“Including energy makes you quicker on the straights. Subtracting weight makes you quicker all over the place”. These well-known phrases are a quote by the legendary Lotus boss Colin Chapman. In racing, there may be certainly a direct hyperlink between a automobile’s efficiency and the ability the engine produces versus the load it places on the monitor. Chapman wasn’t the one one who embraced this idea, as legendary Italian (though born in Austria) designer and engineer Carlo Abarth utilized the identical precept to his automobiles. To such an extent even, that within the Nineteen Sixties and Seventies, Abarths had been typically a critical contender for race wins wherever they confirmed up! Honouring considered one of their most succesful machines, Abarth is constructing 5 examples of the Classiche 1300 OT, which is closely impressed by the 1300 OT from the mid-Nineteen Sixties.
Carlo Abarth
Born as Karl Albert Abarth in 1908, Carlo Alberto Abarth was not solely a really expert engineer and designer but additionally had a racing profession for himself. He raced on two wheels largely, turning into the European Champion in his class 5 instances. He deserted racing bikes after a critical crash in Linz, and racing altogether after affected by sickness in 1939. Following World Battle II, Carlo Abarth continued to work within the automotive business, earlier than founding Abarth & Co in 1949.
His expertise as a racer, sporting director (for the Cisitalia racing workforce) and engineer gave him the mandatory abilities to construct sports activities and racing automobiles beneath his personal title. Bearing a scorpion emblem taken after his astrological signal, Abarth automobiles have been intently associated to, and infrequently constructed utilizing Fiat automobiles and expertise. A few of his most well-known creations are racing editions of the Fiat 500 and 600 and later the Autobianchi A112 Abarth. Automobiles beneath the Abarth title would typically be light-weight, with engines with small capability engines, making them agile sufficient to repeatedly beat much more highly effective automobiles on twisty racing tracks all throughout Europe.
1974 Fiat-Abarth 595 SS – Bonhams Automobiles
1971 Fiat-Abarth 695 SS – Bonhams Automobiles.
By 1971, Fiat took over full management of the Abarth firm and it will be become the model’s efficiency associate. Much like AMG for Mercedes or the M-division for BMW, Abarth would deal with efficiency enhancements for Fiat’s street and racing automobiles. This is able to additionally join Abarth to Lancia, because the joint racing division would develop automobiles such because the Lancia 037 and Lancia Delta S4, two icons of Group B rallying. In the course of the Nineteen Nineties and early 2000s, the title would dwindle somewhat, because it was primarily used to point trim ranges or sooner variations of Fiat automobiles. Now although, following a relaunch as a separate model in 2007 beneath the total management of Fiat, Abarth at present produces high-performance equivalents of the Fiat 500 and 500C, the Pulse (a compact cross-over primarily offered in Latin America) and the Fastback (a five-door ‘coupe’ model of the Pulse).
Abarth 1300 OT
One among Abarths most profitable automobiles to grace a race monitor is the Abarth 1300 OT. This light-weight and agile coupe was constructed between 1965 and 1968 and campaigned extensively throughout its lifespan. It was developed following a surge of huge automobile firms getting into the performance-enhancement market. Manufacturers started producing high-performance variations of their very own automobiles, as an alternative of counting on outdoors firms to take action. In response, Abarth shifted focus to racing greater than street automobiles, counting on its previous expertise, and the Abarth 1300 OT is the direct results of that.
The Abarth 1300 OT was in-built 1965 and thru the years that adopted it got here in a number of barely completely different variations. The OT in its title refers to ‘Omologato Turismo’, that means it was accredited for racing because it was derived from a street automobile (roughly), so a homologation automobile in essence. The chassis comes from a serially produced Fiat 850, draped with a curvaceous physique of sheet metallic and resin components (such because the bonnets). The engine is mounted behind the rear axle, one thing Carlo Abarth favoured. With 1,298cc of displacement, it produces 147bhp in a automobile that weighs about 655 kilos. Its high velocity is listed as 245kph, which is mighty spectacular for the day!
Throughout its racing profession, the 1300 OT racked up a number of general victories and sophistication wins, on among the most daunting tracks throughout Europe, proving the idea of low kerb weight mixed with vital energy (kind of). If received the 1966 1966 Nürburgring 500km and the 1967 Hockenheim Grand Prix outright, while additionally profitable its class within the Monza 1000km, Nürburgring 1000km, Mugello Grand Prix, Ollon-Villars Hillclimb and a number of other different occasions as nicely. Although it was finally changed, the 1300 OT was campaigned (and victorious) nicely into the Seventies. It additionally added to the monumental tally of 900 race wins by Abarth automobiles in 1966 alone, the corporate’s best-ever season!
The Classiche 1300 OT
All this now comes collectively and is well known by means of the Abarth Classiche 1300 OT. It just about follows the recipe of the Abarth 1000SP tribute the producer constructed a few years in the past, the place an Alfa Romeo 4C is remodelled to seem like the unique. Styling components are carried over from the unique 1300 OT and integrated into the brand new design. Similar to with the 1000SP tribute automobile, the result’s fairly placing! The automobile is constructed beneath the flag of the Heritage division of Stellantis, the group that features legendary Italian names like Fiat, Lancia, Alfa Romeo and Maserati, but additionally Citroën, Peugeot, Dodge, Jeep, Opel and Chrysler (plus just a few others).
It definitely helps that the Alfa Romeo 4C it’s based mostly on already has the engine within the again, just like the 1300 OT it’s modelled after, though it’s not mounted behind the rear axle however somewhat in entrance of it. No data is shared if any work has been accomplished on the engine, so I assume the turbocharged 1.75-litre four-cylinder engine nonetheless produces 240 horsepower. Energy remains to be fed by means of a six-speed sequential gearbox, and mixed with a weight of lower than 900 kilos, it’s nonetheless a really quick and agile machine.
Aesthetically, the Classiche 1300 OT is intently associated to the 1000SP from 2021 and some issues have weirdly been left untouched (such because the small headlights). Nonetheless, it nonetheless appears to be like fairly superb! The physique is all moulded from carbon fibre, taking full benefit of contemporary building strategies. The entrance has a flat horizontal air consumption that mimics the look of the unique, however from the doorways to the again, Abarth has nailed the ‘tribute’ look brilliantly. The rear clamshell has quick-release locks on the facet, as an example. The again of the automobile options spherical taillights flanking the cooling grille with the “Abarth” title reduce out of it. To high all of it off, the Periscope air consumption on high can also be there, though a bit completely different in design. It provides a superb contact to honour the unique 1300 OT ‘Periscipio’!
Abarth will construct simply 5 examples, all utilizing the Alfa Romeo 4C as a base automobile, with orders now being open. The worth stays a little bit of a thriller for now, however rumours are circulating of a sticker worth nicely north of EUR 200,000. Regardless of not having the total particulars on this automobile, I anticipate all 5 to be offered somewhat rapidly, as issues are inclined to go along with such particular venture automobiles.
For extra data on the Abarth Classiche 1300 OT or the unique 1967 Abarth 1300 OT Periscopio featured right here, please go to Stellantis.com or Automobiles.Bonhams.com.
Editorial Word: The data and pictures used for this text are sourced from and used with permission of Stellantis and Bonhams Automobiles except said in any other case.
