-speed, semi-automatic transmission. Model by AVENUE 43 1/43 |
1951 Cisitalia 202B Abarth Allemano Berlinetta: One of the skilled hands at Cisitalia before he formed his own company, was Carlos Abarth. Abarth had an important hand in the tuning and performance Cisitalia race cars and this car in particular. His name is often associated with the car as being a Cisitalia-Abarth. Although some of its history is lost, it is believed that this car was built for racing. It has sliding windows, a quick fueler cap and is rumored to have originally been fitted with a larger fuel tank for racing on the Mille Miglia, or Targa Florio. Model by AVENUE 43 1/43 |
1954 Abarth-Alfa Romeo 2000 Ghia Coupe: This beautiful coupe is the result of a collaboration between an emerging designer, an established design house, specialist tuner and a classic Italian automaker. In 1954, Ghia stylist Gian Palo Boano penned the lines for two berlinettas based on Alfa Romeo 1900 Super Sprint chassis and drive trains. This coupe which was assembled by Abarth, also received mechanical tuning by the Turin based firm. Abarth increased the displacement of the DOHC four-cylinder engine to 2.0L, obtaining 133hp and a top speed of 125 mph for the three door coupe. The Abarth Coupe was one of six cars displayed on the Ghia stand at the 1954 Turin Auto Show and later again in Paris. Model by KESS 1/43 |
1956 Fiat Abarth 750 GT Zagato: To compete in the 750cc class of the Grand Touring Championship, Abarth commissioned Zagato to body the car and they created this beautiful double bubble shape. Dominating the 750 class, Abarth’s 747cc tuned engine produced 47 hp for this lightweight car, giving it a top speed of close to 100 mph. Model by ABARTH COLLECTION 1/43 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| 1960 Porsche-Abarth 356B Carerra GTL (Le Mans, 1960): Herbert Linge and Heini (Hans-Joachim) Walter drove this car to 10th place overall and 1st in class at Le Mans in 1960. The Le Mans race at the start of the decade would be the catalyst for Porsche to move out of the small displacement classes and to take its place of prominence at the top of the racing grid and the first outright Le Mans win a decade later. Zagato designed and produced the lightweight bodies for the Porsche-Abarth Carerra GTL, one of the loveliest GT's of the era. Model by STARTER 1/43 |
1960 Porsche-Abarth 356B Carerra GTL (Le Mans, 1962): Abarth only built 21 of the aluminum bodied Zagato designed cars on the Porsche 356B steel chassis, making this car one of the rarest Porsches. Each car was slightly different. Using the 4-cam Carerra motor producing 140 hp., the cars had success in the under 2.0L class during the 1960-62 racing seasons. This car finished 7th OA and 1st in class at Le Mans in 1962, with Edgar Barth and Hans Hermann driving. It was the third consecutive class win for Porsche at Le Mans. Model by METRO 1/43 |
1960 Porsche-Abarth 356B Carerra GTL (Sebring, 1962): This car (Chassis #1016) was driven by Edgar Barth and Paul Strale at Sebring to a 9th place finish and second in class at Sebring in 1962. They finished behind team mates Bob Holbert and Dan Gurney. Introduced in 1960, the aluminum bodied Carrera-Abarth GTL utilized a flat-four 1.6L engine, which produced 165 bhp and a top speed of 144 mph. The lightweight bodied were developed by Abarth, with a total of twenty cars being built between 1960-62. Strale bought the second prototype GTL and won his class twice at the Targa Florio. Model by BEST 1/43 |
1961 Fiat-Abath 850 S: New Zealanders Denis Hulme and Angus Hyslop drove this diminutive Abarth to 14th place overall and 1st in class at Le Mans in 1961. With Abarth tuning, this 1100 lb car produced 73 bhp and was capable of a top speed of 121 mph. Hulme was a relative unknown at the time of his drive for Abarth at Le Mans. Abarth had entered four cars hoping to contest for the Index of Performance and took third. The class win tweaked the nose of the French and the favored Panhard DB's. Model by SPARK 1/43 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| 1961 Fiat-Abarth 700S: Abarth built four 700S cars to conest Le Mans in 1961 and set their sights on winning the Index of Performance. Two coupes and a spyder were fielded by the works team, with this coupe driven by Paul Condriller and Karl Foitek just missing the finish with a engine failure due to a broken oil pipe on penultimate lap. Abarth while leading the Index of Performance early in the race, finished 3rd Model by SPARK 1/43 |
1961 Fiat-Abarth 700S Spyder: The fourth of the 700S cars to contest Le Mans was the Scuderia Sernissima entry with Piero Frescobaldi and Raffaele Cammarota sharing the driving duties. Their car made it half way through the twenty-four hour race before suspension failure ended their race. The other Abarth 700S Spyder entry was taken out on the 16th lap by an accident at Arnage as it left the road. Model by PINKO 1/43 |
1961 Fiat-Abarth 700S: Giorgio Bassi and Giancarlo Rigamonti drobve the second Abarth works coupe. Their race ended in the 13th hour when their generator packd it in. The 700S was a fiberglass bodied coupe or spyder mounted on a spaceframe chassis, in which the mid-mounted Fiat based 700cc twin-carburettor engine was mounted ahead of the five-speed gearbox. They produced a neat 64 bhp which made them fast enough, but they were too fragile for Le Mans. Model by SPARK 1/43 |
1961 Fiat-Abarth 700S Spyder: Teodore Zeccoli and Jean Vinatier were teamed up to drive the Abarth factory 700S Spyder entry at Le Mans in 1961. One of three 700cc engined (64 bhp) cars entered by Abarth & Co. to contest for the Index of Performance. Vinatier left the road at Arnage on the 16th lap, injuring a course marshall. Zeccoli missed out on a drive at this years Le Mans, but would have better luck with Abarth at Le Sarthe in 1962. Model by SPARK 1/43 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| 1962 Fiat-Abarth 700S: The private entry of Frenchman Roger Masson at Le Mans in 1962 led the Index of Thermal Efficiency until its engine let go in the 17th hour. Masson co-drove with Italian Teodoro Zeccoli. At Le Mans in 1962, it was up to the private entries to bring success to Abarth, as the three factory cars all were out of the race by the sixth hour. Although Abarth would share the Index win with Lotus, 1962 was the final year for any Abarth works teams at Le Mans. Model by SPARK 1/43 |
1962 Fiat-Abarth 1000 Bialboro: The results of Carlo Abarth's work were highly tuned engines, lightweight vehicle, and nimble handling. The cars dominated the smaller classes and often were quicker than the larger, more powerful competition in other classes. The engine from Abarth 1000 Bialbero was from a Fiat 600, fit with a DOHC producing 90hp. Abarth won win the 1962 Manufacturers Championship title for the 'up to 1000cc' Division I class. Abarth set the bar for small bore racing performance. Model by ABARTH COLLECTION 1/43 |
1962 Abarth Simca 1300 Bialbero: Roger Langeneste and Jean Rolland drove this Abarth entry at Le Mans in 1962. Thier race ended after 60 laps due to ignition failure. Simca had been manufacturing Fiat cars in France under license since 1935. Abarth built four Simca 1.3L coupes for the 1962 run at Le Mans. This, one of the three Simca factory entries proved like the others to not be up for long distance racing. Model by IXO 1/43 |
Abarth Team at Le Mans 1962 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| 1962 Fiat-Abarth 1000 Bialboro: Briggs Cunningham entered two Momo prepared cars in the GT 1.0 class for the Sebring 3-Hour race in 1962. Austin Healey Sprites formed stiff competiton, but the Cunningham cars finished 1-2, with Bruce McLaren driving this car to victory, Walt Hansgen in the sister car finishing second. They held off a hard charging Stirling Moss in a Sprite, Moss finishing 3rd in his last Sebring race. Model by ABARTH COLLECTION 1/43 (modified) |
1962 Abarth Simca 1300 Bialbero: Raced at Le Mans in 1962 by Claude Dubois and Georges Harris for Equipe Nationale Belge, they placed 14th overall and 1st in class. These little cars were powered by 1.3L DOHC Simca engines, which produced 125 bhp and made the cars capable of 140 mph. This car was also the joint winner of the Index of Thermal Efficiency. Model by IXO 1/43 |
1962 Abarth Simca 1300 Bialbero: Gianni Balzarini and Franz Albert drove the Abarth Corse entry at Le Mans in 1962. Their race ended after 30 laps due to gearbox failure in the 4th hour. All three factory entries retired within the first six-hours. Abarth partnered on these cars with Simca, who made Fiats under license in France. It was Abarth's last factory appearance at Le Mans. Model by SPARK 1/43 |
1963 Abarth 1000 Bialbero: This is an early model of a Fiat-Abarth 1000 Bialbero with the race number used at the Coppa F.I.S.A. race at Monza I 1963. The GT 1.15 class race was won by a driver simply known as 'Tiger'. Attempts to find out who Tiger was have not yet met with success. Model by SOLIDO 1/43 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| 1963 Porsche 356B Carrera Abarth GTL (Rossfeld Hill-climb, 1963): The Rossfeld Mountain Grand Prix is a hill-climb in the mountains of south eastern Germany. In 1963, it was Round 9 of the 1963 FIA World Sportscar Championship at a time that the championship included both circuit events, hill climbs. It attracted the top drivers and machinery of the day, with the 3.7 mile (5.9 Km) course favoring the lighter small bore cars over the larger bore competition such as the Ferrari 250 GTO. Herbert Muller driving for Scuderia Fillipinetti finished 5th overall and second in class in this car. A similar car entered by Porsche with Edgar Barth driving won the event. Model by BEST 1/43 |
1963 Fiat-Abarth 1000 Sport Spider (Le Mans (DNS), 1963): Carlo Abarth began his well-known association with Fiat in 1952, building the Abarth 1500 Biposto upon Fiat mechanicals. The 1000 S models were built to Group 6 (prototypes to 1000 cc) specifications. With a tube frame chassis and glass fibre body work, the 1.0L Fiat 600D twin-cam engine produced 105 bhp and was good for 137 mph. Entered in hillclimbs, sprints and endurances races, including Le Mans where it was entered but did not start in 1963. Model by METRO ABARTH COLLECTION 1/43 |
1963 Fiat-Abarth 1000P (Le Mans, 1963): Using an Abarth twin cam 982cc engine with hemi-head, the 1000 GT Bialbero could produce 98 bhp, resulting in a top speed of 127 mph and was later uprated to 104 bhp. This car was entered at Le Mans in 1963 by Sarayac (Guy Flayac and was driven by Flayac and Lucien Barthe. Even though they placed 12th at the Le Mans test, the engine expired in the first hour, making this the second car out of the race. Model by EXEM 1/43 |
1964 Fiat-Abarth 1300 OTC (Nurburgring 500Km, 1965): Known as the Lufthansa Coupe, this one off Abarth was powered by a modified Fiat 1300cc DOHC engine. Campaigned by Scuderia Lufthansa, it was non-finisher at the 1965 Nurburgring 500km round of the World Sports Car Championship. In 1966 it finished 7th (4 in class) with Anton Fischaber and Hans Dechent driving. Model by ABARTH COLLECTION 1/43 |
 |
 |
 |
| 1964 Abarth-Simca 2000GT: Abarth began a relationship with the French Simca firm in 1963. Simca was partly owned by Fiat. Using a 2.0L Simca four-cylinder DOHC with twin-Webbers, the tuned engine produced 202 hp and made the small car capable of 168 mph. Contesting the 2.0L class, the 2000GT did quite well, although at Spa for the 500 Km race in 1964, Hans Herrmann did not finish the race driving this car due to brake problems. A sister car finished 16th, another retired to transmission failure. Model by METRO (modified) 1/43 |
1965 Abarth 1000SP: Abarth produced the 1000 SP in 1966, utilizing the twin-cam 1.0L engine derived from the Fiat 600D. Properly tuned, the little DOHC four-cyl. Engine produced 105 bhp and could propel the tube-frame racer to a top speed of 137 mph. Produced to meet Appendix J of the Group 6 prototype regulations, 1000 SP's were successfully raced across Europe between 1966 and 1971. Abarth also produced a 1.3L version of this car, the 1300 SP. This car was raced by Scuderia Pegaso in the 1969 Targa Florio, driven by Salvatore Calascibetta and Vincenzo Ferlito. They finished 11th overall and 1st in the S1.3 Class. Model by METRO ABARTH COLLECTION 1/43 |
1965 Fiat Abarth 1000 Berlina/Corsa: The first 1000 Berlinas appeared in 1962 and used a version of the Fiat 600D engine. The Berlina Corsa was distinguished by its front mounted radiator that was placed upfront and in between the bumper bars. Its engine was tuned to produce 76 bhp helped the car reach 115 mph. Cooling was aided by permanetly opening the engine hood. These cars dominated their class in the International Touring Car Championship. Model by HACHETTE 1/43 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| 1966 Fiat-Abarth 1000 TC Corsa (Monza 4 Hour, 1966): The Abarth 1000 TC was based on the Fiat 600 and used a 600cc engine bored to 1.0L (Abarth A112). With Abarth internal components, intake manifold and exhaust, they produced 76 bhp in a very light car. First introduced in 1962, the cars were competitive raced into the 1970s. In 1966, the cars were given an enlarged radiator the width of the car making it a distinctive feature. Leo Cella was an Italian driver who raced for Abarth, Lancia, Alpine and Ferrari at various stages in his career. He was versatile on rallys, hill climbs and road circuits. He raced at Sebring, Daytona, Monte Carlo, Le Mans, Targa Florio and the other major tracks in Europe. He had class wins at Le Mans and on the Targa. A test driver for Alfa Romeo, he was killed testing an Alfa T33 in 1968. He was a DNF in this car at Monza. Model by BRUMM 1/43 |
1966 Fiat-Abarth 1000 TC Corsa (Monza 4 Hour, 1966 - WINNER): Former Ferrari team driver Giancarlo Baghetti drove in the ETCC for Abarth towards the end of his career. He won the Division 1 race at Monza in this Fiat-Abarth 1000 TC and would become the ETCC Drivers Champion in 1966, to match Abarths Constructors Championship that year. His average speed at Monza was 115.4 MPH (185.7 KPH) and covered a distance of 413 miles over 66 laps in the four hours. Baghetti was both a F1 and sports car driver for Ferrari. His move to ATS in 1963 ended any hope to return to the Scuderia and he turned to the ETCC, driving Abarths in Division 1 and Alfa Romeo GTAs in Division 2. Ferraris spurning of a great talent was Abarth and Alfa Romeos gain. Model by BRUMM 1/43 |
1966 Fiat-Abarth 1000 TC Corsa (Monza 4 Hour, 1966): One of the five Abarth team cars at Monza for the first round of the 1966 ETCC, Ed Swart drove this 1000 TC to second place in the Division 1 race. Hearing a concerning noise near the start of the race, Swart pitted, but after a minute, his mechanics could find nothing wrong and he rejoined the race. He fought his way back towards the front over the four hour race, but could not catch his team mate and race leader Baghetti. The Dutch born Swart had a successful career in the ETCC beginning in 1963 driving his own car and then as an Abarth factory driver beginning in 1965. He continued driving for Abarth up until 1970, competing in European FIA 2.0 L Sports-Prototype Challenge in Abarth and Chevrons until his retirement in 1972. Model by BRUMM 1/43 |
1966 Fiat-Abarth 1000 TC Corsa (Monza 4 Hour, 1966): Klaus Steinmetz drove this Abarth 1000 TC at the ETCC Monza 4 Hours in 1966, finishing third in the Abarth 1-2-3 sweep of The Division 1 race for sedans 1.0L and under displacement. The German driver drove for Abarth in 1964 through 1966 in both ETCC and WSC Championship rounds. Later, he drove both small displacement prototypes and his own BMW 2002 in both WSC and ETCC events until 1972. Several podium finishes over his career, with wins at Monza and the Nurburgring in WSC events in Abarth-Simcas were the highlights. The Fiat-Abarth 1000 TC was based on the Fiat 600 and dominated the small displacement classes for many years. Model by BRUMM 1/43 |
|  |
 |
 |
| 1965 Abarth OT 1300: The 1300 OT replaced the Abarth Simca 1300 after Chrysler bought Simca and discontinued the Abarth association. Until the required 50 cars were built to achieve homolgation, the 1300 OT raced in the prototype class. The success of the 1300 OT won the class 1966 and 1967 World Championships for Abarth. Based on Simca parts, the OT 1300 used a twin overhead cam engine designed from the ground up, but was similar to the Simca 1.3-liter they had raced in previous years. It was built at Corso Marche and by Luciano Fochi who had already designed the 1.6 and 2.0-liter units. Model by METRO 1/43 |
1965 Abarth 2000 OT Sport Spider: The 2000 OT Sport Spider was very successful in Group 4 racing, as well as in the European Hill Climb Championship in 1965. That year, Abarth had over 900 victories with their cars. The 2000 OT was produced in low numbers from 1964-67, but was homologated to run under FIA classifications. It was powered by a 2.0L twin-cam Fiat four-cylinder engine, with two Weber carbs, mated to a six-speed transmission. It produced 250 hp and had a top speed of 250 mph. Hans Herrmann drove this car to second place at the Trento-Bondone Hillclimb in 1965. Model by METRO ABARTH COLLECTION 1/43 |
1966 Fiat Abarth 850 TC Corsa: First introduced in 1960, the 850 TC (Turismo Competizione, or "touring competition") (#122 above) uses the boxy Fiat 600 bodyshell with widened fenders and most noteable, its front airbox. Produced until 1966, the 850 TC is perhaps the most widely known of all the Fiat Abarth cars. These cars were raced with great success internationally and very successsful in small bore classes in sprint and endurance races as well as hillclimbs. Depending on the track, they could also use the power from their 850cc engines, together with great handling and brakes to excellent effect. This car competed in the Coppa della Collina hillclimb in 1969 , with Avantieri/Bresci driving. Further information is being sought. Model by BRUMM 1/43 |
1967 Abarth 1300 OT Periscopio: The Abarth 1300 OT was powered by a Simca 1.3L DOHC 4-cyl. engine and had a fiberglass clam shell body, which allowed the 147 bhp car to reach a top speed of 152 mph. These cars won the 1966 and 1967 Division 1 World Touring Car Championship for Abarth. At Le Mans in 1967, a 1300 OTs was the last car to complete the race, but won its class, finishing in 16th place overall. This 1300 OT raced at the 1967 Nurburgring 1000 Km, where Erich Bitter and Willy Kauhsen drove the Abarth entry but failed to finish due to suspension failure. Model by METRO ABARTH COLLECTION 1/43 |
 |
 |
 |
|
| 1966 OM Tigre: The Tigre is a large, heavy truck produced by Officine Mechaniche (OM) from 1958 to 1972. Its 6.9L four cyl. Diesel engine produced 105 hp and could transport up to 7.5 tons. It was used extensively by Abarth to transport race vehicles throughout Europe in the late 60s & 1970s. Model by BARNINI 1/43 |
1966 OM Tigre: Abarth was the Division 1 ETCC Champions in 1965, 1966, 1967 and 1969. In 1966 they won the Championship with the Fiat-Abarth 1000 TC Corsa. Here is the team from the 1966 Monza 4 Hour race where they finished 1,2,3. |
Abarth Team at Nurburgring 1966: Abarth employed two transporters, the OM Tigre and a OM Leoncino (Lion Cub), which looked almost identical, but smaller. Here are both transporters together at Monza with some of the other Abarth support vehicles. |
 |
 |
 |
| 1967 Abarth T140: Shown at the Turin Motorshow in 1967, this Abarth concept car was alledged to have a 610bhp, 6.0L V12 engine with four Webers! I am trying to do further research on this car for additional information. Model by METRO ABARTH COLLECTION 1/43 |
1968 Fiat Abarth 2000 Sport Spyder: A two-litre Group 5 sports racer, Abarth’s Grp 5 car was built around a spaceframe with stressed sills. The four-cylinder mid-mounted engine used an Abarth alloy twin-cam cylinder head, two Weber carburetors, with an output of 250 bhp. It was more powerful than the Cosworth powered rivals such as Lola and Chevron. Model by METRO 1/43 |
1969 Abarth 2000 S (SE 010): Helmut Leuze failed to qualify this 2.0L Martini sponsored car at the 1969 Norisring 200 Km. However, it finished 8th and 1st in class at the Targa Florio the month before and 8th overall and 1st in class on the Targa the following year. The Se10 was powered by a 2.0L DOHC four-cylinder emgine producing 240 bhp. Model by METRO ABARTH COLLECTION 1/43 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| 1970 Abarth 2000 SP: Abarth entered four cars for the Circuito del Mugello in 1970, which was driven on public roads, the race being five laps of a circuit just over 41 miles long (331 Km in total distance). Arturo Merzario finish 1st, with Leo Kinnunen finishing three seconds behind him and Gijs van Lennep finishing third in his Abarth. It was a clean sweep for Abarth in the last of these great road races. The 2000 SP was produced in different configurations from 1969-71. The SE 019 here was made in two configuration FB (Fuori Bordo, with the engine hanging out in the back) and MC (Motore Centrale, mid engined). Merzario and van Lennep used the FB configurationat Mugello, Kinnunen in one of the two mid-engined cars.. The Fiat four-cylinder, 2.0L engine produced 260 bhp. Model by METRO ABARTH COLLECTION 1/43 |
1971 Abarth 2000 Spider SE021: The Abarth-Osella SE-021 was powered by a 2.0L 4-cylinder twin-cam engine developing a quoted 265bhp, and a top speed of 185 mph. Developed for the 1972 European 2-Litre Sports Car Championship series, at the Jarama 2-Hours Derek Bell and Nanni Galli brought home their SE-021s first and second in a remarkable demonstration of Abarth's capabilities at this ferociously hard-fought level. Model by ABARTH COLLECTION 1/43 |
1971 Abarth 3000 Sport SE022: One of two cars built to contest Group 5, the 3.0L V8 powered 3000 delivered 376 hp and capable of 180 mph. It was driven by Johannes Ortner to the European Hillclimb Championship. Abarth was absorbed by Fiat in 1972 and the development and preparation of Abarth racing cars, including the 3000 SP, was undertaken at the shop of Enzo Osella in Turin. Model by ABARTH COLLECTION 1/43 |
1972 Abarth 2000 Sport Spider SE021: Enzo Osella – the Abarth engineer who acquired the company, developed this potent sports racer to contest the 2.0L European Sportscar Championship. Arturo Merzario drove the works car to the makes and drivers championship in 1972, dominating the Chevrons and Lolas in its class. A powerful 2.0L DOHC twin-cam four-cylinder engine producing 265 bhp in a light monocoque chassis was a potent combination. In 1972, Merzario drove to victory at the Ricard, Dijon, Silverstone and Jarma circuits, with wins also garnered in sister cars by Derek Bell and Toine Hezemans. Model by ABARTH COLLECTION 1/43 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| 1973 Fiat-Abarth X1/9: The Fiat X1/9 is a mid-engined sports car designed by Bertone. It was built by Fiat from its introduction in 1972 and until 1982 when Bertone took over production. The Abarth X1/9 Prototipo used an 1840 cc engine with a custom 16v cylinder head fed by twin 44 mm Weber IDF carburettors. Abarth built this car as a prototype rally car to replace th Fiat-Abarth 124. Fiat based their next rally cars on the 131 platform instead and only five of these cars were built. Model by METRO 1/43 |
1974 Fiat Abarth 2000 SP (SE027) : Between 1973 and 1974, Abarth-Oscella developed this 2.0L sports racing prototype with Pininfarina designed bodywork. It proved very promising with a 300 hp BMW M12 4-Cyl.engine, however, Fiat dropped the project citing the fuel crisis and a lack of internal resources. It is known to have raced once at the Salzburgring 200 mile race in 1976, where it finished 6th with Giorgio Piania driving. Model by ABARTH COLLECTION 1/43 |
1977 Fiat/Seat 131 Abarth (Rallye Catalunya, 1979 - Winner): The 131 Abarth was built to contest the World Rally Championship and Fiat won the title in 1977, 1978 & 1980 with these cars. Built to contest in Group 4, the 131 was also raced in the IMSA Championship (GTU) Powered by a Abarth tuned 2.0L engine, it produced 140 bhp. This car was driven by Beny Fernandez and Jose Luis Sala as co-pilot to victory at the 15th Rallye Catalunya, part of the Spanish Rally Championship. Its not clear if its a 'works' car, or if it is one of the 400 131 Stradale cars made for homologation, 50 of which were given to Abarth for competiton use. Model by ALTAYA 1/43 |
1982 Fiat 131 Abarth (Elba Rally - 1982): The 16 valve, DOHC, alloy head engine for the 131 Abarth was newly designed for the cars introduction and used in its production run from 1976-1982. The 131 Abarth used resin panels to lighten the body work and little in common with the production car. In 1983, Fiat retired the 131 in favor of the new Lancia rally car in WRC. Past its prime, the 131 was still used in European and Italian Rally Championships. In 1982, Jolly Club campaigned this car with Andrea Zanussi and Arnaldo Bernacchini as co-driver. The pair two ERC rounds in 1982, but crashed out on the second stage of the Rallye dell 'Isola d'Elba in this car. Model by ALTAYA 1/43 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| 1982 Fiat 131 Abarth (1000 Lakes Rally - 1979): Markku Alen and Ilkka Kivimaki won the 1979 Lakes Rally ahead of 134 other entries in 1979. It was the second of six wins on the rally for Alen, one behind rival and fellow Finn Hannu Mikkola. Alen drove for Fiat from 1974-1981 before moving on to Lancia. In 1978, he won the Drivers Championship driving a 1`31 Abarth and had the coveted #1 on his car in 1979. The 1000 Lakes Rally, now Rally Finland, is the fastest event on the World Rally Championship calendar. It is known for its smooth gravel roads, blind crest and big jumps; as well as spectacular crashes and rolls. It is a rally hard on vehicle suspensions and driver control. Model by ALTAYA 1/43 |
THE SIGNATURE PROJECT & RACING DIORAMAS
THE TRIPLE CROWN OF ENDURANCE RACES:
THE 24 HOURS of LE MANS 1923-2020
THE 12 Hours of SEBRING WINNERS
THE 24 HOURS of DAYTONA WINNERS
GREAT AUTOMOTIVE MAKES & RACING TEAMS:
ABARTH
ALFA ROMEO
ASTON MARTIN
AUDI
AUSTIN HEALEY & HEALEY
BMW
CHAPARRAL
CHEVROLET & GM POWER
CUNNINGHAM EQUIPE
DATSUN/NISSAN
ECURIE ECOSSE
FORD POWER: GT40's, MUSTANGS, MIRAGE & MORE
SHELBY-FORD'S: COBRAS, DAYTONAS, GT40's & MUSTANGS
GROUP 44, Inc.
LANCIA
LOLA SPORTS CARS
LOTUS
McLAREN
MASERATI
MERCEDES BENZ
MG CARS
TOYOTA
TRIUMPH
MISC. RACING AND PRODUCTION CARS BY COUNTRY OF ORIGIN
AMERICAN, ASIAN, AUSTRALIAN
BRITISH
FRENCH
GERMAN & SWEDISH
ITALIAN & SPANISH
LAND SPEED RECORD CARS
VETERAN, CLASSIC & SPECIAL INTEREST CARS
DRIVER TRIBUTES:
THE OLD IRISH RACING HALL OF FAME
JUAN MANUEL FANGIO TRIBUTE
STIRLING MOSS TRIBUTE
WORLD DRIVER & CONSTRUCTORS CHAMPIONS 1950 - 1985
For copies of images, questions or comments about the collection to: OLD IRISH RACING
Back to: OLD IRISH RACING MODELS INDEX Home Page
Back to: OLD IRISH RACING Home Page Legal stuff: Content and images on this website are the property and content of Old Irish Racing and may not be used without permission. Old Irish Racing is not affiliated with, or represent any other entity. All pages on this website Copyright-Old Irish Racing 2022
PLEASE NOTE: From 1968 into the 1990's tobacco companies sponsored many significant race cars. We don't promote tobacco use, rather we stronly discourage it. However, we do promote historical accuracy, Old Irish Racing chooses
to display models in our collection as historically accurate as possible. While seeing a tobacco advert on a car gives me no more desire to go smoke than seeing a car makes me want to go
suck on its exhaust pipe. If tobacco (or alcohol) adverts on race cars offend you, please go look at nice pictures of bunnies and kittens on another site. Thank you!
This is a private collection, pieces are not for sale!