The October ’68 Paris Motor Show is probably best remembered for its hosting of the Bertone Alfa Romeo Carabo styling concept car’s debut. All these years on, it is a design that still seems futuristic and is an example of Marcello Gandini’s best work. Though its lines were comparatively restrained and it housed a far more mundane engine than the Carabo’s Alfa Romeo 33-based V8, there was another wedge-shaped car making its first public appearance that year at the show’s Parc des Expositions, Porte de Versailles venue. The Fiat Abarth 1300/124 had been in preparation since May ’68 at Corso Marche. That was only very shortly after the car on which it was based had itself been launched in March ‘68. This was the Francis Lombardi Grand Prix 850, itself an evolution of a vehicle that had been created at Fiat to explore the idea of utilising an Autobianchi driveline in a sporting coupe. Although some accounts assert that the body was styled by Giuseppe Rinaldi, (working at Francis Lombardi), it was more likely finalised at Fiat well before any knowledge of its existence had reached the Vercelli-based Carrozzeria. That being the case, it was very probably from the drawing board of Pio Manzù, then in his twenties and about to become a rising star at Fiat. Although a photograph of that car – which was shown at the Turin Show in ’67 – has not come to light, a Manzù design from ’64 shows some aspects which can be discerned in the Lombardi Grand Prix, especially the somewhat disproportionate C pillar/rear quarter panel – see below:
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| ’64 Autonova GT by Pio Manzù Courtesy Carrozzieri-italiani.com |
Through the Fifties, the Lombardi business had specialised in custom conversion work, at first in limousine styles, on, by way of the first Popemobile (!), and further still in the Sixties to the upgrading of small cars such as the Fiat 500. Indeed, the Grand Prix was built on a Fiat 850 chassis and powered by the 843 cc Fiat 4 cylinder engine. While this was hardly in tune with the Grand Prix’s name and sleek body, since it produced only around 45 bhp, the car’s weight at under 700 Kg allowed performance at a level considered ‘sporting’ in the late Sixties. But not sporting enough by Carlo Abarth’s standards, so he saw another opportunity to make a significantly more zestful version through the company’s proven elaborazione method focused on engine capacity and gas flow modifications. Thus, the Tipo 104 1300/124 Scorpione was created as a distinct Fiat Abarth model. Its main distinguishing feature was the Fiat 124 engine, bored to 1280 cc. It was given a higher (10.5:1) compression ratio, equipped with a Solex 32 mm carburettor and designated Abarth Tipo 204. This provided 75 bhp – a healthy 66% increase on the Grand Prix’s output. With this increased performance potential in mind, Abarth prudently revised the mechanical configuration by relocating the coolant radiator to the front end of the car. The Scorpione’s factory-claimed metrics were 0-60 mph in 9.8 secs and a 114 mph top speed. With pricing at around Lit. 1.600.000, the Scorpione promised strong sales appeal based on its style – notable especially for its GT40-like ultra-low height, at 43“ - and brisk performance. It is tempting nevertheless to speculate as to whether it could have been even quicker if it had been lighter still - given the era and the general shape of the body, it might be supposed that it was constructed in alloy or fibreglass, but it is in fact all steel, with the exception of the composite rear panel.
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| ’68 Fiat Abarth Scorpione #1341901192 Courtesy Bonhams |
The interior is attractive, with a distinctive feature in the unusual, centre mounted instruments pod. There has been some criticism of this from an ergonomic viewpoint by drivers who expect to see the main instruments - especially the rev counter – in clear view in the centre of a natural line of sight, straight ahead. Seen below is the interior of OTAS 820 CC, #0035:
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| ’71 OTAS 820 CC OTAS #0035 Courtesy RobM, Bring a Trailer |
For a car that was in production for just 4 years, there was quite a proliferation of variants and – looking at what has been written about it – a good deal of confusion about specifications. However, despite some claims that Abarth made and marketed some versions powered by the ’68 Fiat 903 cc Sport version of the 850 engine, the Corso Marche-made models are generally considered to be just the Scorpione, S and SS. Otherwise, the following related, same-body models were:
• Francis Lombardi Grand Prix – launched in March ’68 and subsequently updated with the 850 Special engine and also with a black louvred engine deck lid. In production until ’72.
• OTAS 820/Giannini Grand Prix – The Officina Trasformazioni Automobili Sportive company was formed in ’69 by Lombardi in collaboration with the tuning business, Giannini. It made 817 cc OTAS 820 versions for Europe and, with emissions modifications for the U.S., designated OTAS 820 CC, and a twin cam 982 cc ‘Tigre’ engine model for the U.S.
It is possible – but not proven – that in total up to 400 Scorpione/Grand Prix/OTAS/Giannini cars were produced.
Seen below is a ‘68 Francis Lombardi Grand Prix model version to which aftersales Abarth badging has been applied. The Campagnolo alloy rims were also likely aftermarket-fitted in period. It was offered for sale in 2015 by Bonhams, fetching £13,800:
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| ’68 Francis Lombardi Grand Prix #14170049 Courtesy Bonhams |
For comparison, this ’70-built Grand Prix appears to wear badging for the Francis Lombardi marque, without any attempts to ‘Abarthise!’: It carries a Fiat roundel on the front trunk lid, ‘FL’ badges near the trailing edge of the front wheel arches and a ‘Fiat 850’ chrome script on the left hand side of the rear panel; there is also a Francis Lombardi script on the right hand side of the dashboard. The car was sold by Iconic Auctioneers at Silverstone in 2023 for £16,313.
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A ’68 Abarth Scorpione S is illustrated next. Chassis #1236614103, carries the standard badging with just an Abarth crest on the front trunk lid in the centre, near its leading edge, and a chrome script ‘ABARTH 1300’ on the right hand side of the rear panel. The VIN plate is engraved: Tipo 1300/124; No Telaio 1233614103; No Motore 0659475. In the auction lot description, Bonhams claimed: ‘This Scorpione S is believed to be one of just 4 examples in the USA of the approximately 30 produced.’ It sold at Scottsdale in January 2025 for $47,040.
An example of the OTAS version is this ’68 ‘Grand Prix 820 CC,’ batch #0033. The seller suggests this car is number 33 of a run of 120 built and so, ‘early,’ though the date attribution must be in doubt as the OTAS company was not formed until ’69. Also, the car’s engine deck lid is of the later, 2nd series, louvred type. It would be reasonable to suppose that it was in fact a ’69 or ’70 build. Engine is the 903 cc version. This is another Grand Prix which has had Abarth badges applied post-production. But, most significantly bodywork-wise, notice that the front trunk deck incorporates a central, longitudinal raised section – this feature is also seen on the later OTAS Grand Prix seen further below. Notice also the insubstantial tubular bumpers – the rear item seen here is also evident on the other OTAS Grand Prix further below.
Although it’s never wise to bank on chassis/batch numbers being reflective of build chronology – especially with Italian cars of the era – another reason for questioning the date attribution of batch #0033 is that the next OTAS Grand Prix, dated to ’71, has a much lower batch number - #0007. It’s a car that sold for $26,880 in 2019 by Bonhams at Quail Lodge.
From the same year, #1447434, batch #0014, the OTAS 820 CC Grand Prix seen below started life in red, but is today repainted in Verde Miura – a nod perhaps to the notion that the Grand Prix has the look of a ‘mini’ version of Lamborghini’s first great supercar. Bonhams sold it 2010 in New York for $28,080. The OTAS 82 CC script badge is applied on the rear panel to the left of the right hand side tail light unit.
The Abarth Scorpione SS was introduced in February ’69, (that is the date recorded by the Factory – other sources have suggested that the SS appeared before the S, the latter replacing the SS). The SS version featured twin Webers and was a few Kg lighter, benefitted from upgraded brakes, wider track, double wishbone front suspension and had Campagnolo Elektron (magnesium-alloy) wheels with 165 section tyres (155 on the S). Top speed was claimed to be 118 mph. (There is something of a mystery about the SS in that the factory’s data sheet records the model as equipped with the single Solex C 32 PHH carburettor and the same bhp value – 75 – as quoted for the S model). On the twin Webers, the car’s Tipo 204 engine has been rated elsewhere at 100 bhp. Bonhams says that only six SS Scorpiones were built, one of which is #128/292067, seen below.
In late ’68 when the Scorpione was launched, with the given success of the established models in Touring/Sport competition – 595, 695, 850 TC, 1000 Berlina, 1000 SP, OT 1300 – a factory racing programme was not envisaged for the model. Inevitably though, some owners saw potential competitiveness in minor events, and, seen below, is an example which was hillclimbed in-period. # 1411387261 was offered in ’15 with an estimate of £45-50,000 (but not sold) by RM Sotheby’s. The lot description notes that the original owner sold it to Italian racing engineer, Francesco Landi, a hillclimb competitor. Landi fitted twin Weber 40DCOE carburettors and re-configured the front suspension from transverse leaf spring to his own coil-over-shock design. He took 2nd place at the Coppa dello Collino on his first outing with it. Recent colour photographs of the car are shown below together with some in black & white, competing in-period:
It is often cited that the Scorpione was the last Abarth model developed and launched prior to the company’s absorption into Fiat. Carlo Abarth’s sale of his business was formalised in mid-October ’71. An early decision taken by the new management at Corso Marche was the cancellation of the Scorpione and all production was completed before the close of that year. Parallel with his role in creating the Scorpione, Carlo maintained an interest in the establishment of the Grand Prix as a mainstream car available in the U.S. market. To this end, he co-operated both with John Rich and the OTAS company. Rich’s Rich Motor Company was the leading dealer for Fiat and Abarth on the West Coast but John was ambitious and resourceful in seeking to further expand his business. Empathetic with this, Carlo helped with the fabrication of a U.S.-specific engine for the Grand Prix. This was necessary because of new legislation that sought to address the increasingly recognised problem of environmental pollution. The Clean Air Act of ’70 had led to the establishment of an Environmental Protection Agency. This rapidly became home to a team of zealot officers who perceived the automotive industry in very negative terms, especially because of the contribution to ‘smog’ from vehicle exhaust emissions. Further, there was likely a notably socialist basis to the political leanings of the Agency’s personnel, strengthening their desire to take such huge corporations as America’s Big Three – Ford, GM and Chrysler - to task. A major imposition introduced was the requirement for the engines of all cars marketed in the U.S. to be compliant – proven by stringent testing and mandatory certification – with new exhaust emission standards aimed at levels of hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxide outputs being reduced by 10% around the mid-decade point. There was however a glimmer of relief for smaller makers who would be unable to fund all the development and testing involved – engines with a capacity of less than 50 cubic inches were exempt. Thus, the existing U.S. version of the Fiat 850 engine was derated to 817 cc.
If the EPA could frustrate the mighty power that was Ford Motor Company – charged with failing to certificate the compliance of production output prior to offer for sale – it would have no difficulty with applying scrutiny and demanding proof of justification for exemption from a minnow like OTAS – a significant distraction as the company attempted to market the car and build a dealer network. Consequently OTAS struggled to establish a volume of sales sufficient to consolidate the company’s viability. And the situation was not helped by the spread of stories about the Grand Prix being prone to engine failure because of a marginal cooling system causing overheating problems in the hotter states – a similar experience being reported about cars exported to Australia.
As a result of these issues, the company folded in ’71, so, as with the Scorpione version, the OTAS 820 was out of production by ’72. Some sources have suggested that as many as 100 cars (one specific assertion is of 76 units) may have been imported/sold, but the actual number is not verifiable from available documentation.
