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
