Abarth 850 TC and 1000 Berlina - Sixties Supremacy

The Nuova 500 was launched by Fiat in mid-’57.  That Abarth should want to produce its own version was not surprising.  Whatever else might be said about the 500, its 13 bhp hardly made for good drivability characteristics.  Abarth’s modifications, upping power near twofold to 20 bhp, transformed the 500’s performance, which, Fiat-badged, initially struggled in terms of customer acceptance.  Unfortunately, the Tipo 105 Abarth 500 also failed to sell in the numbers planned, primarily because that increase in horsepower had come at the expense of a significantly higher price tag – 18% greater than that attached to the Fiat.  Carlo Abarth was quick to respond to the situation, ordering that a bespoke, 26 bhp version be made and adopted into his Monza circuit-based World Records programme instituted in ’56.  In February ’58, the car achieved a record by covering 18,186 km at an average speed over 7 days of 108.5 kph.  Fiat was impressed!  So impressed that Carlo was able to gain agreement from Fiat that it would make a payment to Abarth for every motor sport victory recorded by a Fiat-based Abarth product.  This arrangement proved to be extremely helpful over many years, primarily in supporting the development of new products and race activity at Corso Marche.  It is important to understand that in making the offer, Fiat’s Commercial Director, Lorenzo Brinatti, was firm in that only a race win would trigger each payment - any other placing was not to be recognised  This condition had effects which were not all totally desirable, the most significant being that Abarth’s view of what sort or races and classes it should concentrate on was perhaps overly slanted towards those in which its car could be considered favourite for the victory.

Three years on from the Monza record achievement and related ‘win bonus’ establishment, Abarth presented the first of a line of 850/1000 models which would be the most adept at garnering the best possible level of income from the agreement.  These models were based on the Fiat 600, which had begun production in ’55.  By the time of the Abarth 850’s unveiling, a million 600s had been made.  So, a success, certainly, but also a product that was due an updating.  This Fiat delivered with an increased displacement (767 cc) engine, designated 600 D – good for 29 bhp.  Abarth’s re-interpretation of the design included an uprating of engine output to 52 bhp in a model named 850 TC (Turismo Competizione) reflecting an increased cubic capacity of 847 cc.  Complementary specification changes also included Girling brake discs for the front axle and an additional radiator located midships under the floor.  An example of a 850 TC made in the first year of production is shown below.  #1022733, was raced in period by Gianpiero Raffa.  As offered in recent times by Woow Motors (Switzerland) it was in race trim with partial roll-cage and running on Cromodora alloy wheels.

850 TC, #1022733 Courtesy Woow Motors/Dyler

The 850 TC was priced at Lit. 850,000 and clearly marketed as a model to win incremental sales volume.  Equally, it was specified with race wins in mind and in its first year on track/hill courses it began to deliver in August at the Cesana-Sestriere hillclimb, and nine high profile event victories had been gained before the season’s end.  September’s 500 Km at the Nurburgring was especially rewarding, with Ernst Furtmayr winning the 850 class.  Moreover, 850 TCs finished 1-2-3 in class.  Thus the advertising department at Corso Marche was soon busy with celebratory ads in the specialist press publications, example below:

To capitalise on the success seen at the ‘Ring, Carlo called for a special version of the 850 TC to be developed and this was done at some speed, the launch of the Abarth 850 TC Nurburgring occurring in November ’61.  (Curiously, this model, with designation, Project 64, Sigla 114, is shown in factory records as having been introduced in January ’61, 9 months prior to the launch of the 850 TC itself!)  Whether or not the January event was organised with the assistance of a clairvoyant, the car added to the buoyancy of sales as a result of enthusiastic customer reception of its features including a boost in power to 55 bhp enabled by a modified camshaft, a five speed gearbox, and a price tag only Lit. 40,000 bigger than that of the 850 TC.

An early-built 850 TC Nurburgring, #1540906, is shown below:

#1540906 Courtesy Bonhams Cars

There was variation in the badging of the Nurburgring model.  On some extant examples, the lower right corner of the engine decklid carries a generic 850 TC chrome script – left, below.  However, on #1458387/3320, ‘ABARTH’ and ‘nurburgring’ are added – right, below:

Of course the engine deck lid badges were usually not readily seen because of the prevalent practice, (increasingly so as of ’62), of running with the lid propped open. This – in contemporary parlance – 'hack' was seen as a silver bullet, the aerodynamic ramifications being in terms of downforce (improving rear end stability) and enabling a higher top speed – some said as much as an additional 5 mph, all at the same time as helping preclude engine overheating and heat sink in the bay. 

The ‘Nurburgring’ was a success both on track and in dealer showrooms.  This was helped by very favourable advocacy in the press, Auto-Italiana for instance having this to say in ’63:  ‘The performance of this inspired Abarth is certainly superior to that of a car of almost double its cubic capacity.  We would say that its engine despite the power that permits excellent performance, is elastic to the point that there is good acceleration even at a medium speed of around 3,000 rpm.  This is another positive quality of the vehicle, which is really a sports car but still relatively economical.’  But Abarth was not inclined to rest on its laurels – the 850/1000 TC range was the subject of gradual improvement/performance uprating over several years.  Progressive homologation update appendices were effected with a number of supplementary items, registered especially for ‘67/’68.  The 1000 TC Berlina was Group 1 homologated in January ’63.  The ’67 updates saw the approval applied for the Group 2 Special Touring class.

 

Some confusion can arise because of the moniker ‘Corsa’ applied to some ‘Nurburgring’ 850 TCs.  The is because Abarth also released in ‘61 a model with the ‘Corsa’ designation, this being the first of a line powered by the bigger capacity (982 cc) Tipo 210 engine.  The 1000 TC Berlina Corsa (#114D) was rated at 60 bhp.  The Tipo 210, was at the same time utilised in the Monomille Scorpione GT coupe.  Other important changes were driveshafts with universal joints and the fitting of disc brakes to the rear as well as the front axle.  Shown below is a ’63 example, #1428998.  This 1000 TC Berlina Corsa was sold in recent times for €24,900 by Race Cars Direct:

#1428998 Courtesy Race Cars Direct

In early ’64, the Series 2 1000 TC Berlina Corsa’s power was up to 76 bhp.  Of significance, the underfloor radiator was relocated to the nose and housed within a newly designed protective nacelle with the appearance of a very heavy duty bumper, conferring a distinctive/aggressive ‘look’ to the car’s front end. 

The ’64-effective additional homologation features defining a Corsa version vis-à-vis the Berlina, included engine uprating, (12.2:1 compression ratio and 36 mm Weber), to a maximum of 80 bhp, 5 speed gearbox, discs all round, revised suspension and larger front radiator.  By ’64, the Berlina Corsa’s engine output was given as 76 bhp and numerous other detail, race-purpose improvements led to the designation, ‘2^nd Series.’  This was followed in February ’65 by an 80 bhp ‘3^rd Series.’  In particular, this featured a revised coil-over front suspension, distancing the Abarth set-up further from that of the Fiat 600 with its transverse leaf spring.  Performance was enhanced by the adoption of the 5 speed Tipo 121 gearbox.  The radiator capacity was also increased, enabling deletion of the engine bay fan, (the car still retaining a rear radiator in addition to the nose mounted item).  During the ’65 season, some 1000 TCs were raced with the Radiale head version of the 200 series engine.  The 4^th Series of the Berlina Corsa appeared in September ’66, powered by the 210-C engine delivering 85 bhp thanks to a 13:1 compression ratio and a higher maximum rpm of 7,600.  Both the coolant radiator and the oil cooler were of increased capacity  The frontal radiator housing was restyled to enhance aerodynamics and the car’s weight was trimmed a little – down to 583 Kg.  As a result, top speed was reported to be up to 121 mph.

 

Proof of the 1000 TC’s prowess came in the years ’65, ’66 and ’67 when it was the Division 1 European Touring Car Challenge-winning car for Ed Swart, Giancarlo Baghetti and Willi Kauhsen, respectively.

66 European Touring Car Challenge champion, Giancarlo Baghetti, winning the Aspern round. Courtesy Erwin Jellnek

#1965262 Courtesy Classic & Collector Cars

The introduction of the 4^th Series 1000 TC was concurrent with that of the 1000 TCR.  The ‘R’ signified the Radiale head and indicated a car with 92 bhp, available at an even higher engine speed of 7,900 rpm.

1000 TCR engine installation Courtesy Revs Institute

#2366678 is an early TCR, built in ’67.  In the first decade of the 21^st century it underwent a full restoration and specification update in preparation for Historic Racing.

#2366678 Courtesy Anamera

In early production, the Radiale engine’s 92 bhp, enabled a 0-60 time of 7 seconds and a top speed of 122 mph.  The model was developed with a 2^nd Series appearing in February ’68, a 3^rd the following year and a fourth in January ’70.  The 2^nd Series benefitted from an increase in engine output to 97 bhp, while the 3^rd had 108 and the 4^th, 112-115, (at 8,200 rpm).  The final iteration’s top speed was 124 mph.

There were new Appendix J regulations for the ’70 season and the 4^th Series TCR was Group 2 compliant.  With near-complete freedom in regard to the cylinder head, the rules enabled a further increase in power since twin double choke Weber 45 DCOEs were allowed, as were another iteration of both the camshaft and manifold, together with a prominent exhaust system with long transverse final pipe section.  Rear windows and rear screen were re-specified in Plexiglass, while the front and rear wings/wheel arches were widened and a new fibreglass engine deck lid fitted.  (This latter item was subsequently ‘unhomologated’ on the grounds that it could become debris of a dangerous nature in the event of a rear impact).  After feedback from the works drivers, in which they complained about how the car was handling with its increased power output, the rear suspension was reconfigured, reverting to a tubular components/triangular format arrangement, not unlike Fiat’s original design for the 600.

 

The driver most associated with the era was Johann Abt.  He joined the Corso Marche factory team in ’67 and won 29 races.  The following year he was a winner at 17 events and was a contender in the German Hillclimb Championship.  After leaving in ’70, Abt continued to race the marque’s cars and is thought to have notched up over 300 victories in the course of his career.

Johann Abt winning at Salzburgring, ’70.  Courtesy ABT Motorsport

With various rule revisions, (most significantly, the 1^st Division capacity limit in the European Touring Car Championship was increased from 1 litre to 1300 cc), and competitor strength changes, Abarth’s focus in ’71 shifted to the European Hillclimb Championship – once again, a successful campaign.  Otherwise, ’71 is remembered for the demise of the Abarth factory’s motorsport operation and the marque’s absorption into Fiat.  There was some bravado beforehand however - in February, Carlo, accompanied by Arturo Merzario, presented the SE020, SE021 and SE022 Sport Spider prototypes at the Torino Aero Club’s airfield just across the Corso Marche.  Then, where in previous years, comparative test sessions had been held at Vallelunga or Monza, these were conducted later that month at the Paul Ricard circuit, Le Castellet, France.  The emphasis on this occasion was on the Prototypes and larger engined cars.  Once the racing season got underway, Abarth fans might have thought that ’71 was going to be ‘business as usual,’ as March’s Monza round of the Italian Touring Car Championship saw class wins for Edoardo Gunnella in a 850 TC and for Gino Ravinale driving a 1000 Berlina.  In the mountains too, Abarth drivers Giuseppe D’Ippolito (850 TC) and Luigi Ferragina (1000 Berlina) were best in class in European and Italian Hillclimb events.  By the end of the season, Edoardo Gatti (850 TC) had taken the European Hillclimb Championship, 850 class, and Maurizio Campanini (1000 Berlina), the 1 litre class.  However, even as encouraging results were being recorded, Fiat informed Carlo that he would be deprived of the very thing that had facilitated so much motorsport success – the ‘per-win’ bonus payments were to be stopped.  On top of the many other commercial/financial problems with which Abarth had been struggling, this was a final straw.  At the same time, however, Fiat offered to buy the Abarth business lock, stock and barrel.  Carlo really had no option but to accept, and Fiat confirmed the agreement at the end of August, though it was not announced to the public until 15^th October ’71.  Meanwhile, the racing department had been moved to the premises of Enzo Osella’s Osella Squadra Corse.  Osella would run the SE021 and develop the SE027 Prototype Spiders through to ’74. 

Eventually, as the 850/1000 TC’s development period had come to a close in ’70, the year before Fiat’s acquisition of the marque, the 850 had gone from a Lit. 850,00, 52 bhp car to one with many updated features and a 55 bhp-rated engine.  The 1000 TC began life with 60 bhp, while its ultimate successor, the TCR, had near double that, at 115 bhp.  Meanwhile, the price had reached, Lit.3,710,000.  Given the ‘per win’ bonus which Fiat had agreed to pay Abarth back in ’58, both the 850 TC and 1000 TC models contributed significantly to income over and above the sales revenues they generated, with no fewer than 2,357 race/class wins during the period ’61-’71, (1,236 by 850s and 1,121 by 1000s).

 

All these many decades after Abarth’s golden era, interest in the marque is strong and widespread.  Highly instrumental in the classic Abarth ‘scene’ is the Berni Motori business based south east of Milan at Maleo - http://www.bernimotori.com/.  Tony Berni – who has very kindly helped me in researching aspects of the cars on several occasions – summarises the history and allure of the 850/1000 TCs with this publication: http://www.bernimotori.com/press/Fiat%20Abarth%201000%20Berlina%20Corsa.pdf