1955 Fiat Abarth
black mamba
Registered Users Posts: 8,325 Major grins
The current model Fiat 500 has been introduced with an optional Abarth package. It's largely just a trim package to differentiate it from the standard model. I thought you might like to see a truly unique Fiat Abarth.
This car is a 1955 Fiat Abarth Boano Spyder 207A. It is one of only two built for the 1955 automobile car show circuit. It was sold at the New York show of that year and was stored away in a barn until 2003. It was based on the Fiat 1100 model, but extensively custom designed and modified for racing. It was blessed with rip-snorting power.....all 66 HP worth. It was actually leading its class at the 1955 12 Hours of Sebring race until it was disqualified for illegal fueling.
This car is a 1955 Fiat Abarth Boano Spyder 207A. It is one of only two built for the 1955 automobile car show circuit. It was sold at the New York show of that year and was stored away in a barn until 2003. It was based on the Fiat 1100 model, but extensively custom designed and modified for racing. It was blessed with rip-snorting power.....all 66 HP worth. It was actually leading its class at the 1955 12 Hours of Sebring race until it was disqualified for illegal fueling.
I always wanted to lie naked on a bearskin rug in front of a fireplace. Cracker Barrel didn't take kindly to it.
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Gorgeous is the word. It sure commanded a lot of attention from the crowds.
Thanks for the visit,
Tom
www.mind-driftphoto.com
If I'm not mistaken, this show was the first one for this car since its refreshing. In any event, it caught a lot of folk's fancy. Fiat is a storied manufacturer who has been missing from the U.S. scene until fairly recently. They've got some keen equipment coming down the pipeline.
Take care,
Tom
Well, I guess one's perspective about this depends on the yardstick one uses to make such judgments. Admittedly, Fiat has made commendable efforts to add some spark to the 500 with the introduction of the Abarth version. I applaud them for that.
160 HP and 170 lb-ft of torque in a car weighing about 2500 lbs. sounds like it ought to light anyone's fires. Sadly, the Abarth falls a little short of that: nothing too exciting about 0-60 times just a little less than 8 seconds. The Abarth's handling prowess also falls woefully short of it's main competitor....the Mini Cooper S. These are some observations made by varied automobile magazines but they coincide with my personal experiences of having driven them both.
Fiat may continue to develop the 500 Abarth but, until they take it up another notch or two, it remains largely a more sporty trim package to me.
Thanks for looking in and taking time to comment,
Tom
You compared the Abarth to the standard model. Sure, you can compare it to another vehicle and it is nothing spectacular, but if you are talking standard model to Abarth, and you were, the upgrade is significantly more than a trim package.
What a Great Find, I'd never heard or seen this
Car before.
As always, so great to see these Rare Finds, and
I really appreciate the information on them as
well as the beautiful shots of them.
Craig
Burleson, Texas
I tell you, Craig, I'm like a one-eyed cat in a seafood store when I go to shows of this caliber....I don't know where to look next and I'm afraid I'm going to miss something. Like you, I'd never heard of this car.
Going with me to one of these shows is another thing you need to put on your bucket list.
Take care,
Tom
Looks like it would be a fun convertible to toodle-around in...
You know what F.I.A.T. stands for don't you?
Well, this is a family site, so I won't say it out-loud.
Well, Eric, it's a good thing you reigned-in your raucous side.
I eschew ' artsy ' shots when presenting my car show work. I try and show you guys just what I'm seeing. I'll occasionally throw in an abstract or two but for the most part, especially when I usually limit shots of any one car to two or three at the most, I try and keep it simple. I'm happy to share my passion with y'all and hope that I'm providing a peek at some interesting iron you might not otherwise see.
Take care, my friend,
Tom
Ha, I used to sell them when they were popular in the mid–late 70's (to make money for college). I had a Spider 124 Convertible demo. One-hand roof operation. Used to put it up and down at stop lights in less than 3 seconds and it would freak people out.
Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino. What's wrong with that? Hahaha... yeah, we used to say the family–unfriendly version all the time, even though I am Italian heritage.
Well, now FIAT now owns 100% of Chrysler, and they were the only "U.S" car company up last year (8%), so I guess we can change that to "Fund-rich Italian Acquisition Transactions."
Beautiful car!
"Conventional thinking is the ruin of our souls..." ~Rumi
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Somehow I knew that, Mary. Looking closely, though, I don't see that this car has any top at all. Therefore, it wouldn't work for you....seeing as it snows for 300 days a year where you live.:D
Seriously, I trust you and John are doing OK. Y'all have been getting some pretty brutal weather. I got a taste of that stuff when I spent Christmas with a niece in Milwaukee. I wouldn't want a steady diet of what you guys are experiencing.
Tom