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| Carlo Abarth |
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Scorpio's sting Text: Fiat press Carlo Abarth produced not only for the eye and not at all for any reason, not for the rich and not for the poor. He built cars for people with passion and ran shiver down their spine. When the Viennese motorcyclist Karl Abarth together with his partner Armado Scagliarini founded the sports car company Abarth & Co in 1947, Juan Manuel Fangio just celebrated his first successes in race cars. When the patron Carlo Abarth sold his lifework to Fiat in 1971, Jacky Stewart just had been world champion for the second time and Niki Lauda took his first steps in formula 1. Even though the sports car constructor Abarth only once ogled with a formula 1 project the period of his work is complied with the golden years of racing. It was another time and racing another unique world. |
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| Carlo Abarth | Fiat Abarth 750 GT Zagato 1956 | |
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| Fiat Abarth 1000 TC 1969 | Abarth 2000 Sport Spyder 1968 | 207A Spyder Boano 1955 |
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Race driving was still full of pioneering spirit, engineers were handicraft enthusiasts, safety was cowardice, enviroment wasn't a topic and the way into racing was reserved for an elite. It was only Abarth who opened a small path for the common man. He specialised on the construction of low displacement sports cars and humbled the established succesful racing teams on thousands of airfield-, hill climbing and road races. There he showed which ingredients were necessary for that; a big heart and the right parts. Nobody knew like him to ennoble little Fiats with a kick. Tailgate opened, exhaust system fixed, ready to race. Abarth was the sting of the underdogs. On action at the Nürburgring as well as at the prestige duell at the crossroads. Virtually the career of the Viennese Karl Abarth started on a motor bike. He drove races succesfully but was thrown back by a heavy fall. After that he managed a comeback in side cars where he became champion several times on self tuned machines. His partiality for publicity actions he proved by a race against the Orient Express at that time which of course he won. His step to Italy he justified later this way: "There's no other country in the world where you can see less saloon cars with chauffeurs – Italiens love to drive their cars temselves." Only here it was where Abarth could fulfill his dream. His dream about cars being joshing, being faster than vehicles with 1,500cc. At Torino, a town, where car development had tradition. In Italy, where passion is given complete expression for people with passion. Though Abarth himself never understood the "Dolce far niente”. He wasn't like Enzo Ferrari – his Viennese mentality was much to be said against it. Nevertheless the comparison is admissible because both had been dominant, charismatic and godfather alike, cool, consistent, stubborn, but with all their soul at the idea to reach success by diligence and precision. And nowhere else succes is sensed more beautiful and immediate than in racing. Therefore Abarth's real interest was always with the revolutionary prototypes, the record chasings but not with parts selling, although this area of business brought in commercial success and international reputation. Abarth was a patron, a dictator who stood pigheaded to his principles and had only his work in mind, which he also demanded from others. "Tu lavora" – "You work!" his unnerved engineers always heard - preferentally at 10 p.m. - when they wanted Abarth to realize that his newest vision has reached a blind alley. By all rigorousness of his demands – actually the vision never been in a blind alley but in a congestion at the most. As devotee of astrology he believed in the power of his traits, preseverance and inconsiderateness. Therefore his company has the emblem of his zodiac sign: the scorpio. |