Do Look Back

When my enthusiasm for Abarth in its pre-Fiat guise began, much of it stemmed from a liking for the 750GT models – the association with Zagato playing a big part, as I had long revered the work of the Milanese carrozzeria.  Zagato versions had been amongst my favourites when I worked for Alfa Romeo from the late 70s through to the early 90s, and I had greatly enjoyed the opportunity to visit the Via Arese, Terrazzano, factory during the 80s. However, I soon found myself heavily focused on Abarth’s wonderful Sixties models and their achievements in circuit racing and hill-climbing.   The 750s remained something I loved to see and admire, but I was accumulating not much in the way of specific knowledge about the production run and the variant types that came and went.   More recently, my OCD kicked in and I realised that I needed to tidy up – in my own mind at least - the mass of information fragmented in many resources.   As I started out on the task, I envisaged as an outcome being

It’s generally accepted today that Ferrari did not create its F637 Indycar and F034 engine with a burning desire to actually race it, (though there are a few differing theories about this).   Rather, it was a tangible expression of the marque’s resistance to the proposal  for new Formula 1 technical regulations  being ventilated  in the mid-80s  by the FIA. Planned for the post-turbo era, these would exclude V12 engines.   The existence of an Indycar, ready to go, with the implied threat that this would become the focus at Maranello rather than Formula 1, was seen as effort and expense well worth expending.   In collaboration with the Indycar team, Truesports, run by Jim Trueman, a familiarisation/feasibility study began in ’85.   That autumn, Trueman took his driver, Bobby Rahal, to Italy and at Fiorano they showed what their car – a March 85C – could do.   Impressed with this, Ferrari delegated a small team, led by Harvey Postlethwaite, to develop the project.   Gustav Brunner, recen