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European hill climbing champion Hans Ortner surely was a favourite of Carlo Abarth, even if Abarth tried hard to hide this fact in ten years of corporate partnership. But Ortner was one of the best saloon car drivers of the late 60s and also a reliable test driver, that was why he won acceptance. Ortner knew how to handle with the rough shell of his company father, even if this man put his beloved on trial in old testamentary ways. Sometimes Ortner had been the Lord's Abraham. One night at 6 o'clock when the factory was closed Abarth summoned his management for a discussion to plan further projects scrupulously precise. He was enthroned in the middle, built up in front of the famous picture wall with all the greatest racing drivers, always been clothed in the most elegant cloth from Paris, London, Milan and eating an apple. His employees reported. It was the week before the important hill climbing race at Leon, and Abarth wanted the decision which gear box should be mounted. Ortner barely said tired by 1000 test kilometers that day "Signore, I've never been driving at Leon in my life, the best is we decide on-site." Abarth paused, looked around and replied even more barely: "Then you drive to Leon and advise me tomorrow morning how you decide." |
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| Fiat Abarth OT 2000 1966 | Fiat Abarth 1300 Scorpione 1968 | |
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| Fiat Abarth OTSS 1000 1965 | Fiat Abarth 1300 Spider Turbolare 1963 |
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Altogether more than 200 modells left the company in Corsa Marche, and this number can only mean a clue. Because in fact no Abarth was like the other. On every car was worked meticulously and rasped to perfection. Technical frailty almost never occured during the races. Either a supplied part malfunctioned, why finally Abarth made all by himself from clutch pedal to battery – nowadays no one is reliable any more –, or it was a driving mistake which took an Abarth from track before time. Than you could prepare yourself for a thunderstorm! To ruin an Abarth the patriach put on one step with the worst crimes of mankind. Often he ordered special shifts, furloughed drivers by force and aggravated the time table drastically. Who was undisciplined was allowed to go. Sometimes even before he had arrived. Lack of punctuality and criticism on his cars that have been two mortal sins to Carlo Abarth. Just as it could happen that he shouted to his racing engineer over the shoulder of a carping customer : "Dr. Avidano, we don't sell an Abarth to this gent! " This nearly abnormal love to his cars of course caused effects. His mechanics worked at the car cautiously like doctors at an opened skull. This cautiousness was booked with 500 to 600 racing victories per year. Thereby a unique mythos was established through the years, comparable to Ferrari, only sustained by another clientel: the drivers of the legendary 850 and 1000 Fiat Abarth, marked by the crossed sticky tapes across the head lights and the opened tailgate – btw the creed of every Abarth-apostle. Abarth became religion, and the sticker with the scorpio to the visible sign of affiliation. |