1953 Ghia 205A 1100 Sport Coupe

This Abarth 205A 1100 Sport was shown at the 1953 Turin Salon. It appeared on the Ghia stand alongside the similar Dodge Firearrow that Ghia had previously built for Chrysler. The body design is thought to be the work of Giovanni Michelotti with heavy influences from Virgil Exner and Giovanni Savonuzzi. It was built on the last of four Abarth 205 competition chassis and used mechanical components from the new Fiat 1100 that was also previewed at the Turin Salon. After the show, the Abarth was sold to William 'Bill' Vaughn of New York. Vaughn built a variety of Specials in the 1950s and he showed the Abarth at the New York Auto Show in 1954 under the name of the Vaughn SS Wildcat. Vaughn promised a fiberglass version with a dual overhead cam V8. Fast forward to 1982 when this Abarth was discovered in a barn in Maryland and then masterfully restored by Grant Kinzel of Alberta, Canada. The 2015 Pebble Beach Concours was the first time the Abarth was seen in public since that show. It won its class and was nominated for Best of Show, a tremendous achievement for a post-war automobile.

This Abarth 205 is the only example to use an engine and transmission developed from the new Fiat 1100-103, and the only example bodied by Ghia.