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

If Only: The Abarth T140

The more I learn about Carlo Abarth, the more I wish I had had the opportunity to work for him.  He was I believe an especially notable example of the sort of distinctive personality one could encounter in a leader/senior management role in the automotive industry around the middle of the 20^th Century.  Their behaviour and outlook was such that in today’s social culture they probably would not retain their position for very long.  Such people had singular vision/belief, tremendous drive and no inhibitions about using their personality to manage and direct subordinates.  

  

In anecdotes from people who worked for him, Abarth himself is often referred to as someone who expected nothing less than their 100% dedication to the task, was very averse to ‘buttering them up,’ but who showed that he did in fact notice excellence by, for instance, handing over an envelope of bank notes!  By his own vision and dynamism he created a superb line of performance cars, the racing versions of which were highly successful, to the extent that they secured World Championships for six years in succession in the 1960s.  These achievements bolstered Abarth’s self-confidence whilst at the same time instilling in the Corso Marche factory workforce a pride in and dedication to his company.  These two factors are particularly relevant to the beginnings of a project designated ‘T140,’ which should have evolved into Abarth’s crowning glory.  Such a project – the creation of a 6 litre, V12-engine  and sports racing prototype car to compete with Ferrari, Porsche and Ford – needed to be originated and developed in a milieu of secrecy for which the automotive industry has never been well known.  And yet the obedient, proud and earnest workforce ensured with its discretion that both the engine and the body/chassis design were well advanced before anyone outside the Corso Marche factory gained any knowledge of the T140 before Spring 1967. 

The project had been announced internally by Carlo in July 1965.  The initial objective was competitiveness in the proposed new championship for Group 7 cars, the Can-Am Challenge Cup.  A joint initiative by the Sports Car Club of America and the Canadian Automobile Sports Club, the championship was due to be launched in September 1966 at Mont-Tremblant.  Abarth believed that the series, with its Johnsons Wax sponsorship, would offer a high profile marketing opportunity for his products.  However, with Group 7 being virtually a Formula Libre, he would need to create a new, much larger Abarth engine – designated ‘Tipo 240’ - to compete with the expected proliferation of ‘Big Block’ Chevrolet-engined cars contesting the races.

Responsibility for the engine’s design was delegated to Luciano Fochi.  Fochi – whose brother, Nino, was in charge of production at Abarth – had distinguished himself at Alfa Romeo, Maserati, Ferrari and Bugatti prior to joining Abarth in 1958.  In August the following year, Fochi persuaded Gianfranco Bossu, with whom he had worked at Bugatti, to move to Corso Marche, where they again collaborated with great expertise in the development of engines.  Recently, Gianfranco has kindly shared with me his recollections of the T140 project. 

By December 1966 a prototype engine with wet sump had been assembled.  The key features were: 120°, 5982 cc, V12,  SOHC, 24 valve, twin spark ignition, four Weber 40 LDA3C carburettors.  Bore was 92 mm and the stroke 75 mm.  The engine’s construction has previously been described as ‘modular’ in that the block and camshafts were composed of two joined component ‘halves.’  This was not of particular significance as these sub-components were newly created items and not derived from pre-existing, smaller capacity units.  However, the principle was noteworthy as applied also to the crankshaft, since it was at its centre joint – where power was taken off – that a major problem was discovered as soon as test running got underway.  The crankshaft is seen in Gianfranco’s contemporary sketch below:

 

Courtesy of Gianfranco Bossu

The arrangement is not exceptional, especially for a crankshaft of considerable length – that of the Porsche Type 912 Flat 12 917 engine, for instance, is similarly configured.  However, it was initially a weak point, giving rise to crack failures on the Tipo 240 engine.  Gianfranco remembers that the problem was solved by increasing the rigidity of the bearing supports with additional ribs and revised specification bearings.  At this stage the engine was found to be generating over 550 bhp.  With further development, including revision of the lubrication system resulting in the adoption of a dry sump in Quarter 1, 1967, 567 bhp was seen on the dynamometer; (Sample dyno graphs are seen below, with Power represented by the trace second from bottom, and Torque below that.)  With the project still in its early stages, it would have been reasonable to assume that higher output could be achieved with various upgrades, the application of fuel injection, for example.  Potential competitiveness can be judged by considering the performance of the Sixties large capacity racing power plants of Ford, Ferrari and Porsche.  The 7.0 V8 installed in the Mk.II version of the Ford GT40 developed 485 bhp; Ferrari’s mid-decade 330 P4s featured a 3 valve V12 which could give 450 bhp, while the later 512’s 5.0 V12 was good for 550 bhp; the Porsche 917 4.5 flat 12 had 520 - 580 bhp.  A disadvantage for the T240 was its weight, at 254.6 kgs (dry), whereas the 917, without the burden of a fluid cooling system, was 240.4 kgs.  It has been said that the prototype Tipo 240 engine was tested in a Lola T70 chassis, but no data exists to indicate just how well it performed on-track.

 

Courtesy of Gianfranco Bossu

But, of course, the potential of the T140 to take on that Big Three would depend also on the quality and capability of the chassis, which was designed by Antonio Tomaini.  Previously at Moretti, Tomaini had joined Abarth in 1962 to work in the design department.  However, before long Tomaini was also very active out and about at circuits, supporting the works team’s efforts, especially in terms of acquiring and evaluating feedback from the drivers.  For the T140, Tomaini set about designing a chassis in a format which would enable both an endurance racing coupe version and a Can-Am open car to be created with relative ease.  The timescale of the project did not allow the development of either the chassis or the bodywork to progress to any advanced stage, the latter being represented only by a wooden 1:1 model.  The origin of the style of the car can be seen in the contemporary OT Sport Spiders, which were Abarth’s first glass fibre-bodied products, and the 1600 OT Sport coupe.  The subsequent 2000 SE010 also provides a clear indication of how a finalised T140 would have looked.  The full size model was rendered by Sergio Seccatore who had arrived at Corso Marche in June 1966.  He recalls its initial presentation in his book, co-authored with Luca Gastaldi, Abarth Memories:

The wooden model was taken to the workshop, right beneath the technical office, and Colucci brought Abarth to see it.  Abarth looked at it but couldn’t understand the line of the car because the cuts for the doors, bonnet, lights hadn’t been made.  It was a beautiful piece of wood, a single shell.  So, Colucci called me to paint the model red.  I went to the storeroom but there wasn’t any red paint, so they gave me some iron rust preventer.  When the car was finished, Abarth came back and wanted to see the cuts for the doors, bonnet, lights, sockets and air vents, windshield.  I masked everything to paint the various parts with matt black paint.  I copied the headlights of the Ford GT40 and had the rear lights of the Alfa Romeo Giulia painted on the back.  I made holes for the headlights and started to mount one.  Abarth arrived at that moment.  He liked those solutions but when he picked up the light from the Giulia, he said it was too heavy and I had to find some others.  That one had a Zamak base and I had to find others in plastic.  So I went out on the street, to look at the cars parked there, hoping for inspiration.  I saw a Fiat 124 saloon: the rear lights were more or less the same shape and I had those purchased.  I completed the model.

Tomaini followed the conventions of the era in the construction of the chassis – mainly a tubular structure with aluminium and fibreglass panelling.  Some previous reviews of the T140 have cast doubt on how competitive it might have been, not only by way of engine performance, but also in terms of weight.  However, Abarth was quite adept at producing lithe prototype racing cars – the 2000 SE010 of 1968, for example, weighing in at just 480 kgs, to which the basic frame contributed a tiny 39 kgs.  For comparison, consider the contemporary Porsche 907, for which a kerb weight of 600 kgs has been quoted.  Tomaini and a design drawing of the T140 are shown below:

 

The mid-Sixties saw a considerable shake-up in the competitive hierarchy of endurance sports car racing.  Particular focus was increased on the Le Mans 24 Hours race and the determination of Henry Ford II to avenge, on-track, Ferrari’s rebuttal of a Dearborn take-over.  This gave rise to the GT40, a car which certainly delivered on Henry’s ambition, since it was driven to victory at Le Mans for 4 successive seasons, 1966-69.  The first two of those wins were achieved with the use of a 7 litre V8 engine.  For the governing body, the FIA, this caused concern – how could a good number of competitive entries be sustained if the performance benchmark was set by such a large capacity engine, especially, given the Paris-based FIA’s natural European-orientation – the continent’s automotive industry at that time being mainly engaged in projects with engines half that sort of size.  As a solution, and without preamble or consultation, on 12^th June 1967, the day after the second Ford victory by A J Foyt and Dan Gurney in a Mk.4 GT40, the FIA announced that for 1968 new ‘classes’ would apply for endurance racing, as defined by Appendix J to the International Sporting Code: Category A, production cars, Group 4 Sports cars; Category B, Group 6 Prototype sportscars.  For homologation, a manufacturer would have to produce at least 50 cars for Group 4 eligibility and engine capacity had to be less than 5 litres.  A 3 litre capacity limit applied for Group 6.  With a subsequent revision of the homologation requirement to 25 units, both Porsche and Ferrari would develop, respectively, the 917 and 512 models which provided some spectacular racing in 1970-71.

For Abarth, however, the announcement was wholly negative.  It was immediately concluded that the company did not have the financial strength and physical capacity to build and sell fifty T140s.  Equally, the continuance of the project to result merely in the construction of a very few examples to contest the Can-Am could not be justified on a cost/benefit analysis basis.  Sergio Seccatore’s recollection was that very soon after the FIA’s announcement, ‘We piled everything in a corner of the workshop and the story of the T140 ended like that.’  However disappointing that might be from my perspective, it’s quite possible that many at Corso Marche at the time breathed a sigh of relief.  It is said, for instance, that Carlo’s then manager of the mechanical chassis and bodywork department, Mario Colucci, was doubtful that the car could be built at a competitive weight.  Apparently, he also thought that the reported engine output values were somewhat exaggerated.  As with technical matters, such as the relative merits of a mid-chassis location for an engine against those applying to a rear-of-axle mounting, Colucci often acted as a foil to Carlo Abarth’s thinking, and he probably thought it prudent generally to counteract Carlo’s inherent optimism.  Though that optimism flowed from Carlo’s confidence built on a proven record of commercial and racing successes, it can equally be said that Colucci was well qualified to judge the specifics of chassis weight, he having designed the first tubular frame used by Abarth, for the 750 Sport, soon after he joined from Alfa Romeo in 1960.

Though the original project scope had included the manufacture of sufficient components to assemble two prototype engines, only a single unit has been seen in recent times.  This had been acquired by Engelbert Moll, former Abarth works driver (1963) and was a significant item in the collection of Abarth products held at his premises in Solothurn, Switzerland.  The Tipo 240 engine was the subject of much interest when displayed with other cars and engines from Moll’s collection at the Retromobile show in Paris, 2018, as seen in the photograph below.  I have been told by Tony Berni, global authority on Abarth and proprietor of Berni Motori, Maleo, Italy, that in the autumn of 2022, Moll sold his entire collection and it is now relocated in Japan.

 

As for the car, there is better news to report.  A BMW M73-engined replica was built by Hansi Marz in association with Udo Siekmann of Scuderia Gemini Corse and run at the Berni Motori track day held at Autodromo di Varano de’ Melegari in June 2017.  The car can be seen on the circuit here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzKN0_ep5Gk.  It also featured in a Petrolicious article https://petrolicious.com/articles/the-abarth-historic-track-day-showcases-the-best-of-the-beloved-brand-from-bologna which included the photograph seen below:

 

It is quite commonplace to read critical comment about both the decision to embark upon the T140 project and the subsequent abrupt cancellation.  But it is not hard to see that the situation came about because both Abarth and the FIA planned and operated at the time with unusually well preserved secrecy.  What is less well known is that Abarth was not the only marque in that era which started a highly ambitious sport prototype project which came to nothing.  This was the aspiration of Dr Alfredo Belponer.  In the early Sixties he determined to create a new scuderia to support the activities of amateur racing drivers in and around his hometown of Brescia.  Establishment – and formal recognition – of Scuderia Brescia Corse became possible in late 1964 when Carlo Abarth agreed to support the team’s registration with the sporting authorities.  The Scuderia was soon successful, primarily in sports car events, and by 1967 was running a GT40 at Le Mans.  But Belponer had the ambition and wealth to go further, and he asked Bertone to create a Group 6 prototype.  The Carrozzeria obliged with a design named ‘Panther’ and it was unveiled in Turin and Geneva in Spring 1968.  More information about the Panther is available; here: https://supercarnostalgia.com/blog/bertone-panther

 

Scuderia Brescia Corse intended to order several Panthers and use them in an extensive international endurance racing campaign.  However, what Bertone could not do was produce suitable motive power for the car.  Belponer entered into discussions with BRM, seeking a supply of the Bourne-made F1 3.0 V12s, modified with durability rather than peak power, in mind.  When negotiations stumbled, he switched his quest to Maserati, but there too, no deal could be finalised.  As a result, just as with the T140, after much earnest effort, considerable expenditure and enthusiastic activity, the project just quietly expired.  The Panther is seen below:

 

I can’t help but wonder – how well would a Panther have gone with a short stroke, 5.0 Tipo 240 engine behind the driver’s seat!