1959 Abarth 750 GT Zagato

The Abarth 750 Zagato has the familiar Zagato bubble rooftop. The Abarth Company was a small Italian tuning company founded in 1950 by Carlo Abarth. Within a short amount of time, the business had established itself as a prominent tuner of vehicles. This vehicle is built atop a Fiat vehicle and powered by a four-cylinder engine. Horsepower was just over 40 which is about double what the standard Fiat engine used. The optional Bialbero GT engine raised horsepower even further. It is matted to a four-speed manual gearbox and has four-wheel hydraulically operated drum brakes.

Most of the projects Abarth undertook were with Fiat vehicles and mechanical components. The results of his work were highly tuned engines and lightweight vehicles with nimble handling. The cars dominated the smaller classes and often were quicker than the larger, more powerful competition in other classes.

The 750 Zagato Record Monza Coupe was based on the Fiat 600. It was introduced in 1958. Power came from a Giochino Colombo-designed twin-cam 750cc engine which was capable of producing 57 horsepower at 7000 RPM. The top speed was in the neighborhood of 180 km/h.

During the 1957, 1958, and 1959 Mille Miglia, the 750 Monza Coupe emerged victorious in their class. Class wins at the 1961 LeMans, Sebring and Daytona Beach races were also among their accomplishments. They racked up many impressive victories in many types of racing, including hill climbs.

by Daniel Vaughan | May 2007