Tag Archives: 1000

1967 Fiat Abarth 1000 OTR – REVISIT

June 2, 2014 Graham

Having made its way from Australia to New York following an impressive restoration, the 1967 Fiat Abarth 1000 OTR that I wrote up back in 2012 has once again popped up for sale, now on Ebay. The picture above and link below will take you to the current auction for the car, which is advertised nearly unchanged, except for location and price. Now at $98,000, it's a serious premium over the original asking price below - but does take into account the rarity, condition, and having imported the cars to the United States.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1967 Fiat Abarth 1000 OTR on eBay

The below post originally appeared on our site October 10, 2012:

For 63 years, Abarth has been the tuning arm of Fiat, turning out wins on the track and hot versions of ordinary Fiat passenger cars on the street. From the wicked 131 Rally to the modern day 500 Abarth, the Abarth range has been rather diverse over the years. Vintage Abarths are highly prized and often bring large sums at auction. One of my favorite vintage Abarths is the 1000 OTR, a car we featured in August. Based on the Fiat 850, these were handsome, well proportioned coupes that hid their diminutive stature well. Another OTR for sale has come to our attention via our reader Graeme, who is located in New South Wales, Australia and is selling his 1000 OTR.

1967 Fiat Abarth 1000 OTR

A genuine Fiat Abarth OTR 1000 coupe, fully restored, with only 9,800 miles and absolutely NO rust ever. With FIVA papers and easy re-import into the US, this highly desirable Group 4 factory racing car can lay claim to being the best of the nine known survivors.

Abarth & C. was formed in 1949. The company was very successful under Carlo Abarth’s leadership, receiving extensive support from FIAT. Abarth & C. was purchased by FIAT in 1971. On 9 September 1965, Abarth launched the OTR 1000, derived from FIAT’s new 850 coupé, with a special “radiale” engine where the combustion chamber was formed by two intersecting spherical domes, one containing the inlet valve and the other the exhaust. The intention was to achieve the efficiency of the Abarth twin camshaft cylinder head without the complexity. The OTR engine was based on an Abarth modified FIAT 850 block.

Unfortunately the SCCA thought the Radiale head too clever, and the OTR too modified and powerful for its class, and exercised its right to exclude from SCCA competition cars “not considered suitable”. This probably explains why Abarth made only a few OTRs and homologated the car in Group 4, not Group 3. This car was imported into the United States in 1967 by Abarth Sales Corp. It was raced from 1967 to 1970 by the first owner before he had an accident. The car was stored, eventually coming to Australia in 1993. It sat in a shed on the Central Coast of New South Wales until purchased by the current owner in April 2005 who spent 18 months restoring it.

The car was stripped to bare metal and all panels straightened with minimal use of filler and repainted. All the missing bits and pieces were sourced from around the world. The engine had new valve springs, the head was fitted with hardened exhaust valve seats and all seals were replaced. The car has since been featured in Australian Classic Cars magazine and has won awards at a number of car shows including the FIAT Club of NSW Concorso d’Eleganza Best of Show in 2007 and 2010, and Best of Show and 1st Street Modified at the FIAT Clubs of Australia National Meeting at Bathurst in 2008. The car has travelled only 4,800 miles since restoration and the total mileage is 9,800. It comes with a detailed history and the original owners manuals.

For more photos please click on the following link:
http://www4.snapfish.com.au/snapfishau/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=5248217018/
a=80400830_80400830/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/

Enquiries to gtowers@ozemail.com.au or call +61 2 9960 7876

Graeme is asking $63,000 USD for his OTR and can be reached via the contact information above. The OTR that was for sale in California was advertised at $85,000, so even though there are little comparables to go buy, I think our reader is being realistic in his asking price. It is estimated that around 35 of these OTRs were ever produced, so that figure represents a small price to pay for exclusivity that most Ferraris and Lamborghinis can not match.

-Paul

Fiat

Abarth Racer Heaven: 1962 and 1963 1000GTs

March 17, 2014 Graham 2 Comments

On our sister site, German Cars For Sale Blog, we do a weekly feature called "Motorsports Monday" in which we cover some sort of track, road race or rally prepared German vehicle. But while the Germans have a strong history in motorsports, the Italians are right there with them. Indeed, Fiat, Lancia and Alfa Romeo was racing some of the earliest German sports cars well back before World War II, and it's the reputation of manufacturers Fiat, Lancia, Ferrari and more recently Lamborghini in racing that have helped to build their loyal customer base. But even more recent to pop back up in the market was the name Abarth; though relatively unknown in the United States, Abarth has been producing some of the hottest small Italian cars for decades; modifying everything from Fiats and Lancias right through Porsches. Today I have two race-bred, Fiat powered 1000GT Coupes to cover, both with impressive resumes and in even more impressive condition. Let's start with the 1962:

Year: 1962
Model: 1000GT
Engine: 1.0 liter inline-4
Transmission: 4-speed manual
Mileage: Not Listed
Price: Reserve Auction

CLICK FOR DETAILS:1962 Abarth 1000GT

PLEASE read all of the listing.

If you have any questions, please inquire.

Some bidders are not seeing all the photos. I use my own photo service so they are larger and shown below. Please scroll all the way down.

Description: 1962 Abarth 1000GT Bi-Albero (twin cam) round tail, serial number 112798, ex Briggs Cunningham team car, 2nd in the 1962 Sebring race driven by Walt Hansgen, extremely original and extensively documented. This car and the two other Abarths I am listing are in immaculate and professionally restored condition, very correct and in perfect working order. We invite any seriously interested party to view the car in person, it is located in Nashua, NH, USA. For any further questions or my telephone number please feel free to contact me via e-mail. The reserve will not be disclosed but is realistic for this rare, beautiful and important car..

Has clear NH title. Sold as is as seen with no warranties expressed or implied.

$2000.00 deposit required within 24 hours of winning bid and balance thru bank transfer or at time of pickup as long as funds clear. Buyer responsible for shipping but we can help with logistics. Will ship world wide.

If you didn't know or follow racing, Sebring 12 hours was this past weekend; and while there were no Abarths in the field they were a staple of late 1950s, early 1960s sports car racing. Another name that was equally famous, if not more so in the United States, was that of Briggs Cunningham - he pioneered racing not only here but in Europe as well, taking his custom made Cunninghams to Le Mans amongst other races. The connection shows in the white with blue stripe Cunningham colors, a testament to the American connection - those are the racing colors of the United States. As a professionally restored original race car, it's absolutely beautiful and carries the requisite Abarth trunk open shape; a characteristic that was uniquely solved by Bertone in 1963:

If the 1962 above is a neat car, the 1963 is both neat and pretty. The sloping rear deckline is a much more attractive solution to getting the hot air out of the engine bay. As with the 1962, this car's condition is impressively restored and it also carries an impressive race history:

Year: 1963
Model: 1000GT
Engine: 1.0 liter inline-4
Transmission: 4-speed manual
Mileage: Not Listed
Price: Reserve Auction

CLICK FOR DETAILS:1963 Abarth 1000GT

PLEASE read all of the listing.

If you have any questions, please inquire.

Some bidders are not seeing all the photos. I use my own photo service so they are larger and shown below. Please scroll all the way down.

Description: 1963 Abarth 1000GT Bi-Albero (twin cam) duck tail, serial number 129-0247, very successfully campaigned Bi-Albero (Enna, Monza, G.P. of Garda/Salo, Trento-Bondone, etc. etc.) by Gianfranco Rovetta. This Abarth is also in perfect working order and has been restored to its original 1963 factory color and specifications.This and the two other Abarths I am listing are in professionally restored condition, very original and in perfect working order. The after market wood steering wheel visible in the photo has meanwhile been replaced with a correct and original 3 spoke Abarth wheel and horn button like the one visible in the 1962 1000GT Bi-Albero. We invite any seriously interested party to view the car in person, it is located in Nashua, NH, USA. For any further questions or my telephone number please feel free to contact me via e-mail. The reserve will not be disclosed but it is realistic for this rare, beautiful and important car.

Has clear NH title. Sold as is as seen with no warranties expressed or implied.

$2000.00 deposit required within 24 hours of winning bid and balance thru bank transfer or at time of pickup as long as funds clear. Buyer responsible for shipping but we can help with logistics. Will ship world wide.

Either of these cars would be very welcome at both shows and on the Vintage race circuit, where their unique bubble profiles stand out a bit from the traditional 1960s cars. Value on these cars, due to their top condition and histories, will likely far exceed the normal top of the market on these around $60,000 - but that's still well short of the current 356 factory racer market, for what it's worth, where correct original Porsche race cars can easily pop into the millions. As such, these Abarths offer similar experiences and a unique bit of history, along with a boatload of character for a relative bargain. Plus, they're just super cool.

-Carter

Fiat

1967 Fiat Abarth 1000 OTR

October 21, 2012 Graham 1 Comment

1967 Fiat Abarth 1000 OTR

A genuine Fiat Abarth OTR 1000 coupe, fully restored, with only 9,800 miles and absolutely NO rust ever. With FIVA papers and easy re-import into the US, this highly desirable Group 4 factory racing car can lay claim to being the best of the nine known survivors.

Abarth & C. was formed in 1949. The company was very successful under Carlo Abarth’s leadership, receiving extensive support from FIAT. Abarth & C. was purchased by FIAT in 1971. On 9 September 1965, Abarth launched the OTR 1000, derived from FIAT’s new 850 coupé, with a special “radiale” engine where the combustion chamber was formed by two intersecting spherical domes, one containing the inlet valve and the other the exhaust. The intention was to achieve the efficiency of the Abarth twin camshaft cylinder head without the complexity. The OTR engine was based on an Abarth modified FIAT 850 block.

Unfortunately the SCCA thought the Radiale head too clever, and the OTR too modified and powerful for its class, and exercised its right to exclude from SCCA competition cars “not considered suitable”. This probably explains why Abarth made only a few OTRs and homologated the car in Group 4, not Group 3. This car was imported into the United States in 1967 by Abarth Sales Corp. It was raced from 1967 to 1970 by the first owner before he had an accident. The car was stored, eventually coming to Australia in 1993. It sat in a shed on the Central Coast of New South Wales until purchased by the current owner in April 2005 who spent 18 months restoring it.

The car was stripped to bare metal and all panels straightened with minimal use of filler and repainted. All the missing bits and pieces were sourced from around the world. The engine had new valve springs, the head was fitted with hardened exhaust valve seats and all seals were replaced. The car has since been featured in Australian Classic Cars magazine and has won awards at a number of car shows including the FIAT Club of NSW Concorso d’Eleganza Best of Show in 2007 and 2010, and Best of Show and 1st Street Modified at the FIAT Clubs of Australia National Meeting at Bathurst in 2008. The car has travelled only 4,800 miles since restoration and the total mileage is 9,800. It comes with a detailed history and the original owners manuals.

For more photos please click on the following link:
http://www4.snapfish.com.au/snapfishau/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=5248217018/
a=80400830_80400830/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/

Enquiries to gtowers@ozemail.com.au or call +61 2 9960 7876

-Paul

Fiat

1967 Fiat Abarth 1000 OTR

August 26, 2012 Graham 2 Comments

The number of Abarth tuned Fiats produced over the years is rather staggering. Just when I think I've seen and read about every model there is, another oddball creation pops up that I never knew existed. Such is the case with this Abarth 1000 OTR, which stands for Omologato Turismo Radiale. This name represented the fact that this car, based on the Fiat 850, was homologated for Group 3 racing by the FIA. Radiale means radial, which referred to the car's new engine with hemispherical combustion chambers. This engine produced a little over 100 horsepower from just shy of 1.0 liter. Around 35 examples were thought to have been produced, making this OTR for sale in California quite a unique opportunity to acquire some vintage Abarth iron.

1967 Fiat Abarth 1000 OTR

An original 1967 Fiat Abarth 1000 OTR. Only three dozen of these were produced worldwide before production ended. Most likely less than 10 are in the United States. This Fiat is completely original except for the paint; it was resprayed in the early 1970's after being polished extensively at shows and concours. Based of the Fiat 850 Coupe, this little Abarth has a 982 cc inline 4 cylinder good for 84 hp (850 coupe has 34hp). There is not a better condition Abarth 1000 OTR in the world. This Abarth is in absolutely excellent, original condition. It has undergone an extensive mechanical restoration at The Pit Stop in Brisbane, California.

History:
-First owned by John Edgar, an Abarth sub dealer in the Pacific NW.
-Owned by Chris Obert in Santa Cruz, CA for 30 years.
-Purchased by Dave Steel in Carmel, CA.
-Purchased by current owner. Resides in Brisbane, CA, south of San Francisco.

Some of Abarth's best have reached into six figure territory and this OTR is really rather close to that territory. Since so few were made, it's hard to place a value on cars like these. If I had to estimate, I'd say we're probably in the $45,000 to $70,000 range. I want to like this car, but I can't help but think I could get the best Lancia Fulvia or Alfa Romeo GTV for much less money. Granted, they are not exactly the same class of vehicle, but you really have to be an Abarth nut to spend this kind of money on what was meant to take on the Mini Cooper S back in the day.

-Paul