1968 Abarth 1300 Hatchback Coupe

The company's logo, the Scorpion, was sourced from when Karl Alberto Abarth was born. He was born on November 15th of 1908 in Vienna, Austria, under the astrological symbol of the scorpion. At an early age, he began showing a talent for engineering, and at the age of 16, he began an apprenticeship with Degan in Italy, designing bicycle and motorcycle chassis. The Abarth Company was formed on April 15th of 1949 in Turin, Italy.

During the 1960s, Abarth was quite successful in hill climbing and sportscar racing, mainly in classes from 850cc up to 2000cc. Along with their racing endeavors, Abarth also produced high-performance exhaust pipes and later diversified in the production of various tuning kits for road vehicles, mainly focusing on Fiats. On July 31st of 1971, Abarth was sold to Enzo Oscella. Currently, Abarth is now part of the recent alliance between Fiat and Chrysler.

This 1968 Fiat Abarth 1300 has its original AB204 engine. It has been given a recent and complete restoration, including complete disassembly, professional bodywork and paint, and a restored interior. The electrical and cooling systems were rebuilt, and the transaxle was disassembled for inspection and replacement of the speedometer gear. The car runs on Koni Red adjustable shock absorbers, installed as a NOS set, and the exhaust manifold and downpipe were ceramic coated. It has a new gear-reduction starter.

In 2011, this vehicle was offered for sale at the Quail Lodge auction presented by Bonhams. It was sold for the sum of $46,800 inclusive of the buyer's premium.

By Daniel Vaughan | Nov 2011