Tag Archives: Fiat

Lunar Asparagus – Abarth 1500 Biposto

In 1951 Nuccio Bertone gave former student in aeronautical engineering and ex sapper, combat engineer, returned from Tobruck via internment in India, Franco Scaglione his big break by hiring him as an automotive stylist.

Abarth 1500 Biposto, Goodwood, Festival of Speed

Franco’s first job was to design a headline grabbing body on an Abarth chassis #214-01 for Carlo Abarth to promote his business.

Abarth 1500 Biposto, Goodwood, Festival of Speed

Chassis #214-01 is powered by a FIAT 1400 four cylinder engine, apparently inherited from the failed Cistilia organisation in lieu of severance pay, bored out to 1500 cc / 91.5 cui and fitted with an Abarth intake manifold that accommodates a pair of Weber carburetors to produce 75 hp.

Abarth 1500 Biposto, Goodwood, Festival of Speed

The experimental Abarth 1500 Biposto was taken to the 1952 Turin Shown where it’s public debut was a sensation on the FIAT stand, the car also caught the eye of Packard’s Engineering Vice President Bill Graves and Chief Designer Edward Macauley who bought the Abarth which they saw as worthy of study in an effort to revitalise sales of their own flagging brand.

Abarth 1500 Biposto, Goodwood, Festival of Speed

Later in 1952 Fortune magazine sent it’s associate editor Richard Austin Smith to visit Packard for a profile on it’s new President James C. Nance who had been head hunted from GE Hotpoint, Smith’s visit coincided with the Abarth’s arrival and display to senior Packard management under a photo in the November 1952 issue of Fortune Smith wrote the caption “Its value is now largely ornamental; under Nance, Packard styling will stick to lines that are ‘architecturally correct,’ forgo the lunar asparagus.”

Abarth 1500 Biposto, Goodwood, Festival of Speed

To be fair the lunar asparagus was not that different in several aspects to the contemporary Starlight coupé built by Studebaker a company Packard would acquire in 1954, during his visit Smith suggested various strap lines for Packard products which were taken up by the company and the following July Packard President Nance, who had no further use for it, gave the Abarth to Smith as payment in kind.

Abarth 1500 Biposto, Goodwood, Festival of Speed

Smith drove the car sparingly and retired to Groton, Connecticut where the car sat unused in a garage from 1977 until his death in 2003.

Thanks for joining me on this “Lunar Asparagus” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Maluch – FIAT 126 ELX

Based on the little FIAT 500, Cinquecento, floor plan with the same 23hp 594 cc engine the otherwise all new FIAT 126 was launched at the Turin Show in October 1972.

FIAT 126, Bristol,

Five years later a larger capacity 652cc engine was introduced that offered more torque, pulling power, though there was no increase in horse power.

FIAT 126, Bristol,

As if to confirm the growing maturity of the car market in western Europe the FIAT 126 was never as popular as the FIAT 500 had been, but in emergent Eastern European market the model easily out sold those sold in the West.

FIAT 126, Bristol,

Production of the 126 in Poland, where the model was also manufactured with the 126p model name and production did not cease until 2000, in particular outnumbered the production of the 126 in Italy, where production ended in 1980, by nearly three to one, 2,069 126’s were manufactured in Austria by Fiat-Steyr and an unknown number of Zastava 126’s were built in the former Yugoslavia, now Serbia.

FIAT 126, Bristol,

The 126 was continuously upgraded while in production in Poland, culminating in 1997 with the ELX that featured a catalytic converter and the adoption of the Polish nick name Malusch meaning “toddler” or “small one”.

FIAT 126, Bristol,

The 1999 left hand drive Malusch seen in these photograph’s in Bristol was first registered in the UK on the 1st of September 2015.

Thanks for joining me on this “Malusch” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at another the last in the current series of 500 F3 cars.

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Portello Caldo – FIAT Strada 105TC

Three years after the launch of the rebodied FIAT 128 based Ritmo / Strada range FIAT introduced it’s first “hot hatch” version the 105TC in 1981.

FIAT Strada 105TC, Auto Italia, Brooklands,

The most important performance improving feature of the 105TC was the 104hp 1,585cc / 96.7 cui twin overhead cam engine that was derived from FIAT’s 124, 131 and 132 models.

FIAT Strada 105TC, Auto Italia, Brooklands,

Available only with a 3-door body 105TC’s were also equipped with front fog lights integrated into the front bumper and integrated front spoiler combined with wheel arch extensions.

FIAT Strada 105TC, Auto Italia, Brooklands,

Other distinguishing features included thick black sill line and black mesh air intake,
UK Strada 105TC’s were supplied with Speedline alloy wheels as seen on this example at Auto Italia Brooklands.

FIAT Strada 105TC, Auto Italia, Brooklands,

From the rear 105TC’s were distinguished by the rear spoiler mounted below the rear window, this magnificently preserved example was first registered in the UK on the 14th of August 1982.

Thanks for joining me on this Portello Caldo edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at a motorcycle powered racing car. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Replica Prototipo – Bertone X1/9

After acquiring Lancia in 1969 the FIAT group found it’s self with two marques competing for honours in the Rally competition, Lancia with the Fulvia that was to be replaced by the Ferrari powered Bertone designed Lancia Stratos HF in 1973 and Fiat with the Pininfarina styled 124 Spider that would be replaced in 1975 by the Abarth 131.

Just as those competition models were being changed Abarth also built the Abarth X1/9 Prototipo for evaluation in competition.

Bertone X1/9, Silverstone, Classic,

The X1/9 was designed to exceed the latest US crash test standards so the chassis was immensely strong however it was also a little too heavy for the initial standard FIAT 128 based single overhead cam 1300 cc / 79 cui engine that produced 75hp.

Abarth elected to replace it initially with a 200hp 1,834 cc / 111 cui twin over head cam engine 16 valve lifted from the competition 124 spider and later examples with a 1,756 cc / 107 cui version of the same engine.

Bertone X1/9, Silverstone, Classic,

So far as I have been able to discern the Abarth X1/9 Prototipo’s only offically appeared on two events in 1974 the first was the Tour d’France where three cars were entered of which the #122 shared by Fulvio Bacchelli, Piero Sodano and Sergio Barbasio was the only finisher in 8th place.

A month later Fulvio partnered by Piero Scabini was teamed up with Ferrari Formula One driver Clay Regazzoni and Gino Macaluso for an attack on the Giro Automobilistico d’Italia from which both cars retired with engine failure.

Bertone X1/9, Silverstone, Classic,

In all it is believed that alongside the original 1973 Prototipo four further examples were built 3 of which were used in competition in 1974 and the fourth is believed to have been built as a Stradale road car.

The Abarth X1/9 programme gave way to the Abarth 131 programme which secured FIAT three World Rally Championship titles in 1977, ’78 and ’80.

Bertone X1/9, Silverstone, Classic,

The Replica Prototipo seen in these photographs at Silverstone Classic, was built on a 1988 FIAT X1/9 manufactured by and marketed as a Bertone X1/9, but imported as a FIAT, with a 1500 cc / 91.5 cui single overhead cam 8 valve engine.

Thanks for joining me on this “Replica Prototipo” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Rebel With Out A Clue – FIAT 128 1100 2 Door Saloon

Today’s featured FIAT 128 1100 2 Door Saloon was first registered in the UK between 1st of August 1970 and the 31st of July 1971 we know this because of the ‘J’ suffix in the registration number, the 2nd and third letters CJ tell us that the car was first registered in the Norwich area about 100 miles North East of London.

In the Spring of 1978 my Grandmother came over to London from Germany and kindly gave me a small sum of cash to buy my first car.

My idea was to spend it on a cheap to run and insure Citroën 2CV which I knew from a friends experience had no go, but was great fun getting there all the same.

My civil engineer Dad had other idea’s, he did not want his one and only to be at risk driving a French tin can on wheels and promised to pay the insurance if I bought something a little more substantial.

I suggested a FIAT 124 like the one I had learned to drive in Zambia, but eventually settled for the front wheel drive 128 seen below which had made it’s way down from Norwich to Uxbridge.

FIAT 128, Haselmere,

The car was originally maroon, a scrape against a fence post was all the excuse I needed to invest heavily in body filler and spray paint to end up with the refrigerator white and bright red paint job seen above.

With hindsight it is amazing my lungs survived two days locked up in a tiny garage with 10 tins of spray paint and little if anything in the way of fume protection.

In case you are wondering I was trying to make the car look something like Niki Lauda’s 1976 Ferrari 312T2, with more time and perhaps a spot of green paint I am sure I would have got there… eventually !

All though the car had half an areal it did not come with a radio or speakers, so an old radio compact cassette combination system served as my ICE, in car entertainment.

Among the many excursions I made in the car I visited Silverstone for the 1978 USAC race won by AJ Foyt, 1979 Six Hour Race won by John Fitzpatrick, Hans Heyer and Brilliant Bob Wollek driving a Gelo Porsche 935 and the 1979 British Grand Prix won by Clay Regazzoni driving a Williams FW07.

Then there was Reading Rock ’79 where Mike and the mechanics with both Phil Collins and Peter Gabriel on stage, The Cure, Molly Hatchet, Motörhead, Scorpions, Eurythmics, the Police and DJ John Peel kept us entertained for my first weekend of unadulterated debauchery, it was so bad I could not remember my own phone number on the way home and finally Knebworth Park for the second of the two Led Zepplin gigs.

The following spring I was hoping to do more of the same, but although the car passed it’s MOT it started falling to bit’s after I gently parked it up a kerb outside a friends flat in Earls Court.

Later that evening I was visiting another friend down in Haselmere when strange noises started coming out of the front of the car, the suspension was collapsing.

I took it to a garage and they showed me that the frame to which the suspension arms were mounted was completely rotten and they advised me this was true on the other side and rather than bodge a repair I’d be better off spending the money on another car, reluctantly I agreed.

Thanks for joining me on this “Rebel Without A Clue” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at the last of the current Saturday series of GN Specials. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Cambrian Rally – Conwy County

Cambria is the Latinised form of the Welsh name Cymru from Old Welsh combrog and Proto-Brythonic word kom-brogos, meaning fellow countryman or compatriot, known to much of the rest of the world as Wales.

After studying Welsh rock strata in 1835 Adam Sedgwick named the first geological period of the Paleozoic Era the Cambrian period which characterised by the rapid diversification of lifeforms, known as the Cambrian explosion, some of which have been well preserved in the sedimentary rocks exposed in Wales.

Snowdon, County Conwy

500 million years after the Cambrian explosion 266 of the direct descendants of some of those lifeforms gathered in County Conwy to take part in the 61st running of the annual Cambrian Rally organised by the North Wales Car Club on Saturday February 13th.

The Cambrian Rally has moved from being the concluding round of the MSA Welsh Rally, Ravenol BTRDA Rally, FMP and ANWCC Forest Rally Championships last year to being the season opener for them this year.

 Mini John Cooper Works WRC, Conner McCloskey, Damien Duffin, Penmachno, Cambrian Rally,

With the intention of making a 4am departure from Bristol to see the opening stage of the Cambrian Rally I left home promptly at 5.30 after being unexpectedly invited out for tapas and sing a long the night before.

The delay was fortuitous as I ended up not far from Snowdon on the third Penmachno stage of the rally which sent the cars around the perimeter of the quarry where the #7 2012 McGeehan Motorsport Mini John Cooper Works WRC crewed by Conner McCloskey and Damien Duffin, who finished the event 4th overall, are seen above.

FIAT Abarth 131 Rally, Matthew Robinson, Sam Collins, Penmachno, Cambrian Rally,

Walter Rohrl, a hero in my youth drove a FIAT Abarth 131 Rally to claim his first World Rally Championship in 1980.

I believe the 1978 #30 FIAT Abarth 131 Rally seen above started as a more pedestrian brown model before being converted by RSD Rally Sport Development into a competition version, Matthew Robinson and Sam Collins retired the #30 from the event after exceeding the time limit before stage 6.

Hillman Avenger, Barry Jordan, James Gratton-Smith, Penmachno, Cambrian Rally,

In the 1970’s it would appear there were plans within the British product planning arm of the Chrysler Europe empire to produce an Avenger to compete with the Ford Mexico with a BRM developed 16 valve twin cam head.

It would appear a few heads got built and at least one was fitted to a car used by factory personnel but the project stumbled at this stage, I am not sure if the #64 1971 Hillman Avenger 1500 GL Luxe has one of the 16 valve twin cam BRM heads fitted but the BRM livery on the rear piqued my interest, the car driven by Barry Jordan and James Gratton-Smith unfortunately also retired, after Stage 3.

Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI, Jayne Auden-Rowe, David Auden, Penmachno, Cambrian Rally,

The #75 1998 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI seen above crewed by Jayne Auden-Rowe and David Auden was classified 50th overall.

Skoda Favorit, Paul Ellis, Simon Jones, Penmachno, Cambrian Rally,

I could not resist going back to the puddle in the quarry as the final competitors went through Paul Ellis and Simon Jones make a splash in their way to a 70th place finish overall in their #120 1992 Skoda Favorit.

Ford Fiesta R200, Glynne Jones, Glenn Mercer, Penmachno, Cambrian Rally,

Similarly Glynne Jones and Glenn Mercer go temporarily amphibious in their Ford Fiesta R200 on their way to a 77th place finish overall.

Ford Fiesta 2000, Stephen Simpson, Andrew Roughead, Great Orme, Cambrian Rally,

Andrew Roughead moved from co – driving Andrew Fenwicks 6th placed Proton S2000 the week before on the Legend Fires North West Stages to sit beside Stephen Simpson in his #12 2010 Ford Fiesta S2000 seen above lifting a rear wheel on the final Great Orme Stage on their way to 8th place overall.

Ford Escort L, John Rowlands, Glenn Latham, Great Orme, Cambrian Rally,

Lifting a front wheel in classic Mk2 style is the #20 1976 2 litre Ford Escort L crewed by John Rowlands and Glenn Latham which came home 15th overall.

Peugeot 309 GTi, Tim Cains, Richard May, Great Orme, Cambrian Rally,

The sun came out for a short while and is seen above illuminating the faces of 36th place finishers Tim Cains and Richard May in their #85 1988 Peugeot 309 GTi.

Nissan Micra Tropic, Niel Andrew, Dominic Adams, Great Orme, Cambrian Rally,

54th place finishers overall and 2nd in the 1400C class were Niel Andrew and Dominic Adams in the #86 1994 Nissan Micra Tropic seen above heading into the sunset sans rear bumper cover.

Ford Fiesta S2000, Charles Payne, Carl Williamson, Penmachno, Cambrian Rally,

After nearly 48 mins of competitive driving Charles Payne and Carl Williamson in their #3 2009 Ford Fiesta S2000 came home just 1 second behind the winners …

Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX, Luke Francis, John H Roberts, Penmachno, Cambrian Rally,

… Luke Francis and John H Roberts in their #6 2004 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX who also won this event in 2012.

Volkswagen Lupo E, Paul Barbet, Chris Sheriden, Great Orme, Cambrian Rally,

Paul Barbet and Chris Sheriden above are heading to an evening 81st place finish overall in their #127 2001 Volkswagen Polo E.

As darkness rapidly fell after the action was over I managed to stumble back across Great Orme back to the car park after another great days entertainment.

Thanks for joining me on this Cambrian Rally edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow for a look at the last of this month’s featured Camaro’s. Don’t for get to come back now !

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Sporty Runabout – Fiat 128 Rally

After launching it’s first front wheel drive model the FIAT 128 in 1969 FIAT extended the range with a sporty saloon in 1971 with the introduction of the 128 Rally.

The 2 door only saloon / sedan came with the larger 1290 cc / 78.7 cui version of the Lampredi designed 128 engine tuned to give 67hp.

FIAT 128 Rally, Auto Italia, Brooklands

The front of the sporty runabout featured a pair of modest Rally lights and unique to this edition split front bumpers joined by a thin chrome bar, for any additional ancillary lights that might be required for competition.

Also fitted to the Rally were a set of attractive and purposeful alloy wheels.

FIAT 128 Rally, Auto Italia, Brooklands

The rear bumper curiously remained as per the rest of the 128 range but the Rally did feature a set of recessed rear lights which replaced the standard all in one oblong units.

I suspect much of the FIAT 128 Rally’s circuit competition history has been lost in the midst of time because the model was not differentiated from the regular 128’s in contemporary entry lists.

FIAT 128 Rally, Auto Italia, Brooklands

From the little recorded in the substantial RacingSportsCars.com archive linked here it appeared that the model regularly suffered from gearbox issues.

The example seen in these photo’s at Auto Italia, Brooklands features non standard large rally lights and non standard competition flared wheel arches, it was first registered in the UK on 18th September 1976.

Thanks for joining me on this “Sporty Runabout” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking a GN special called Spider. Don’t forget to come back now !

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