082 Gentiluomini che pranzano insieme

Sergio Scaglietti

To the North East of Modena, on the way to Lamborghini’s Sant’Agata base, is a hamlet, Tre Olmi.  It was in the early 20^th Century the home of Ernesto Scaglietti, his wife, Gentilina and their six children.  The youngest was named Sergio who was born in January ’20.  Perhaps Sergio in his early years thought he might like to take after his father and grow up to be a bricklayer.  But the poor boy was still too young for that when Ernesto died in ’33.  Even though he really should have had a year or two more at school, the family finances dictated that he should become a wage earner right away, and this was achieved when he was taken on as general dogs body at the Carrozzeria of Dante Bertani in Modena.  Young Sergio must have shown initiative and interest as before long Bertani began to instruct him in the craft – and art – of reshaping and finessing damaged car panels and then, progressively, in creating new, replacement ones from sheet metal.  Within a few years Sergio had become highly skilled and his brother, Gino, persuaded him to come and join him in creating a new business in Modena in partnership with Renato Torricelli.  Carrozzeria Torcelli & Scaglietti was located on Viale Trento e Trieste, as was the premises of Scuderia Ferrari.  In some accounts it’s said that as a matter of simple expediency, the proximity led to the establishment of a relationship whereby Ferrari regularly looked to the carrozzeria to carry out repairs to the Alfa Romeo racing cars which Ferrari ran on behalf of the Portello factory.  However, there are varying versions of how Ferrari and Scaglietti became acquainted, some of these I’d guess as being the product of imaginative thinking by writers who liked the idea of some mythology as much as the recording of actual events.  In one narrative, Enzo simply strolled ‘across the road’ in ’39 to say ‘ciao,’ having heard that Sergio was a dab hand when it came to aluminium shaping and fabrication.  In another, it was not until ’53 that Scaglietti came to Ferrari’s attention because of a particularly skilful repair of a race 166 MM Barchetta.  In amongst such accounts, the uncertainty of research undertaken is notably demonstrated by some authors referring to the Scaglietti premises being ‘across the road in Maranello from Ferrari.’  This indicates considerable misunderstanding, since Ferrari moved from Modena to Maranello in ‘43, whereas the Scaglietti works remained in Modena.

Whether or not he’d recently become friendly with Ferrari, Scaglietti in ’40 enlisted for service and spent World War II in the Regio Esercito as a mechanic/driver.  Once hostilities had ceased and things began to get back to normal, Scaglietti determined to carry on with automotive work but as a business proprietor rather than an employee.  Both his technical and commercial skills developed as did his reputation, enough by ’51 for a workshop on Viale Trento to named, ‘Carrozzeria Scaglietti,’ and, yes, it was ‘just across the road’ from the former Ferrari premises.  In the summary below of ‘landmark’ Scaglietti-bodied Ferraris the focus is on their aesthetic aspects rather than on their mechanical details or competition histories.

In ’47 the very first machines bearing the maker’s name, Ferrari, were a pair of model 125 S open sports cars powered by a Columbo-designed 1.5 litre V12 engine.  The following year, the design was evolved to create a GT, the 166 Inter, and this was also made available in competition form as, 1) a Spyder Corsa - the 166 S;  2) with designation MM (Mille Miglia) in either berlinetta or barchetta form.  Most of the 166s were bodied at Touring or Vignale, though two had coachwork by Allemano.  There were also one-offs by Zagato and Pinin Farina and (in ’53) conversion of a 166 MM in collaboration with Abarth.  It had a further re-body in ’54, this time at the Scaglietti workshop.  The most significant interaction of Scaglietti with a 166 was however his repair of a competition model owned by an amateur driver.  This suffered serious damage in ’53 and was referred to Scaglietti for re-bodying – it has been written that Ferrari was impressed not only by the body’s basic quality, but also Scaglietti’s detail innovative features, and that this was what prompted him to ‘cross the road’ and have an introductory conversation with the Carrozzeria’s proprietor.  It is likely that the two men hit it off especially because they recognised themselves as two of a type – possessing supreme self-confidence, in particular to envisage engineering solutions and to direct subordinates to implement these.  Scaglietti, most notably had great intuitive capacity to perceive and design such solutions ‘on the hoof,’ avoiding the time-sapping conventional approach involving preparation at a desk or board of drawings and plans.  And there arose an additional, emotive aspect to Enzo and Sergio’s bonding when Alfredo, Ferrari’s cherished son started regularly to go into Modena and spend time with Scaglietti.  Just in his twenties, ‘Dino’ was interested in engineering and was keen to develop ideas for the enhancement of his father’s products.  But it’s not hard to imagine that Enzo’s presence might have been quite intimidating and tending to inhibit his son’s expression of concepts and confidence.  In contrast, Scaglietti’s personality allowed for a peer-type relationship in which the younger man could relax and devise design proposals whilst still benefitting from sympathetic mentoring from Scaglietti.  Eventually, the Sergio/Dino collaboration found expression in their presentation to Enzo of a design for a racing model, the ‘54 750 Monza Scaglietti.  Symbolic of Dino’s desire and ability to plan on a basis not constrained by his father’s principles, the car had innovative features, though not all were successful as the model proved a handful for most drivers by dint of its aerodynamics; (indeed, it is likely that lift was the underlying cause of Alberto Ascari’s fatal crash at Monza).  For his part, Scaglietti incorporated a headrest, faired on the rear deck behind the cockpit.  Apparently, Enzo did not care for this feature despite its advocation by his son.  According to Karl Ludvisgen, thirty one 750 Monzas were made, (another source suggests thirty five), most of which were Scaglietti-bodied.

Left: 750 Monza #0522 M  Courtesy Gooding & Co;  Right: 750 Monza prototype  Courtesy Sports Car Digest

The 750 Monza was followed up by the 410 S, a model developed specifically, initially at least, to run in the ’55 Carrera Panamericana, only for that event to be cancelled.  Thus, the car’s race debut occurred in Argentina for the Buenos Aires 1000 Km where the two works examples were fast but non-finishers.  Of the three 410 S Spiders built, two were mostly raced in the Americas with mixed success – certainly fast enough to win, but also prone to driveline failures and thus, retirement.  There were, however, no question marks as regards the aesthetics – Scaglietti designed and constructed a very attractive and characterful body as is evident in the photographs below (courtesy of Theo Pieper/RM Sotheby’s) of #0592 CM.  Note that this is an example of the application of Carrozzeria Scaglietti badging – as seen on the front wing, below the Cavallino Rampante shield.  RM Sotheby’s sold the car for $12,985,000 USD in 2024.  In addition to the Spiders, Scaglietti also made a 410S Berlinetta as a special favour for an ex-Ferrari executive.  This car, #0594 CM, sold in 2012 for $8,250,000 USD, (again by RM Sotheby’s) is shown below the Scaglietti badge.

410 S #0592 CM  Courtesy Theo Pieper/RM Sotheby’s

410 S Berlinetta #0594 CM  Courtesy RM Sotheby’s

The 410 S utilised the new Ferrari 5.0 litre V12 engine designed by Aurelio Lampredi.  The next significant Scaglietti Ferrari, the 250 GT California Spyder, was powered by the earlier, Gioacchino Colombo-designed, tipo 168, 3.0 litre V12.  It was a model specified and styled to appeal in the American market.  Based on the Pinin Farina-styled 250 GT, initially in long wheelbase form, and, later, with the shorter, 2,400 mm wheelbase.  It was in production from ’57 until ’63, with a total of around 105 built.

250 GT California Spyder  Courtesy Fiskens/RM Sotheby’s

The bodies of the stradale cars were partially of aluminium construction while racing versions used the material throughout.  The engine was good for 237 bhp and with a kerb weight of 1100 Kg, the Spyder had plenty of go as well as show - 0-60 mph in 7.2 secs and a top speed of 145 mph.  Examples were seen in long distance race events, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and it was shown to be competitive and reliable. 

Also originating in ’57 (November), the 250 Testa Rossa, emerged as a new competition model powered by the Colombo 3.0 litre V12, bodied by Scaglietti with a Pinin Farina ‘pontoon’ design.  But this was really a creation by ‘all the talents’: in addition to the Farina styling and Scaglietti craftsmanship, the 250 TR benefitted from design contributions by Fantuzzi, Bizzarrini and Chiti.  14 were built and raced as works cars and 19 examples were supplied to racing teams, including Luigi Chinetti (NART),  Ecurie Francorchamps, John von Neumann, Piero Drogo, Scuderia Askolin, Gotfrid Köchert, (Österreicher Automobil-Sport-Club) and Jaroslav Juhan (Equipe Los Amigos). 

The prototype was chassis #0666 TR, a car that was sold in recent times (2011) by Gooding’s for $16,390,000.  A detailed history – including a large number of photographs – can be seen at http://www.barchetta.cc/english/all.ferraris/detail/0666.250tr.htm

Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa prototype  Courtesy Ultimatecarpage.com

 

The 250 TR’s list of successes includes three World Championships, - ’58, ’60 and ’61 – and victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, - ’58, ’60, ’61 and ’62.

Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa #0728, ’58 Le Mans winner (Olivier Gendebien and Phil Hill)

It would not have been unreasonable to expect that the next high profile Ferrari/Scaglietti collaboration would be something of an anti-climax.  Far from it.  The ‘62 250 GTO is surely one of the very most iconic automobiles of all time.  Although financial value is not necessarily the defining metric, that #3765LM was sold by RM Sotheby’s for $51,705,000 in ’23 is a good indication that use of the term ‘iconic’ is not overdoing it!

 

The 250 GT Berlinetta in SWB form had already proven its competitive capabilities when in ’61 Giotto Bizzarrini headed a project to endow the bodywork with enhanced aerodynamic characteristics.  The result was the 250 GTO, Bizzarrini’s concepts having been realised ‘in the metal’ by Scaglietti.  34 first version cars, designated ’62, were made.  A second series, known as ‘1964,’ mainly the work of Mauro Forghieri and Mike Parkes, comprised 3 new cars and 4 updated ‘62s.  The latter included #3413GT, 4091GT and #4675GT.

Left:250 GTO Prototype;  Centre: 250 GTO Series1;  Right: 250 GTO Series 2, (‘1964’)

As expected, given the type of car and the era, there are some uncertainties about prototypes.  Mostly, the first, (with ‘T’ on the bonnet and doors), was #2643.  Also cited as a prototype is #0523GT, a Boano car which was initially used as Enzo Ferrari’s personal car.  A further suggestion is #2053GT, said originally to have been a ’60-built SWB which was subsequently rebodied as a 250 GT SWB Competizione.  However, one wonders if this is a confusion stemming from ‘numeric dyslexia’ – 0523-2053?  The original prototype was apparently tested at Monza by Moss and Mairesse.  However, #2053GT is the chassis number said in some sources to be that car. 

Regarding the subsequent series cars, notable differentiating points are: 

Series 1:  Very first few had a riveted-on rear spoiler, then with bolt fasteners; Slotted C pillar; Elliptical front aperture; 3 cooling intake openings, with integrated covers, near the leading edge of the bonnet; Two vertical cooling exit slots to the rear of both front wings. 

Series 2:  Lower/flatter body line, (similar to the 250LM); Windscreen rake increased; Longer/more integrated rear spoiler; Wider wheels; Wider rectangular front aperture/no bonnet leading edge intake openings; Three vertical cooling exit slots to the rear of both front wings. 

At another level of detail, there were numerous variations by individual car.  The excellent Barchetta.cc website lists details and images of GTOs in the chassis number range #3223GT – #5575GT.   Most cars were painted in Rosso Cina. 

With the success of Ferrari products such as the GTO, Scaglietti need expanded production facilities.  In March ’62, in collaboration with Domenico Rabino the premises were redesigned and effectively doubled in capacity on completion in ’64.  But this was not enough: four years later a frontal administrative building was added, this being the most visible element from the road. By the mid-Seventies, the ever growing scale of the business dictated a reorganization and thus Scaglietti became a division of Ferrari, and, eventually so under the ownership of Fiat.

Ferrari/Scaglietti premises in Modena

Ferrari 365 GTB4s in production at Scaglietti  Courtesy Neill Bruce

Dino 246GT production at Scaglietti, 1973  Courtesy Neill Bruce

Enzo was loyal in consistently looking out for Sergio’s best interests, particularly in taking care that as he negotiated the sale of Ferrari to Fiat, he agreed to no terms or conditions which would have disadvantaged Scaglietti.  Moreover, in ’73, once the Fiat acquisition had settled down, Scaglietti’s business was bought out and became an integral part of Ferrari.  The two men’s friendship was not, however, without conditions.  Having discovered in ‘61 that Scaglietti was working on the rebodying of Chevrolet Corvettes for Carrol Shelby, Gary Laughlin and Jim Hall, Ferrari is said to have asked how many were to be made – ‘three’ was Scaglietti’s answer.  This prompted the valedictory warning from Enzo, ‘If you do one more you’ll never do another car for me.’

Sergio himself continued in an active role up to his late 60s.  By then Enzo had become infirm and died in’87.  At that time, Piero Ferrari generously found it appropriate to pay tribute to Scaglietti’s loyalty and friendship towards his father: 'Scaglietti was one of my father’s best friends. He was next to me with Marco Piccinini also the day my father died and stayed with me the whole night until the funeral.’  The Marenello company went a stage further in terms of a tribute by naming its ’04 model F137 ‘612 Scaglietti.’

Ferrari F137 ‘612 Scaglietti.’ 

Sergio Scaglietti died in November 2011.

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Not only for the photographs of the Scaglietti works, I'd highly recomment Neill Bruce's book,'50 Years with Ferraris.'  If you like - who dooesn't? - the Maranello products of the 70s/80s/90s you will find both the huge number of photographs and the narrative completely engrossing.  Published in 2023 by Evro Publishing, ISBN 978-1-910505-82-3.

All About the Timing. The Fiat Abarth1600 Bialbero GT Coupe Italdesign

In its first decade and a half, Abarth entered into collaborations with Bertone only infrequently – just six projects: Biposto 1500 Coupe (’52), 750 Coupe (’56), Spider (’56), the Record Enduro cars (’56), 1000 GT Coupe (’58) and OTR 1000 Coupe (’65).  Meanwhile, Giorgetto Giugiaro added to his design activity at Fiat by also working at a desk at Carrozzeria Bertone’s Grugliasco offices.  His early projects there included such notable cars as: Alfa Romeo 2000 (’60), Gordon Keeble GT (’60), Ferrari 250 GT SWB Speciale (‘60), Alfa Romeo 2600 Sprint (’62) and Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GT (‘63).  In ’68, together with Aldo Mantovani, he established Studi Italiani Realizzazione Prototipi S.p.A. at Moncalieri.  The company advertised itself as Ital Design and its name was formally changed to Italdesign in ’87.  The first Ital Design project was the Alfa Romeo 1750 Berlinetta, soon followed by the Bizzarrini Manta.  In February ’69 Giugiaro’s first Abarth was presented – the 1600 Bialbero GT Coupe Italdesign.

Abarth 1600 GT Italdesign at the Turin Motor Show, ‘69  Courtesy Getty Images

The coupe was Abarth project 167, assigned model code 104G.  Factory records show the prototype as completed in February ’69, with a public debut at the Turin Motor Show on 29^th October of that year.  Based on the ’66, type 137/C 1600 OT Sport Coupe, it was constructed on a sheet metal, box-type chassis.  The body, commissioned from Ital Design, was drawn by Giugiaro at the same time as he was creating the striking Alfa Romeo 33-based concept car, the Iguana.

Left: Abarth 1600 GT Italdesign  Courtesy Carrozzieri-italiani; Right: Alfa Romeo Iguana  Courtesy Italpassion

The car utilised the Lampredi 1.6 Fiat twin cam engine which featured in such models as the Fiat 124 and 132, Lancia Beta and several Seats, with outputs in the range 87-98 bhp.  It entered the Corso Marche inventory as type #235 in ’62 when it was used to power the Fiat Abarth 1600 Coupe 2+2 Ellena, tuned to 98 bhp@6000 rpm.  An Abarth version, designated 235-C/A, generating 145 bhp, was developed for the 1600 Bialbero GT Coupe Italdesign.  Coupled with a vehicle weight of 674 Kg, the car’s top speed was projected as 150 mph, while a 0-62 mph time of 5.6 seconds was quoted.

Courtesy Abarth Ollanda

Much as the Abarth products of the late Fifties/Sixties with Grand Touring designation had proven highly successful in GT category racing, their extreme compactness and (mostly) small capacity engines rendered them less than ideal for the long distance/high speed-in comfort role which came to define a ‘GT’ as the Seventies came into view.  Thus, the 1600 Bialbero GT Coupe Italdesign was intended to be the first of a new line of Abarths, with more spacious interiors and a generous measure of power derived from engines significantly bigger than the familiar ‘around one litre’ mark.  Typical Carlo Abarth, devoting much of his thinking to consideration of the future, anticipating customer preference trends, prepared to revise basic product formats and specifications.  Yet at the same time he was increasingly having to apply his mind to the existential issue of his company’s financial viability.

The late Sixties were not kind to the Abarth marque and Carlo himself.  Problems seemingly especially formulated to target Abarth, piled up in ’67.  Firstly, it became notable that the Touring Car racing class scene was changing quite radically, with changing rules, and a reduction in the number of younger drivers entering competition as escalating costs proved a significant deterrent.  Meanwhile, within the confines of the Corso Marche factory, the slow progress on the Formula One programme was stacking up costs as well as lowering morale.  Out on the streets, the national new car market was expanding, yet Abarth’s sales were down – to just 369 cars, only 54% of the total for ’66.  ’68 saw no reason for optimism.  There were homologation issues, disputes which resulted in withdrawal from both the Targa Florio and the Monza 1000 Km, still no external sign of the Formula One car and general economic unease as result of the Europe-wide ‘student unrest.’  And, perhaps most significantly, a revision of Fiat’s fundamental industry posture, which was evidenced by the acquisition of Autobianchi, Ferrari and Lancia.

It was thus a stressed Abarth that embarked on another new racing season/production year in ’69, yet it still did so on a wide and varied competitive front.  Indeed, it is probable that, driven by his dogged determination, Carlo was trying to do too much in terms of racing participation with very limited resources.  That had perhaps been a tendency ever since the ’58 Fiat ‘win bonus’ agreement, understandable on the basis that the more Abarth cars ran in races, the more likely they were to achieve victories and thus bring in the money from Fiat.  And on that very point, ’69 delivered a crunch.  As another aspect of Fiat’s changing strategic disposition, it set up a new competition-customer support division, with an intention to focus on rally involvement, believing this would support road car marketing more effectively than concentration on circuit/hillclimb events.  Accordingly, Abarth was notified that the ’58 agreement would be cancelled.  With that prospect looming, it is not surprising that as the1600 Bialbero GT Coupe sat in the Turin Show hall in autumn ’69, behind the scenes it had not proven feasible to devise any plans for putting it into series production.

So, the prototype remained a ‘one and only.’  I’m bound to say that I think that a real disappointment.  Carlo had once again shown his shrewd market intuition in seeking a creation from the pen of Giugiaro, a designer by then well into his stride with a highly impressive back catalogue, but also with a readiness to further evolve his vision and innovative inclinations.  His particular facility with the Grand Touring class which had recently been demonstrated with the Iso Grifo (’65), Fiat Dino (’67) and the Alfa Iguana would clearly have made the 1600 a sensational limited production premium GT.  Some criticism has been levelled at the relatively bulky rear quarters/overhang, but this aspect of the car’s aesthetics could easily have been enhanced in production by the use of larger diameter road wheels.

Focus on the rear  Courtesy Italdesign

Overall, the form is expressive of purposeful elegance, well in tune with the taste trends of the time.  While those trends led to several GT cars which possessed comparatively claustrophobic interiors, the generous greenhouse of the Abarth ensured it had nothing of that sort about its cabin.  Had Abarth been in better financial shape I believe this could have been a successful new product, appealing both to existing customers and those who had never previously considered buying a car built at Corso Marche. 

As mentioned above, the loss of Abarth’s per-victory bonus payments from Fiat amounted to a final straw.  Within 2 years, Fiat would own the marque – as of 31^st July 1971, publicly announced on 15^th October.  It has become a convention that the 1600 Bialbero GT Coupe Italdesign was the last Abarth model developed and launched whilst the company was still in Carlo’s ownership – though it should be noted that no fewer than 17 new versions of previously launched models made their debut between February ’69 and October ’71.

 

Though this is unsubstantiated, the car is believed to be currently in private ownership in Japan.  It is seen below on display in Satiago in ‘11.

Courtesy Manu Avila

Team Schnitzer

The motorsport team bearing their family name was founded in the early Sixties by Josef and Herbert Schnitzer.  It began as a development of the car sales/workshop business of their stepfather, Karl Lamm, in Freilassing, Germany, north-west of Salzburg.  This had been started by Herbert Schnitzer Snr. before WWII, developing over time into a dealership which represented both Ford and Opel, (and much later, Fiat).  Lamm took it over when Schnitzer died in the late Forties.  Of his stepsons, it was initially Josef who led the way on the track, in a Fiat Abarth 1000 Bialbero, competing in hill-climbing events during the ’63 season.   That included a victory at the OMK Junioren Pokal event at Freiburg, thus earning for Carlo Abarth one of the numerous win bonus payments from Fiat which were vital to Abarth throughout the Sixties – see https://davidbuckdenlooksback.blogspot.com/2026/04/one-last-fabulous-zagato-abarth-750.html   Already a BMW fan – he had briefly worked at the Munich factory in a vehicle proving role – Josef opted for a 1800 Ti in ’64.  Success with that encouraged the brothers to incorporate the BMW franchise into their business in ’65, while at the same time, running in the Deutsche Rennsport Meisterschaft, (DRM), he finished sixth in its championship.  In ’66, with a 2000 Ti, he attained his career peak by becoming joint champion, (with Herbert Schultze), driving an Alfa Romeo 1600 GTA.  He then did what can be a racing driver’s toughest challenge – he retired while ‘on top,’ turning his full attention to co-management, with Herbert, of Schnitzer Motorsport, the team’s name formally adopted in ’67.  This post refers only to the Freilassing-based team – the Aachen-located enterprise, AC Schnitzer, focused on automotive tuning and founded by Herbert Schnitzer and Willi Kohl in ’87, is not covered.

 

Schnitzer Motorsport swiftly confirmed its potential by running Ernst Furtmayr in the European Hillclimb Championship with such expertise that he took the championship in ’68 and ’69 with a 2002 Ti, switching to a 2800 CS for ’70 to clinch the title for the third year in a row. And for ’71, Walter Brun took over and also became the year’s champion in a Schnitzer 2800 CS.

Ernst Furtmayr, BMW 2002Ti  EHC, ’69  Courtesy Artur Fenzlau/Erwin Jelinek

Indeed, ’71 truly became a significant season for Schnitzer Motorsport, with increased competitiveness in the European Touring Car Championship, (ETCC), resulting from the teams’ adoption of and effective modification of the Group 2 BMW E9 coupe in compliance with the regulations for the championship’s Division 3, (utilising a 2,996 cc version of the 6 cylinder M52 engine, which developed around 15 bhp more than that extracted from Alpina’s version). The other upgraded competitiveness factor was the quality of the drivers eager to drive for Schnitzer having perceived the potential of the car – Dieter Quester, Rauno Aaltonen, Helmut Kelleners and Gerrard Larrousse, in addition to Ernst Furtmayr. Quester scored a landmark international victory for the team by taking the Zandvoort Trophy, defeating the Ford factory’s potent Capri RS 2600 squad.

Quester leads the Capris of Glemser and Marko, Zandvoort, August ’71  Courtesy Paul Rutten

As the decade progressed, Karl Lamm’s son, known as Charly, was appointed as Team Manager. Under his leadership Schnitzer continued to build expertise and its reputation as a leading team in the Touring Car domain.  However, its ambition had also developed, and by ’75 embraced a desire to succeed in the different realm of single-seater racing. Initially, this saw the team focused on the preparation of BMW engines for the Formula 2 category. This was facilitated by good synergies between the DRM cars programme and Schnitzer’s engine supplier role, both utilising the 2.0 litre BMW engine. This 4 cylinder powerplant, originally designated M10 and credited to Alex von Falkenhausen, started out with a 1.5 litre capacity in ’59, and it had gone into production in ’62. It was an integral part of the Neue Klasse models programme, commonly held to have ‘saved’ BMW. The M10 was updated by Paul Rosche, becoming an even more key feature for BMW as in its M12 guise it was capable to delivering exceptional power outputs, culminating in the turbocharged version which powered Nelson Piquet’s Brabham BT52 to the ’83 drivers F1 World Championship. Its M12/13 engine was said to be giving over 800 bhp in qualifying that season – and, subsequently, in ’86, around 1,450 bhp! For Formula 2, Schnitzer designed and made its own twin-cam, 16 valve cylinder head, creating the 20-4 engine. With Kugelfischer fuel injection, the 20-4 ran with a compression ratio of 11.3:1, making 285 bhp at 9,200 rpm and 353 Nm torque at 6,200 rpm. The engine was in ’75 highly successful in chassis made by Martini, Elf and March. French driver, Jacques Laffite won 7 of the 14 rounds in a Martini Mk.16, taking the title and confirming the dominance of the Schnitzer engine.

F2 Martini-Schnitzer of Jacques Laffite, ‘75  Courtesy Benoit Flandre

The following year, Schnitzer secured an agreement with Toyota to prepare engines for the Japanese manufacturer’s rally activities in Europe. With both parties satisfied with the results, Toyota committed to a programme geared to a European sales promotional objective – participation in the high profile German DRM series with a Schnitzer-developed, turbocharged Celica Liftback. Built by Schnitzer to Group 5 specification to race in the DRM’s 1st Division, its 2.0 litre engine was based on the 18R-G unit, though with modifications as well proven on the BMW-based 20-4, i.e. 16 valves and Kugelfischer injection. It was however the addition of a KKK turbocharger which gave rise to eager anticipation of on-track success, as this endowed the car with 560 bhp of propulsive power, while body/chassis modifications enabled a significantly lowered kerb weight of just 860 Kg.

Toyota Celica Liftback Turbo  Courtesy Fastestlaps.com

The ’77 DRM season was however over halfway through before the Celica was ready, making its debut at Hockenheim, with Harald Ertl at the wheel, in July.  That fact alone probably confirmed that the whole development/preparation process had been far too hurried, so it was not surprising that the car was clearly outpaced by the several Porsche 935s with which it was competing.  Equally, an early retirement, on lap 5, was not unexpected.  At the next round, at Zolder, Ertl was again an early race retirement.  Subsequently, at the Nurburgring, he was at least able to record the car’s first finish, but only in fourth place, again unable to match the speed of the 935 contingent.  

Undaunted, Schnitzer wheeled the Celica out for a second season in the DRM.  By the end of ’78, however, it could be concluded that it had been a half-hearted effort.  Of eleven rounds, the Toyota took part in only five.  Driver, Rolf Stommelen, got the car to the finish in only one – at Mainz-Finthen – taking 8^th place.  Meanwhile, Ertl, who had endured a similarly miserable time the year before, won five rounds in a Schnitzer 320 Turbo, enough to see him clinch the championship.

Toyota Celica Liftback Turbo, ‘78

Harald Ertl, BMW 320 Turbo, ’78 DRM champion  Courtesy Bonhams Cars

The 320 remained a competitive proposition as the new decade began.  Hans Joachim Stuck demonstrated this at the ’80 Macau Guia Race.  Schnitzer provided the car run the previous year for Manfred Winkelhock, but with a normally aspirated engine in place of the turbo unit.  It had been driven at some ’80 events by Harald Grohs while still turbocharged.  Stuck took over around mid-season and was entered for the Asian event in November.  He took pole and then, the day previous to the Guia race, experienced a major engine blow-up.  After replacement, however, the car ran well enough for victory in the race.

Hans Joachim Stuck, Macau, ‘80

 

As the Eighties progressed however, Schnitzer’s focus switched to the BMW 6 Series Coupe.  The team’s reworking of the 635 CSi as a Group A Touring Car proved highly successful.  By ’82 the TWR Jaguar was seen as the car to beat, so BMW set to work to get the E24 635 homologated with a build programme of 5,000 cars, (5,118 in the event).  The regulations allowed for substantial modifications, including to the engine, which in normal road trim generated around 215 bhp.  To compete in Group A an output of near 300 bhp was seen as necessary.  To meet this objective, BMW turned to Alpina for a pure race version of the M30, (while other road-orientated 635 CSis utilised M90 and M88/3 variants).  The Buchloe-based tuner responded with modifications which took power up to over 290 bhp.  As with the M1 programme, BMW managed the creation and running of the works cars by complementing the work assigned to M Sport Division (transmission/running gear).  This took the form of a co-ordination of contributory development and manufacturing work by ‘outside’ specialists: Alpina (engine), Karmann (chassis/body), and Schnitzer, (assembly, preparation, race running).

Seen below is chassis #RA1-07. As described by ultimatecarpage.com, it ‘debuted with an outright victory in the Monza 500 km in the hands of Carlo Rossi and Dieter Quester. A regular podium finisher, it won again at the Nürburgring round of the European Touring Car Championship with Quester and Manfred Winkelhock behind the wheel. Schnitzer ended the year as European Champions and this chassis was retired from contemporary racing.'

#RA-07, Monza, ’83, Quester/Rossi  Courtesy BMW  Courtesy BMW

Fielded for the factory in Original Teile livery by Schnitzer Motorsport, this 635 CSi became a regular podium finisher and it won again at the Nürburgring round of the European Touring Car Championship with Quester and Manfred Winkelhock behind the wheel. Schnitzer ended the year as European Champions and this chassis was retired from contemporary racing. Retained by BMW, it is today part of the BMW Classic collection and regularly shown and demonstrated at events all over Europe.  Schnitzer fielded a second 635 CSi for Stuck and Walter Brun, finishing the season in 5^th place.  For ’84 the Schnitzer driver pairings were Stuck/Quester and Roberto Ravaglia/Gerhard Berger.  Despite such a strong driver line-up, the previous season’s success was not repeated.  However, it was one of the team who would soon come to personify the 1980s strength and competitiveness of the Schnitzer name – Ravaglia.  It was his victory, (in partnership with Berger and Surer), in ’85 at Spa, that saw a further elevation in the team’s standing, it being its first in a 24 hour event.  Adding to the kudos, a second Schnitzer 635 CSi crewed by Quester, Cecotto and Markus Oestreich was second, albeit 4 laps behind.

Winner, Spa 24 Hours, ‘85  Courtesy BMW

 

’86 saw a robust bounce back in the ETCC, Ravaglia taking the title by a margin of 8 points from Win Percy, who with Tom Walkinshaw was highly competitive throughout the season in the Bastos Texaco Racing Team’s Rover Vitesse.  Meanwhile, Quester, Altfrid Heger and Thierry Tassin won a second successive Spa 24 Hours for Schnitzer.

'86 Spa 24 Hours – winner, Dieter Quester

’86 ETC champion, Ravaglia (with Emanuele Pirro)  Courtesy Forza Forums

With many excellent performances in both individual races and championships, there could be no complaints at Freilassing about the suitability of the E24 as a basis for a good performing/handling race car. However, there was a need for a further competitiveness upgrade for ’87, given the anticipated speed of the M3 model adopted by Linder Motorsport and the Ford Sierra RS Cosworths of both Eggenberger Motorsport and Jolly Club. Thus, Schnitzer also prepared BMW M3s for the new season. With one of these, Jean-Michel Martin, Didier Theys and Eric van de Poele gave Schnitzer its third successive Spa 24 Hours triumph, while Ravaglia and the team became Division 2 World Touring Car champions. The WTCC proved to be just a one-off in the era, mainly because of poor organisation which itself resulted in an unexpectedly small (15) field of entered cars, the main contenders being BMW, Ford and Alfa Romeo. The following year, focus reverted to the ETCC, and, again, Ravaglia was on top in the championship in a Schnitzer M3, and with Quester and Heger, chalked up yet another 24 Hours victory at Spa.

’87 WTCC – champion, Ravaglia, M3, at the Nurburgring  Courtesy BMW

’88 Ravaglia, M3 at Silverstone  Courtesy BMW

Schnitzer finished up the decade impressively. Ravaglia steered an M3 Evo to the Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft, (DTM), championship and contributed to a 24 Hours of Nurburgring victory, while Johnny Cecotto became ‘89’s Italian Touring Car champion. There had been 11 rounds in the DTM and throughout Ravaglia had been in a close battle with the Ford Sierra RS500 Cosworth of Klaus Niedzwiedz, eventually outscoring the Team Eggenberger star by just 11 points, with fellow Team Schnitzer driver, Fabien Giroix, in third place.

’89 Ravaglia, BMW M3 Evo, DTM champion  Courtesy BMW

That year BMW made 480 Johnny Cecotto Edition M3s.  These had some race car-like features including a 200 + bhp version of the S14 engine, front and rear spoilers and lightweight glass.

Johnny Cecotto Edition M3, ’89  Courtesy Stance Works

If Schnitzer had been pleased with its on-track exploits in the Eighties, they may well have moved on to being ecstatic about the following decade’s achievements.  Especially satisfying were the 24 Hour race victories at Spa in ’90 and ’95, at the Nurburgring in ’91 and ’98, and, most of all, Le Mans in ’99, (BMW V12 LMR, driven by Winkelhock, Yannick Dalmas and Pierluigi Martini).  As to Touring Car championships, Schnitzer took the Italian in ’90 and ‘91, (Ravaglia), Asia-Pacific ’94, (Winkelhock), Japan ’95, (Steve Soper), German Super ’95, (Winkelhock) and ’98, (Cecotto).  Also notable was a 1-2-3 at the ‘92 Macau Guia, (Pirro, Winkelhock, Ravaglia), and victory at the ‘99 12 Hours of Sebring, (Jörg Müller, JJ Lehto, Tom Kristensen).

’90 Spa 24 Hours  Courtesy Glyn Parham

'91 Nurburgring – M3 Evo 2  Courtesy © 2023 dailysportscar.com

’92 Macau – M3 Evo – 1-2-3

’99 Le Mans. The winning BMW V12 LMR #  Courtesy BimmerLife

 

Showing how the business had grown, this view of the team in ’99 speaks for itself

That ’99 triumph at Circuit de la Sarthe was attributed to ‘BMW Motorsport.’  This had become the Schnitzer team’s name on race entries and would remain in use intermittently for the rest of its active existence.  As the full-blown factory team, BMW Motorsport switched some of its focus to GT class racing in the U.S. and this resulted in its securing of the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) in 2001.

Subsequently, the team was once again seen competing as ‘BMW Team Germany’ in the WTCC from ’05-’09.  This proved to be a highly rewarding programme, with many race victories recorded by drivers, Jörg Müller, Dirk Müller, and Augusto Farfus.  In ’05 both Jörg and Dirk Müller won 3 races each, with Dirk 2^nd and Jörg 5^th in the championship at year end.  Champion in ’05 was the UK BMW team and it repeated this achievement in both ’06 and ’07.  However, BMW Team Germany chalked up 5 wins in both ’06 and ’07, 3 in ’08 and 6 in ’09. 

From ’12-’16 focus moved to the DTM. Schnitzer driver Bruno Spengler secured the series title for himself and the Team and Manufacturer’s titles for Schnitzer and BMW respectively. Subsequently, Schnitzer ran the factory entries in the International GT Challenge, continuing to perform strongly and consistently, with, for example, a highlight Farfus win in the FIA GT World Cup, Macau, in ‘18, in a Schnitzer BMW M6 GT3.

’18 Schnitzer BMW M6 GT3, Macau  Courtesy BMW

Following the Macau win, Herbert Schnitzer Jnr. took over the teams’ management from Charly Lamm.  In ’20, success seemed likely to be ongoing, evidenced, for example, by a third place finish in the Nurburgring 24 Hours with a BMW M6 GT3 in the hands of Farfus, Jens Klingmann, Sheldon van der Linde and Martin Tomczyk.  However, in December of that year it was announced that BMW’s association with Schnitzer was at an end.  At the same time, a similar decision was made in regard to Team RBM.  With immediate effect, the development of a new BMW M4 GT3 and its running as from ’21 would be undertaken by BMW Team RMG, founded by Stefan Reinhold in 2010 and based at Niederzissen.  For Schnitzer it was the end.  Through its long standing dedication to a single ‘client,’ it had left itself vulnerable in the event that the client should decide ‘to go elsewhere.’  Equally, nonetheless, that focus/dedication had made for a highly successful collaboration and had enabled BMW to bask in the glory of a great many race and championship victories – the Munich giant had certainly had value for money!

Soon after the forgoing account was finalised, it was announced on 7^th June 2026 that, sadly, Herbert had died.

074 Abarth Simca GT 2000

 

The creation of a new, non-Fiat-derived model was for Abarth a significant step in mid-‘61.  The basis of the Abarth Simca 1300 GT is outlined in the Do Look Back post, A Bit of Scorpion Worship  . As pointed out there, neither the chassis nor the engine were developments of any existing Simca products.  Equally, at this point Abarth had completed its divorce from Zagato, confident to execute styling in-house and to entrust the construction of the bodywork to the carrozzeria, Beccaris & Teraschi S.n.c. in nearby Grugliasco.  The collaboration with Simca was supposed to benefit the French maker by allowing it in forward-looking mode to develop more sporting products – especially high performance engines - using the specialist expertise and knowledge available at Corso Marche.  However, for Abarth the immediate and very necessary pay-back was a steady supply from Poissy of the 1000 model floor pans on which the Mario Colucci-designed Abarth 1300 GT body, (initially made at Beccaris and subsequently at Sibano & Basano), was mounted.

Carlo Abarth tasked Lucano Focchi with design of a new engine to power the Abarth Simca.  Focchi was happy that the Abarth 982 cc block would make a good basis and be capable of enlarging to a capacity of 1288 cc.  The resulting Tipo 230-A unit featured three main bearings and as installed in the GT Coupe developed 90 bhp @ 6000 rpm – very similar performance to the Fiat Abarth 982 cc Tipo 229 which powered the Fiat Abarth 1000 Coupe, though this required 7100 rpm to reach maximum output.  Both these engines had twin cam heads.  A further, enlarged, Abarth Simca coupe road engine emerged in ’63 – the 1592 cc Tipo 235 (the first Abarth twin spark engine) giving 155 bhp @ 7400.  With this version the car adopted the revised ‘duck tail’ rear which contrasted markedly with the more ‘bulbous,’ and multi-louvred engine cover usually associated with the bodies made by Beccaris.  Meanwhile, a ‘Corsa’ 2.0 litre (1946 cc) model, Tipo 136, utilised the Tipo 236-SC engine, producing 177 bhp @ 6800 rpm.  In deference to the increased power ratings of these two higher capacity versions, the crankshaft was carried on five main bearings.  ’63 also saw an uprated engine for the 1300, Tipo 230-S, which generated 125 bhp.  A batch of one hundred 2.0 litre GTs were scheduled to be built for Appendix J Grand Touring category homologation purposes; how many actually were, is a matter for conjecture!  The FIA documentation cited 14^th January ’64 as the effective homologation date.

FIA Homologation document

Tipo 236 engine  Courtesy Berni Motore

In ’61 if anything of the Corso Marche enterprise symbolised its proprietor’s attitude towards life, it was the new models development programme.  Like Carlo’s personal outlook on life in general: so self-confident that it feared no opposition or interference, it was self-fuelled such that the more you asked of it, the more ready it was to take on even more; each new objective sparking the creation of yet another.  The more varied the ambitions became, the more additional variations were seen as possible and the more determined became the drive to achieve them.  Thus, as Carrozzeria Abarth took control of styling, a new bodybuilding contract was established with Beccaris, only for this to be swiftly superseded by another with Sibona & Bosano, which company built the bodies from ‘64.  The engine size constraint stemming from the use of the Fiat 600 unit as a basis was abolished with the new 1 litre capacity and this was optimised by the addition of a twin cam head option courtesy of the great Gioacchino Colombo, while, from within Corso Marche’s own headcount, Focchi came up with another addition to the range of engines with the 1288 cc unit primarily intended for the new Simca floor-based GT.  And within these development strands, four distinct generic product types emerged: 1) A ‘soft’ version for customers looking for the Abarth style rather than out and out performance, e.g. the Monomille GT; 2) (Ongoing), continuously evolving sporting cars of the ‘fast road’ type like the Bialbero coupes, both Fiat Abarth and Abarth Simca; 3) ‘Amateur,’ gentleman’s race car versions for competition in national grade circuit and hillclimb events, and, 4) Full race machines, close to the works cars’ specifications for supply to race entrants such as Jolly Club.

‘Early’ Abarth Simca 2000 GT – ‘shortnose,’ and no brake or engine bay cooling duct intakes.  Courtesy Ultimatespecs.com

During ’64 running changes were applied to the bodywork – two circular intakes for ducting to cool the front brakes, a rectangular additional intake running between these and below the level of the central elliptical intake, and circular intakes in the C pillar to increase air circulation in the engine bay.

Next iteration – still ‘shortnose’ but now with additional intakes. (#0046).  Courtesy en.wheelz.me

Further points of detail on #0046 are seen below:

For ’64 there were two more Abarth Simca GT 2000 versions.  In the January, a new 6 speed model was powered by the Tipo 236-S/A engine, tuned for 202 bhp.  In addition to the power increase, the car was a little lighter – at 665 Kg – resulting in a top speed capability of 168 mph.  A more radically revised variant appeared the following month.  The main new characteristic was a bodyshell largely still of aluminium construction, but now featuring a front clamshell in GRP.  This swiftly became known as the ‘longnose,’ a format which had been first seen in the 1300 version of the Abarth Simca GT in Spring ’63; the same configuration was evident in the Fiat Abarth 1000 Bialbero GT released in September ’63.  As usual, there is some confusion as to these dates, the factory for instance citing January ’65 as the point at which the 1300 became available as a longnose.  With a higher engine output of 209 bhp and concerns about the durability of the gearboxes ongoing, the opportunity was taken to specify a Tipo 132-A, 5 speed transmission for the GT 2000 longnose.  This version was back to a kerb weight of 675 Kg and claimed top speed of 161 mph.

‘Longnose.’ (0117) A well-known Abarth Simca 2000 GT owned by Les Burd.  Courtesy Mike Gulett 

The car below, #0125, was built from one of a batch of bodyshells which were in ’66 still on the premises at Corso Marche after production of the 1300/2000 GTs had ceased two years previously.  It is included here to illustrate the form of the 2000 GT ‘longnose’ body.  Otherwise, it is not typical, however, in so much as it was equipped with a Simca 1204 cc engine, as featured in the Bertone-styled Simca 1200S coupe.  Further details about these bodies and their utilisation are provided in the concluding paragraph of this article.

‘Longnose.’ (#0125) Just a larger single, central intake at the front, but engine bay intakes retained.  Courtesy Bonhams

A second longnose appeared in January ’65.  This was tweaked in minor degrees to enhance reliability and better accommodate the Tipo 132 six speed gearbox – featuring a reversion to the 202 bhp specification Tipo 236-S/A engine. 

As mentioned above, the relationship with Beccaris for the Simca floor-based GTs was short-lived.  The Carrozzeria was well respected for its proven capability to provide bodies in aluminium to a consistent dimensional quality standard.  But it is probable that disputes arose with Carlo Abarth over production aspects such as delivery scheduling, as he was soon prospecting for an alternative bodyshell supplier.  Perhaps he first became aware of Sibona & Basano as a newly formed Turin company in ’62 when Pietro Sibona joined forces with the Basano brothers, Emilio and Elio.  It quickly established itself as an innovative enterprise, keen to exploit new technologies.  As such, it sought to rapidly build its experience of working with the ‘plastic’ materials then becoming seen as an alternative to the sheet metal traditionally utilised in car body construction. This focus enabled the company to be of interest to the automotive trade and consumer publications and resulting coverage of its activities apparently resulted in a higher profile/reputation than might otherwise have been the case.  Carlo Abarth for one considered Sibona & Basano’s focus aligned with his own objective of creating cars with exceptional power to weight ratios.

 

Technically and aesthetically, the Sibona & Basano collaboration was successful.  However, there must be doubt about how well the Carrozzeria had been able to negotiate a sound financial relationship with the forceful and commercially astute Carlo Abarth, by then well into his second decade as the proprietor of a vehicle manufacturing business.  It may be inferred that this was a distinctly asymmetric relationship whereby Sibona & Basano enjoyed a substantial volume of purchase orders from Corso Marche, but with a very limited margin for the generation of profit.  The gaining of new, additional, trade clients swiftly became a matter of urgency.  Once found, it would also be vital that any new contracts be inherently more profitable than that governing the arrangement with Abarth.  That Sibona & Basano’s quest for new business was not something for which it had a high level of experience and expertise is evidenced by the range of projects/proposals addressed.

One of the companies that Sibona & Basano found itself working for was Studebaker, the innovative American manufacturer which managed for some time to be competitive with the mighty Big Three of Detroit.  Legendary designer, Brooks Stevens, as well as consulting on industrial design across many business sectors, became involved with efforts to revitalise and ‘save’ the Studebaker company.  In seeking to achieve this with a product-led strategy, Stevens came across Sibona & Basano and his account of his visit to the business illustrates the commercial naivety of the Carrozzeria: “Fortunately, I discovered the small body shop in Turin called Sibona-Basano. I went in and there was laundry on the line and chickens running around.  I got the two little guys out and filled them with Camparis.  We got (from) them good prices - $ 16,500 per car - an incredibly low price.  Even better, the finished vehicles were worthy of a Pininfarina." 

A project in collaboration with Ghia and Virgil Exner fizzled out before becoming financially beneficial for Sibona & Basano – perhaps ‘bad luck,’ as the design involved was deemed to be somewhat bizarre in its press reportage.  Subsequently, the possibility of a production run for Lamborghini arose, but Sibona & Basano found itself outflanked/outbid for this by the vastly more experienced carrozzeria, Touring.  There should too have been potential with a beach car, ‘The Decathlon,’ for Fiat, based on the 500, but this was another that attracted criticism for being ‘odd.’  Another 500-based project was a city car named Tsé-Tsé, but Fiat’s management could not be convinced to push it forward for production. 

Sibona & Basano’s tendency to become involved with projects which lacked commercial focus and were liable to drift was again seen when there was renewed contact with Virgil Exner.  This time, a nostalgia-based concept was proposed – an open sports car echoing a design that had stalled in its original creation, some forty years previously.  The vehicle, titled Mercer Cobra, looked good on paper, but once ‘in the metal,’ could only have a ‘show car’ existence where it usually drew complimentary comments but failed to attract any orders for a functioning model.  In another ‘success’ within the halls of a motor show, Sibona & Basano enjoyed some good press for the Autonova MPV when it was presented in conjunction with NSU in ’65 in Frankfurt, but full development was ruled out when the Neckarsulm-based manufacturer reviewed its strategic position and decided that it should put all its focus on the nascent RO80.

Further hope that new business would enable Sibona & Basano to prosper was not rewarded.  A Bizzarrini proposal for a new Spyder model to be bodied by Sibona & Basano failed to get past the planning stage and it became common within the industry for Sibona & Basano to be thought of as a jinxed business.  It was not surprising therefore that Pietro Sibona decided to exit the business in ’66.  As of ’67, Sibona & Basano was no longer trading.  Considering the situation at the beginning of the decade, when Sibona & Basano was involved with the GT models which did so much to establish Abarth’s reputation as the maker of attractive, innovative sports cars, it was both an unexpected and sad end.

Much more inspiring was the record of results achieved by Abarth 2000 GTs in competition.  Following up on the many victories scored by the 1300 model, the 2.0 litre chalked up its first significant victory at Aspern, Austria in April ’64.  At its wheel, Eberhard Mahle’s works car saw off Ernesto Prinoth’s Ferrari 250 GTO for the outright race win.  A good race for Abarth, with Hans Herrmann taking a 2000 Sport to third.  Both Mahle and Herrmann proved that a Scorpion-badged car could get the better of higher capacity/longer developed competition.

Eberhard Mahle, Aspern April ’64  Courtesy Rajdy i Wyścigi

Just one week later, Abarth Simca 2000s were first and second at a GT2.5 race at Imola, Franco Patria being the winner.  Patria enjoyed a successful summer in the car with DARM GT wins at Mainz and at Wunsdorf, further victories at the Coupes du Salon and the Coupes de Paris Salon, a second placing in the Coppa Citta di Enna and another second placing at the major hillclimb meeting at Schauinsland.  But, as the season turned to autumn, Patria’s good fortune deserted him – he was killed in an accident, (in which he was not at fault), at the 1000 Kms of Paris, at Montlhéry, on October 11^th. 

In that first full year on track for the Abarth Simca 2000 GT, Herrmann also took a victory – at the Coppa Citta di Enna – while Kurt Ahrens Jr. was also a winner, in the Pries von Tirol at Innsbruck.  Behind closed doors at Corso Marche however, Carlo Abarth had lost interest.  He was especially unimpressed with the Simca transmissions, which, despite modifications/the addition of ratios, proved to be prone to failures, often, it was believed, because of inadequate heat treatment of the gears themselves.  But, in any event, the original co-operation agreement with Simca – by then in effect with Chrysler, new owner of the brand - came to an end as ’64 concluded.  At that point, production of both the 1300 and 2000 Abarth Simca GTs ceased.

 

’65, nevertheless, saw plenty of Abarth Simca 2000 GT front running.  Jochen Rindt made it victory for the model for the second year running at Aspern.  Bob Burnard, who – along with Bobby Buchanan-Michaelson - had been a pioneer with the car in England in ’64, won at Goodwood in May.  He followed up with further wins at Snetterton in July and Brands Hatch in September. As in ’64, the model could be highly competitive on the major European hillclimbs, Herbert Demetz winning at Bolzano-Mendola, for instance.  Another ’64 Abarth Simca 2000 GT win repeated in ’65 was Frank Ruata’s at the Coupes du Salon.

After the 2000 GT’s racing competitiveness had lapsed, the model became the subject of an unexpected ‘rebirth,’ orchestrated by the West London Abarth specialist garage, Radbourne Racing.  The business, (alongside an associated Weber carburettor distribution firm), was founded in October ’65 by brothers John and Geoff Anstead together with Lincoln Small.  Initially servicing/repairing and providing parts for Abarths being run in and around London, Radbourne was soon assembling cars for local supply in the UK with agreement from Corso Marche.  Small became the partner usually making the trips to Turin necessary for facilitation of the business.  In his account , Abarth, Radbourne Racing and Me, published in 2025 by Whitefox Publishing Ltd, (ISBN 978-1-916797-04-8), Small outlines this episode of serendipity: 

On one of my regular visits to Abarth’s factory in late 1966 I was looking around the yard with Lorenzo Avidano when I spotted some forlorn-looking Abarth Simca 1300 and 2-litre bodyshells just sitting there in one of the warehouses.  There were thirty of them.  . . . judging by the look on Avidano’s face when I said, ‘I’d like to buy those bodyshells, please,’ he thought I was totally mad.  . . . I’m convinced he thought we’d go broke buying those bodyshells.  As it turned out we nearly did! 

They would become the Radbourne 1300, of course, which despite everything else of a much larger nature that we were involved in seems to be the thing that put us on the map in some ways.

The Radbourne Abarth 1300 was finally ready by the summer of 1968 . . . to avoid purchase tax I decided to sell (them) in component form.  . . . We priced them at £1,350, but it should be pointed out that we also just happened to offer a completion service and every customer went for that so no one actually built one from a kit. 

Unfortunately, interest was less than we expected . . . By the time we’d sold eight we were forced to pull the plug on the project due to pressure from the bank.  . . . We were left with twenty-one remaining ‘shells and we reluctantly decided to just get rid of them almost regardless of price. 

Production of the Abarth Simca GT models was a short-lived affair and in-house sentiment was marred by the fragility of the Simca-made/based transmissions.  However, the 1300 was very successful in winning the World Championship in ’63, ’64 and ’65 and the 2000 became a useful addition for running in the 2 litre class, though the rival Porsche and Alfa Romeo models were inherently more competitive, precluding an Abarth triumph in this class.  Away from race circuits, both models contributed well to Abarth’s status as a maker of good-looking, well performing GTs.  This, together with the rarity of extant examples, explains their still rising value – the Longnose, #0125 mentioned above, was sold by Bonhams at Goodwood in September ’24 for £117,500.