1964 Abarth 1000TC Coupe

Carlo Abarth founded his own company in 1949. His work gradually stabilized in four different areas; modifications of production cars (usually Fiats but also with others, mostly Simca), exhaust pipes (and the other accessories), one-off cars for record-breaking, and sports car design and production.

Fiat began producing the 850 and later supplied Abarth with incomplete vehicles. It was left up to Abarth to fit the car with brakes, exhaust pipes, carburetors, and crankshafts. Thus, Abarth was able to produce highly modified vehicles at very reasonable prices.

The Fiat Abarth was based on a Fiat 600 which came with a water-cooled, four-cylinder, 600cc engine delivering 28 horsepower. Abarth gradually modified the car in several different iterations including the 750 TC, the 850 TC, and the 1000 TC. The rear-engined car often had its rear deck open to help with cooling. What was later learned was that the open rear deck offered the car a higher top speed.

The 1000TC was the most potent evolution and raced successfully up to 1970. The first 1000 Berlinas made their appearance in 1962 and used a version of the Fiat 600D engine. In 1964, the racing version was replaced by the Berlina Corsa. These versions had a front-mounted radiator that sat in the front, between the bumper bars. The engine offered 76 horsepower and had a top speed of 185 km/h.

A later radiator was fitted in 1965 which eliminated the need for a fan to cool the rear unit. A fuel filler cap was located in the center of the front hood and the window wipers had a new linkage.

In 1966, it received a larger front radiator shroud that traversed the entire width of the car.

This particular example has been used in vintage competition since being purchased by its current caretaker. It produces about 85 horsepower. The car has disc brakes and adjustable shocks.

By Daniel Vaughan | Jul 2015