Abarth 695 SS vs Giannini 500TV: baby dragons

Momentum is key. Lose it and you need to coax and cajole until you are back up to speed again: a relative term when you have less than 30bhp at your disposal.

But that isn’t really the point here. The sense of speed is all-encompassing, not least in the twisty stuff.

You don’t need to slow down for corners, you merely keep your right foot buried in the bulkhead, all the while feeling strangely invincible.

You sit in close proximity to the steering wheel, along with the rest of the cabin

It is a battle of the rowdy tiddlers, which raged in Italy way back when, as these storied marques went to war.

One effectively defined the aftermarket and became one of the great Italian brands in the process; the other was its fiercest rival for a spell, before its star faded.

But then it was always going to be tough for Giannini, given that Abarth had been anointed by Fiat as its go-faster partner of choice as far back as 1958.

This baby Abarth was originally built as a 595 but was later upgraded to 695 SS specification

The marque of the Scorpion had been made in the image of the man who created it: Austria-born Carlo (né Karl) Abarth.

As Italy dug itself out of the rubble in 1945, this successful motorcycle racer was no longer a competitor, but he remained a gifted engineer.

He subsequently became entangled in Piero Dusio’s bid to create a highly advanced Grand Prix car, only to depart before the project stalled.

He then set about forming his own business, as befitted a man who was defiantly self-directed, someone who didn’t play well with others.

The little dashboard in the Abarth 695 SS is packed with dials

Motorsport was his first love; exhausts, manifolds and tuning parts for Fiats and for Fiat-derived Simcas were a means to an end: they funded his nascent scuderia.

The thing is, ‘The Sorcerer’ was a big-picture man who understood the power of marketing and PR spin.

Abarth & C further distanced itself from its rivals after the boss signed an agreement with Fiat; one whereby his firm would be financially rewarded for each race win, some of which were accrued by Fiat 500-based offerings.

Wide wheels and arches give the Abarth 695 SS a dramatic stance

Abarth breathed on the car from the outset in 1957, the initial package offering a 7bhp power hike to 21bhp.

Shortly after the model’s release, a raft of Abarth-ised Nuova 500s were taken to the Monza circuit to showcase the ‘Abarth cure’ for the tepid performance of the regular model.

In September 1963, Abarth introduced the popular 500D-based 595, in which the donor car’s capacity was raised to 593cc from 499.5cc by means of a larger bore, but with an unchanged stroke.

The little air-cooled unit in the Abarth 695 SS is capable of 38bhp at 4900rpm

Packing a single Solex carb in place of the Fiat’s Weber item, a raised compression ratio and all manner of cylinder-head hocus-pocus, the 595 hit a top speed of 75mph.

Six months later, Abarth followed through with the 595 SS that produced a mighty 33bhp at 5000rpm.

Inevitably, other variants followed in its wake, the 695 SS and hardcore assetto corsa strain packing a displacement of 690cc and producing upwards of 38bhp at 4900rpm. And so on.

There’s no sign of roll from the stiffly sprung Abarth

Meanwhile, over in Rome... If Abarth had a major rival, it was Giannini. It took a long time for the tuning firm and standalone marque to establish itself as a big player.

Even then, its fame didn’t stretch far beyond Italy’s borders, but that isn’t to say it wasn’t a prolific success on road and track. However, while Abarth’s story is far from linear, Giannini’s is tortuous.

Attempting to untangle its backstory isn’t the work of a moment, not least because it depends on which iteration of the company you’re discussing, various strands concluding with: ‘And then they fell out and set up on their own.’

Distinctive ‘corsa’ mirrors were an Abarth trademark

The story stretches back to 1920, when Domenico and Attilio Giannini set up shop in Rome’s Vicolo della Fontana district.

During the late 1940s, the firm enjoyed title-winning glory with its 750cc units, which subsequently led to a raft of bespoke engines. That, and a collaboration with Tarashi which led to the formation of standalone marque Giaur.

The 1950s brought further commercial success, during Italy’s economic renaissance, as the firm became increasingly sales-orientated, thanks in no small part of the commercial nous of Domenico’s son, Franco.

However, a degree of familial friction followed the decision to diversify and establish a Fiat dealership.

The Abarth’s little bucket seats are more supportive than they look

In 1961, there was a parting of the ways: Domenico and Franco established Giannini Automobili in Rome, while Attilio and his sons Tonino and Ruggero created CMG (Costruzioni Meccaniche Giannini).

They bagged all of the tooling and moved into a new facility on the outskirts of Rome.

Domenico and Franco, meanwhile, operated out of a large showroom on Via Tiburtina and, in addition to selling Fiat production cars, they attempted to replicate the Abarth business model and offer a range of derivatives for road and race use.

‘The Giannini [left] is almost limo-like in comparison to the Abarth’s spine-compressing set-up, with the ground clearance of a dachshund’

There was, however, a slight problem in that they didn’t have facilities to manufacture components. That part was farmed out to CMG.

Bit by bit, the go-faster side of things was overtaken by the broad appeal of ‘visual tuning’. Just about every model of Fiat received makeovers, the diminutive 500 being just one of them.

Giannini introduced the 500TV in 1963, which retained the standard 499.5cc displacement but featured a ported head, a fast-road cam, a larger aluminium oil sump, a different distributor advance curve, a new exhaust and a larger carburettor main jet.

The Giannini name didn’t stretch far beyond Italy’s borders

The net result was a power output of 25bhp at 5200rpm. The smoking-hot 33bhp variant, the 590 Corsa, was aimed squarely at the burgeoning competition fraternity.

However, the 1970s weren’t kind. The Gianninis sparred over the marque’s future direction, although this was resolved in 1973 after shareholder Volfango Polverelli acquired the firm outright.

Customised Fiats were still central to the business model, but Giannini took on other work in order to make ends meet, not least the maintenance of Rome’s fleet of municipal buses.

The Giannini’s 25bhp two-cylinder engine is less powerful than the Abarth’s, but it feels eager

The company effectively stopped modifying Fiats in 1987, but displayed concept cars as late as 1998 before the curtains finally descended.

For its part, the associated CMG outfit had folded back in 1971, one of its final ‘big’ commissions having been the construction of a fleet of pre-war roadster replicas used in 1969’s Monte Carlo or Bust!

Which brings us to an autumnal day in Hertfordshire, our pair of hot Fiats being owned by fan of arcane Italian oddities Andy Heywood.

A larger oil sump and new tailpipe are the only visible hints of the Giannini’s tuned motor

The Giannini appears virtually identical to a regular 500F, and with good reason: save the badging and the hubcaps, there are few visual signifiers that it is anything other than a regular Fiat.

Tellingly, it was registered new in 1966 as a Giannini rather than a Fiat, so it was a factory car rather than a 500 converted using the parts that were available separately from the firm.

Inside, there is equally little to tell it apart from the car that bore it, apart from a Giannini speedo that runs to 130kph rather than 120kph.

Giannini hubcaps are fitted to standard Fiat wheels

The 695 SS is also a ‘factory’ car, with an Abarth chassis number in addition to one from Fiat, and was registered in December 1964.

It was based on the 500D, hence the suicide doors, while the specific donor car originally had a canvas section over the front half of the roof and a metal panel for the rear section.

However, part of the makeover comprised a full-length bolt-in metal panel to replace the soft-top.

With no suspension modifications the Giannini 500TV has more familiar handling

The Abarth looks as if it wants to kill you, the comedy rear camber lending the impression that it is about to pounce.

The suspension is pure Fiat, but it has been lowered substantially and the track widened. Anti-roll bars are employed front and rear. Originally built as a 595, at some point it was upgraded to 695 SS spec.

The thing is, for all the obvious racer reference points, there’s little about the four-stroke twin externally which shouts that much has been altered, save the sump and exhaust set-up.

The Giannini 500TV has a sparse cabin

This is old-school tuning, so much of the magic occurs on the inside. It certainly sounds hotter than a regular 500.

As on the standard car, the starter and choke are operated by a pair of pull-up levers sited on the tunnel, just behind the gearlever.

Once it’s fired, you’re certainly aware of the fact because it sounds so angry.

It might pack all of 0.7 litres, but the Abarth wins on decibels.

The simple interior of the Giannini is recognisably Fiat

The controls are much as you remember from 500s past: the steering is light, reasonably direct and with no kickback.

The clutch is heavier than you might imagine, while the brakes are standard drums all round with a slightly limp middle pedal.

The driver’s seat, for its part, is more supportive than it looks, but you still feel as though you’re wearing the car, such is the proximity of the steering wheel.

The angry-sounding Abarth 695 SS (left) provides a markedly different experience to the relatively quiet Giannini 500TV

But, again, it is the fanfare out back that dominates the Abarth experience, the sound of an air-cooled two-banger spinning off its axis worth the price of admission alone.

It doesn’t feel slow, either, the gearchange with its dog-clutch engagement being easy to guide between planes.

That said, for silent changes it’s advisable to pause momentarily in neutral when moving up the ’box, and to blip on downchanges.

The dramatic, wide stance of Abarth contrasts with the tall Giannini

And then there’s the ride quality: it simply doesn’t have any. The spine-compressing set-up guarantees that.

You feel every zit in the asphalt through your contact points, which is to be expected of a car with the ground clearance of a dachshund.

The Giannini is almost limousine-like in comparison. Obviously, the 500TV is less hardcore than the 695 SS, with no suspension mods relative to the car that bore it, but you really notice – and appreciate – having pliancy.

The Abarth 695 SS is more suited to a smooth race track than broken B-roads

The Abarth is clearly a track weapon; the Giannini is anything but.

It emits noise much like any other 500, too, and doesn’t like cold starts. It sounds decidedly bronchial until warmed up, but eventually settles down to a harmonic thrum.

As with the Abarth, the close proximity of, well, everything is all too obvious, but it is a masterful bit of packaging.

Acceleration here is eager. Few things will beat it to 10mph from a standstill, and it just keeps pulling as you continue scuttling along until you arrive at a happy cruising speed.

The Giannini is pliant and playful over bumps, while the 33bhp Abarth scampers through corners

The Giannini is definitely more brisk than a regular 500D, but it is all relative. The controls are identical, as you expect, but the gearing feels much lower when compared to the Abarth.

It also has synchromesh, which suggests that a Fiat 126 ’box has been substituted at some point. There’s no need to constantly swap ratios, even if torque isn’t exactly elephantine.

The braking set-up is identical, but the middle pedal is appreciably firmer and, overall, the 500TV is infinitely more pleasant to drive.

Lighting up the Fiat 500 with extra performance also upped the fun factor, then as now

On a circuit, it would probably be a different story.

It seems almost absurd to discuss handling, but the Giannini just romps along and doesn’t appear to notice corners.

Fiat 500s can get a bit lively in the wet, but these two are never scary. It’s just all rather joyous.

The horsepower hike here merely accentuated all that was good about the original Fiat, which was rather the point of the exercise.

Images: Luc Lacey

Thanks to: Andy Heywood (McGrath Italian)

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Richard Heseltine

Richard Heseltine is a long-time contributor to Classic & Sports Car

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