Abarth’s giant-killers: from Fiat 500s to rally winners

These pint-sized buzzboxes inspired many enthusiasts to add a little sting to their own cars’ tails.

Whether you simply wanted a red stripe and a twin-pipe exhaust or a full-blown racer built to the most exacting international specification, Abarth could provide.

For all its success, the cessation of 500, 600 and 850 production led to the company’s funds running out and Fiat took over in 1971.

This could have sounded the death knell for Abarth, yet it provided the launchpad for further success, this time in the rally world – first with the 124 and 131, and later with sibling company Lancia’s Delta and 037.

Today, the Abarth legacy is one of the automotive world’s richest and most successful tapestries. Time to sample it…

Fiat-Abarth 750GT Zagato

The Fiat-Abarth 750GT Zagato’s lines were more aerodynamically efficient than those of the Fiat 600 it was based on

When the Fiat 600 arrived in 1955, Carlo Abarth immediately identified it as being ripe for modification – and a year later came the ‘derivation Abarth 750’.

The bore and stroke were increased, with capacity rising from the standard 633cc to 747cc.

A new camshaft, bigger valves, a Weber 32IMPE carburettor and special exhaust manifolds almost doubled power from 21.5bhp to 41.5bhp.

Top speed was an impressive 130kph (80mph). But Abarth wanted more than a tweaked standard car and commissioned Carrozzeria Zagato to design a new body.

The Fiat-Abarth 750GT Zagato’s bodywork is made of aluminium

Chassis were collected direct from Fiat and, once clothed, sent to Abarth for mechanical conversion.

“The resulting coachbuilt GT moved the company away from other tuners and into a different market,” says Tony Castle-Miller from specialist Middle Barton Garage, “with a line of cars that went on to include the Record Monza, Bialbero and OT series – plus others including the Porsche-Abarth Carrera.

“All phenomenally successful national and international racers.” 

In the metal, the 750 Zagato is even more pint-sized than the photographs suggest.

The Fiat-Abarth 750GT Zagato’s rev counter sits in the middle of the simple instrument binnacle

Its aluminium body is visually stunning – sweetly balanced and delicate – as well as aerodynamically efficient.

In addition to saving 60kg from the factory car’s 595kg, it helped raise the top speed by 20kph (12mph).

Zagato did such a good job of lowering the car’s height that its now-trademark ‘double bubble’ roof was added to give the occupants more room, while the twin humps on the bootlid channelled extra fresh air to the engine.

The cabin is basic yet elegant, with jewel-like Jaeger dials and a sports steering wheel offering a real feeling of sophistication.

The Fiat-Abarth 750GT Zagato’s 747cc ‘four’, based on the Fiat 600’s motor

This combination almost fools you into thinking that this is a fragile car.

It isn’t; fire it up and that vivacious powerplant responds instantly. It pulls lustily and will happily rev skywards.

The ultra-low body weight results in wonderfully light steering, and it’s easy to drive hard without it ever feeling tiring – as proved in period at Monza, where a Fiat-Abarth 750GT Zagato amassed some 6000 miles in 72 hours.

The model’s competition highlight, however, came on the 1957 Mille Miglia, when it finished first in class and 63rd overall, at an average speed of 75mph.

Not bad for a car based on a Fiat 600.

Fiat-Abarth 595SS

‘Everything about the Fiat-Abarth 595SS endears, from the spartan exterior to the myriad badges’

If the Fiat 600-derived cars started the ball rolling, those based on the 500 brought commercial success.

With its crash gearbox and air-cooled engine, the impudent ’57 Nuova 500 is the car that Abarth used to make racing affordable for the masses.

At first, it fitted a larger carburettor, increased the compression ratio and added a performance exhaust.

The 497cc twin-pot then produced an extra 7.5bhp and propelled the tiny car to a gigglesome 62mph.

The Abarth’s bright-red stripe makes it known this is no ordinary Fiat 500

Fiat ordered 100 modified versions to be sold as Fiat-Abarth 500s, but it wasn’t until the ‘Abarth Derivative’ smashed six international records by lapping Monza continuously from 13-20 February 1958 – averaging 108.52kph (67mph) over 18,186km (11,300 miles) – that Fiat rewarded Abarth with a contract which earned it money for race wins.

That financial impetus enabled the firm to start work on the Fiat-Abarth 595 and 695. The 595SS featured here is a development of the standard 595.

Like its sibling, it’s based on the 17.5bhp 500D body but has a Solex 34PBIC carburettor connected to the head by a manifold cast as a single unit with the valve cover.

The Fiat-Abarth 595SS has a small, three-spoke steering wheel

There was a further increase in compression ratio, too – this time from 9.2:1 to 10.5:1. Those modifications contribute an extra hike to 32bhp.

Everything about the Fiat-Abarth 595SS endears, from that spartan exterior to the floor-mounted ignition toggle and the myriad Abarth badges.

On the move it’s hilarious. The two-cylinder engine initially feels coarse, but smooths out as the revs rise, and the steering is incredibly direct.

The Fiat-Abarth 595SS has an air-cooled engine that gives 32bhp

It takes around 21 secs to reach 60mph, but that’s immaterial because anything over 10mph feels as if you’re flying.

Only the drum brakes are a reminder of the car’s lowly beginnings. 

Further developments included a ‘softer’ 695SS – with more power accessible lower down the rev range – plus racing Competizione and Assetto Corsa models.

At the end of 1969, Abarth offered 12 derivatives of the 500-based cars – amazing for such a small constructor.

Fiat-Abarth 1000 Berlina Corsa

The Fiat-Abarth 1000 Berlina Corsa’s propped-open engine cover gives the famous Abarth look

Fiat’s game-changing 600 stayed in production for 14 years; Abarth modified it for 16.

But the distance travelled from the original 22bhp utilitarian offering to this final iteration – a 1000 Group 5 Touring Car – is truly astonishing.

Along the way, Abarth 850TCs (Turismo Competizione) – the first to feature Girling disc brakes – took a 1-2-3 in their class at the 1961 Nürburgring 500km.

Carlo Abarth pulled the 500 and 600-based road versions in early ’65 after a defeat by a Saab 96 in the European Touring Car Challenge, thereafter entrusting that market to the OT series.

The Fiat-Abarth 1000 Berlina Corsa’s stripped-out cabin with extra gauges

An intense programme of development followed, with Abarth embarking upon an automotive space race.

Modified parts were produced at a fervent pace for homologation.

The 1000 Berlina Corsa owes little to Fiat, with Abarth-developed brakes, hubs, transmission and both oil and cooling systems.

Even the instruments, steering wheel and gearknob are Corso Marche items.

The Fiat-Abarth 1000 Berlina Corsa is as thrilling as it looks

“It’s seen as the iconic Abarth,” says Tony. “Wide wheels and arches, huge front radiator set-up, propped-open engine lid, with a multi-carburetted rear engine hanging out: it ticks all the boxes.”

Start it up and the cabin is filled with noise. Blip the throttle and you feel the whole car positively pulsate.

Engage first gear, let loose the featured car’s 100bhp and you find yourself shifting cogs with a rapid-fire rifle action.

The handling is phenomenal, the blare is glorious and the four-wheel disc brakes stop it in an instant.

The Fiat-Abarth 1000 Berlina Corsa’s race-bred powerplant

Yet, because of the engine’s all-or-nothing nature, Tony says of its handling: “Lifting off, or entering a corner with a trailing throttle, is a real no-no.

“The secret is to get the entry speed correct, then take advantage of the traction and power it through.”

You have to force yourself away from expletives when trying to describe the driving experience – it’s that fierce, and at the same time fiercely grin-inducing.

The Berlina Corsa is Abarth in its purest – and wildest – form.

Fiat-Abarth OT 1000

The Fiat-Abarth OT 1000 is a stripped-back Fiat 850

With a 40kg weight disadvantage compared with the ‘derived from 600’ models and relatively soft tuning – an increase of 2bhp and 10kph (6mph) on the top speed – the unloved standard Abarth OT 850 road cars lasted for just one year.

But, with one eye on production-car racing, Carlo Abarth pounced on the Fiat 850 Coupé and Spider for the remainder of his Omologato Turismo series.

Engines ranged from a simple tuned 850, via a stroked 1-litre to the blistering 1.3 and 1.6.

There was even a 2-litre incarnation: tests were carried out on one that produced a staggering 204bhp.

The Fiat-Abarth OT 1000’s long gearlever controls a pleasingly mechanical shift

Numerous hot versions of the Fiat 850 Coupé – based around the original power unit – were created, including the OT, OTS (a slightly hotter 68bhp OT), OTR (with radial cylinder head and 74bhp) and OTSS (a homologated OTS racer).

The featured car is a Fiat-Abarth OT 1000. Coming from the 595SS and 750GT Zagato, this feels like a relatively grown-up machine.

The cabin is positively spacious in comparison and you sit high, with an excellent view of the road.

It is similar in appearance to the stock Fiat 850 Coupé and sports a clean, distinctive design, instantly recognisable by its lack of a radiator grille.

Campagnolo alloys and that Abarth favourite, the chequerboard roof, complement it.

The Fiat-Abarth OT 1000 has a relatively spacious cabin

The 850 block is fitted with a longer-stroke steel crankshaft that yields 982cc and a power output of 62bhp.

Nail the throttle and it starts to sing beautifully: there’s a throaty roar from the sports exhausts, joined by an enjoyable snarl from the Weber DIC carburettor.

The gearbox has a satisfyingly mechanical shift and ensures that changes are accomplished seamlessly.

On paper, at least, it will climb heartily to 155kph (96mph). 

The Fiat-Abarth OT 1000’s 62bhp 982cc ‘four’

In period, Abarth models were all about the headline figures: cubic capacity, bhp, torque, weight and top speed.

Combined with record-breaking, these are the numbers that sold the cars.

All products therefore remained in a constant state of development, none more so than the exceptional OTs.

Further models included the Fiat-Abarth OT 2000 Coupé – a 2-litre, 185bhp screamer capable of 240kph (150mph) – and a 124-engined OT 1300.

These were to be the last complete Abarth-modified models to carry the Fiat badge as Carlo instead focused once again on custom cars and his own engines, until his firm’s incorporation into the Turin giant.

Fiat 124 Abarth Stradale

The Fiat 124 looks aggressive in Abarth Stradale form

Fiat immediately put the company to work, and the 124 Abarth Rally, unveiled in October 1972, was the first car to be produced as a result of the union.

Its construction signalled the initial phase of Fiat’s all-out effort to win the World Rally Championship.

Only 1013 examples were produced, in both roadgoing Stradale and competition Corsa forms.

At first glance, the 124 appears much smaller than its standard Spider sibling.

The Fiat 124 Abarth Stradale’s four-cylinder engine is an all-alloy, twin-cam unit

In reality, the dimensions haven’t changed. All that it has lost are its chrome bumpers, replaced here by rubber overriders.

This, combined with the extra air intakes, liberates designer Tom Tjaarda’s underlying bodywork and accentuates the car’s perfetto lines.

Inside, the centre console and wooden dashboard have been discarded (with aluminium panels in place of the latter), as have the rear seats and any suggestion of sound deadening.

A glassfibre hardtop has been fitted instead of the fabric soft-top, with a wide plastic window affording an excellent field of vision.

The Fiat 124 Abarth Stradale’s cabin has no creature comforts

Aluminium door skins, sills and rear quarter panels, a glassfibre boot and bonnet, and lightweight magnesium alloys add up to a substantial 200kg weight saving.

The twin-cam engine is relatively standard, other than being blueprinted and having an improved manifold and a pair of 44IDF Webers.

The Fiat 124 Abarth Stradale is good for 128bhp, although an Abarth Corse racing kit took that up to 170bhp.

The power delivery is smooth and the engine thrives on revs, hurtling its way towards the redline in every gear.

‘The rear seats have been discarded, as has any suggestion of sound deadening’

Designed by ex-Ferrari man Aurelio Lampredi, it was produced in numerous forms for 45 years, serving a huge number of marques and models.

The bodyshell is largely seam-welded rather than spot-welded, and the addition of a roll-over bar enhances the structural integrity.

The handling is superb thanks to independent rear suspension – a variation on a MacPherson-strut system – that really inspires confidence and enables the car to be thrown into corners.

Also, the resulting decrease in unsprung weight over the standard car means added traction.

Aluminium replaces wood on the Fiat 124 Abarth Stradale’s dashboard

On the limit, however, it does demonstrate a certain lack of poise, and it has a tendency to lift a wheel under really hard cornering. 

The works competition cars achieved three victories at World Rally Championship level, but could only manage second place overall in the 1973 standings behind the A110 Berlinettes of Alpine-Renault.

By 1976, it would be the turn of the Fiat 131 Abarth to take up the WRC fight.

Fiat 131 Abarth Stradale

The Fiat 131 Abarth Stradale brought rally success

Fiat’s purchase of Lancia put paid to the latter’s phenomenal Stratos rally car.

While undeniably attractive to everyday people, expensive exotica might just as well have existed on a different planet.

What the company craved was a rally winner based on a mass-market model.   

Abarth’s Corso Marche factory ditched its 2-litre Fiat X1/9 concept and transferred its attentions to the traditional front-engined/rear-drive set-up of the 131 Mirafiori.

The Fiat 131 Abarth Stradale’s relatively sober interior

Production took place at Carrozerria Bertone, lasting just a year and with 406 built.

The finished article cost three times the price of a standard car.

The two-door bodies were modified, painted and trimmed at Bertone’s Grugliasco plant, and tipped the scales at a healthy 980kg. Sitting here on the asphalt, the result is brutal.

If the 124 provides a visual link to the preceding decades, the 131 is definitively of its time in profile.

The Fiat 131 Abarth Stradale makes do with a single carburettor on its Fiat 124-based engine

Those massive wheelarches, and the various intakes, scoops and spoilers, lend a purposeful air.

On the move, this is heightened by the 131’s ‘rear-down’ stance.

The twin-cam engine is an evolution of the final 16-valve 124 unit, but Abarth took the strange decision to strangle it with a single Weber 34ADF carburettor.

While it is similarly rev-happy, the torque available isn’t as forceful, but the 138bhp that it produces is enough to dispatch the 0-60mph sprint in 8.2 secs, and the gearbox is a bulletproof joy.

The Fiat 131 Abarth Stradale’s extreme bodywork consists of wings, vents and flared wheelarches

The suspension is a development of the Fiat 124 Abarth’s fully independent set-up, but the weight distribution feels much improved.

“It is a wonderfully balanced car,” confirms Tony.

When pressed hard, the 131 remains firmly planted, communicating every nuance through the rack-and-pinion steering.

“It’s great fun to drive, all powerslides and opposite lock,” Tony adds. “They proved an excellent match for the equally sideways Ford Escorts.”

Extra gauges in the Fiat 131 Abarth Stradale’s cabin, alongside the famous scorpion badge

Out in the rally world, the Group 4 machines – with Kugelfischer fuel injection and up to 230bhp – immediately excelled, initially on Tarmac with its premium on handling, and then on other surfaces.

In 1976 the Fiat 131 Abarth Stradale took victory on the Elba Island Rally and Finland’s 1000 Lakes, but this was simply the prelude to three WRC titles in 1977, ’78 and ’80.

Fiat Strada Abarth 130TC

The Fiat Strada Abarth 130TC makes a great hot hatch

When Fiat finally joined the Volkswagen-dominated hot-hatchback party in 1981, it deliberately chose the Frankfurt motor show for the release of the European market-only Ritmo Abarth 125TC, and the newcomer’s surprisingly forceful character ensured that it received a rapturous response.

A Fiat 128 floorpan provided the basis, and the standard car’s use of plastic for the bumpers was carried over.

The body – designed for relatively gutless 1100cc and 1300cc units – required comparitively little reinforcement for the power generated by the 2-litre engine, which was lifted from the Fiat Argenta.

Corso Marche modified the Lampredi twin-cam by adding sportier valvegear, updated exhaust manifolds, an oil cooler, aluminium sump and a Goetz-type cylinder-head gasket to withstand heat stress, and mounted the whole powerplant transversely.

Snazzy Recaros in the Fiat Strada Abarth 130TC

Buyers had the option of two twin-choke Weber or Solex carburettors. This resulted in 125bhp and the 0-60mph sprint in 7.9 secs.

The 130TC Strada, launched in 1983 and available in the UK, got an extra 5bhp and shaved 0.2 secs from the acceleration time.

The British motoring press enthusiastically greeted the Fiat Strada Abarth 130TC, with Autocar stating: ‘There can be little argument that it is now the leader in terms of performance.’

Thanks to the updated aesthetics with its quad headlights, the 130TC is the most aggressive-looking of the Stradas.

The Fiat Strada Abarth 130TC’s engine is from the Fiat Argenta

“They’re very underrated,” says Tony, “with that powerful and torquey engine in a lightweight bodyshell, and delivered through an updated ZF gearbox and suspension.”

Out on the test track, it is easy to see why it impressed everybody so much in period.

The cabin specification is high, with aggressively supportive Recaro bucket seats, a clear and tidy dash binnacle, and a sports steering wheel.

‘Throttle response is instant, powering the little Fiat Strada Abarth 130TC forward with gusto’

With 130lb ft of torque at 3600rpm, throttle response is instant, powering the little Abarth forward with gusto.

It has that gratifyingly fruity Italian exhaust note and sharp handling responses that really give you the confidence to chuck it around, even on first acquaintance. 

The only thing you’ll find difficult is sourcing one.

Like most Stradas, they began rusting at the mere thought of going outside.

If you do come across a good example, however, this Scorpion still packs one hell of a punch.

Classic Abarths: summary

Abarth established itself on road, stage and track

With every delicate curve one to be savoured, the Fiat-Abarth 750GT Zagato is the aesthete’s Abarth of choice, but period Mille Miglia success proves that it also has the performance to match its beguiling looks.

The Fiat 500-, 600-, and 850-based cars – represented here by the sublime 595SS, distinctive OT 1000 and the awe-inspiring Group 5 1000 Berlina Corsa – remain the embodiment of all that the Abarth name stands for: small, bold and perky.

The cars produced after the Fiat takeover are sometimes seen as being not quite ‘real’ Abarths – but they are still products of the company’s decades of experience in creating and modifying competition cars.

Abarth’s tiny tearaways are huge fun to drive

The 124 and 131 Stradales are exquisite homologation specials, and can bask in the reflective glow of the rally successes that eventually came Fiat’s way, while the Strada was a last hurrah for the Abarth name.

Launched into a fiercely competitive hot-hatch market, it still scared the sauerkraut out of the opposition.

“Basing competition cars on production models will always be a compromise in terms of ultimate development and performance,” says Tony.

But, as these cars go to show, what a sweet compromise that was.

Carlo Abarth: making of a marque

Abarth’s signature chequerboard roof

Company founder Karl Abarth was born in Vienna in 1909 and began his career in Italy, serving an apprenticeship with motorcycle maker Degan.

He raced ’bikes but was injured in a crash in 1939 and hospitalised in Yugoslavia.

He remained there during WW2, then returned to Italy and changed his name to Carlo.

After helping develop the Cisitalia 360 single-seater racing car, he set up his own company in 1949.

Images: Malcolm Griffiths

Thanks to: Tony Castle-Miller at Middle Barton Garage; Chris Greenhalgh; Simon Ryle; Antonio Cormano; Timothy Milnes

This was first in our June 2013 magazine; all information was correct at the date of original publication

Factfiles

Fiat-Abarth 750GT Zagato

• Sold/number built 1957-’60/n/a
• Engine iron-block, alloy-head, ohv 747cc ‘four’, Weber 32IMPE carburettor
• Max power 43bhp @ 5800rpm
• Max torque 40lb ft @ 4000rpm
• Transmission four-speed manual, RWD
• Suspension independent, at front by upper trailing arms, lower transverse leaf spring rear semi-trailing upper arms, coil springs; hydraulic dampers f/r
• Steering worm and sector
• Brakes drums
• Weight 1179lb (535kg)
• 0-60mph 17.3 secs
• Top speed 87mph
• Price new n/a

Fiat-Abarth 595SS

• Sold/number built 1963-’71/n/a
• Engine iron-block, alloy-head, side-camshaft, ohv 594cc twin, Solex 34 PBIC carburettor
• Max power 32bhp @ 4900rpm
• Max torque 32lb ft @ 3500rpm
• Transmission four-speed manual, RWD
• Suspension independent, at front by trailing arms, transverse leaf spring rear coil springs; hydraulic dampers f/r
• Steering worm and sector
• Brakes drums
• Weight 1036lb (470kg)
• 0-60mph 21 secs (est)
• Top speed 81mph
• Price new £371

Fiat-Abarth 1000 Berlina Corsa

• Sold/number built 1964-’70/n/a
• Engine iron-block, alloy-head, ohv 982cc ‘four’, twin Weber carburettors
• Max power 112bhp @ 8200rpm
• Max torque 65lb ft @ 5500rpm
• Transmission five-speed manual, RWD
• Suspension independent, at front by trailing arms, transverse leaf springs rear coil springs; hydraulic dampers f/r
• Steering worm and sector
• Brakes discs
• Weight 1285lb (583kg)
• 0-60mph n/a
• Top speed 125mph
• Price new n/a

Fiat-Abarth OT 1000
^{Where different from 1000 Berlina Corsa}

• Sold/number built 1964-’71/n/a
• Engine twin-choke Weber carburettor
• Max power 62bhp @ 6150rpm
• Max torque 64lb ft @ 3500rpm
• Brakes discs front, drums rear
• Weight 1600lb (726kg)
• Top speed 97mph

Fiat 124 Abarth Stradale

• Sold/number built 1972-’76/1013
• Engine all-alloy, dohc 1756cc ‘four’, twin Weber 44IDF carburettors
• Max power 128bhp @ 6200rpm
• Max torque 117lb ft @ 5200rpm
• Transmission five-speed manual, RWD
• Suspension independent, by MacPherson struts, anti-roll bar f/r
• Steering worm and roller
• Brakes discs
• Weight 2068lb (938kg)
• 0-60mph 8.5 secs
• Top speed 120mph
• Price new £2250

Fiat 131 Abarth Stradale

• Sold/number built 1976/406
• Engine all-alloy, dohc 1995cc ‘four’, Weber 34ADF carburettor
• Max power 138bhp @ 6400rpm
• Max torque 133lb ft @ 3800rpm
• Transmission five-speed manual, RWD
• Suspension independent, by MacPherson struts, anti-roll bar f/r
• Steering rack and pinion
• Brakes discs
• Weight 2161lb (980kg)
• 0-60mph 8.2 secs
• Top speed 118mph
• Price new £9500

Strada Abarth 130TC

• Sold/number built 1984-’87/585
• Engine all-alloy, dohc 1995cc ‘four’, twin Weber or Solex carburettors
• Max power 130bhp @ 5900rpm
• Max torque 130lb ft @ 3600rpm
• Transmission five-speed ZF manual, FWD
• Suspension independent, at front by MacPherson struts, angled tie-rods, anti-roll bar rear transverse leaf spring, lower wishbones
• Steering rack and pinion
• Brakes discs front, drums rear
• Weight 2094lb (950kg)
• 0-60mph 7.7 secs
• Top speed 118mph
• Price new £7800

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Ross Alkureishi

Ross Alkureishi is a contributor to Classic & Sports Car

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