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.

Axed Too Soon

 

Everyone knows about Ferruccio Lamborghini’s ‘journey’ from tractors to supercars via heating and climatization appliances, but not so many are aware of the meandering path taken by the Bavarian car maker, Hans Glas GmbH.  This also involved initial production of farm machinery, but was abruptly switched to scooters when they became popular post-war, only for that focus to be abandoned when micro cars became the next new craze in the mid-Fifties, resulting in the Glas signature product, the Goggomobile.  Over a 14 year production run more than a quarter of a million Goggomobiles were built at the Dingolfing factory, with a healthy proportion being exported, including to the U.S. despite that market being characterised by vehicles four times the size!

The Glas Factory at Dingolfing, North East of Munich

Indeed, such was the success of the Goggomobile that in ‘59 Glas was considered to be in sufficiently good financial health to be fit to support BMW and Auto Union when both were struggling to survive. A plan was formulated for the three marques to collaborate with a consolidated/simplified range of products, but Hans Glas declined to agree to the idea. Ironically, a few years later, when it was Glas that was slipping from ongoing viability, BMW provided the solution, taking the company over in November ’66.

That situation had come about because of Glas’s failure to create and effectively market new conventionally sized models to take over from the diminutive Goggomobile. Several models, from the Isar, (launched ’58), through to the 2600 and 3000 V8 Coupes, (launched ’66), did not capture customer enthusiasm and fell short on planned projected sales volumes/market share. But, amongst these, a model with two variants boasted many positive features, looked very good and performed well: the type 211, 1300 and 1700 GTs. Perhaps they amounted to a success-likely combination of Italian aesthetic flair with Germanic engineering quality and efficiency.

The Glas 1300 GT as presented in ‘65

Torinese stylist Pietro Frua had re-established a carrozziere in his own name in the late 50s after a period of employment at Ghia.  Several design projects were then completed in collaboration with Carrozzeria Italsuisse.  These attracted praise from within the industry and enhanced his reputation, but for his business the breakthrough came in ’62 when Frua entered into talks with Glas.  The first outcome was a prototype GT closely based on a design Frua had been developing for Borgward.  This was debuted at Frankfurt, in autumn ’63.  It went into production with a 1290 cc engine and body made by Carrozzeria Maggiora, (at Moncalieri, just south of Turin), the following Spring.  Reception was broadly favourable, Road & Track magazine for instance commenting in its road test report: 

In designing the Glas 1300, the factory started with a clean sheet of paper, no limitations imposed by the necessity for incorporating parts of existing models, and some refreshing ideas. The result is a handsome, comfortable, small GT car of advanced design with as much performance as one can rightly expect from a 1290 cc power unit.

The magazine did however express concern, not so much about its features themselves, but about possible customer resistance arising from unfamiliarity with some aspects of the engine’s specification.  Mainly, this related to the employment of a belt to drive the overhead camshaft.  Glas had pioneered this form of valve gear actuation on a ‘normal’ car only two years previously, on the 1004 models.  Road & Track thought that the 25,000 miles belt replacement schedule might deter customers from considering purchase, though the writer claimed that the renewal operation was very easily and quickly performed – presumably parroting what the factory engineers had told him and quite at odds with the contemporary, well known reality whereby much care is required since even a small error in reassembly can result in very serious damage to an engine.

Glas GT cutaway engine/transmission showing the belt-driven valve gear

The most basic specification version of the Glas 1300 GT was priced at around £1070.  This put the model at a disadvantage as, for instance, an Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint 1300 was significantly less expensive – though, perhaps surprisingly, the Glas was quicker, with 88 bhp against the Alfa’s 80. 

Registered in ’65, #1894 featured on Bring a Trailer in 2021; its reserve of $9500 however was not reached.  It appeared to be in usable condition at that time, though comprehensive restoration would be necessary sooner or later.  As seen below, the seats are trimmed in black vinyl, standard specification at the time.  This is the only 1300 built in ‘64/’65 with a flat bonnet panel for which I have a survivor photograph.  Ongoing from September ’65, the model was manufactured with the same panel used for the 1700 – this having a longitudinal, central, rectangular ‘hump’ needed because of the height of the larger capacity engine.  This bulge incorporated an air intake aperture just behind the trailing edge of the front panel.

Courtesy Kucarfa

Courtesy RM Sotheby’s

The central bonnet bulge and air intake aperture are seen in the photograph above of #1364.  RM Sotheby’s 2020 auction lot description details imply that this is also a survivor from the first year of production, (despite the bulge form bonnet).  It was offered on the basis of a need for thorough restoration as the car had been out of use for many years.  This can be readily appreciated from the view of the engine bay seen below.  This also shows the standard twin Solex 35 mm carburettor installation.  Also reproduced is the chassis number plate - a standard format and rivetted to the right hand inner front panel of each and every car.

The front bumper on #1364 differs from the form seen on later cars in not having a pair of indicator lamps mounted to the underside of the blade in line vertically with the headlamp units.  The particular car is also missing the circular reflectors usually mounted between each pair of rear tail and indicator units, (though the appropriate holes are present in the rear panel).  Also noted on cars from early in the production run, are 13” road wheels.  15” wheels were substituted in Autumn ’65 and remained standard specification until the end of production in September ’67.

Another early (’65-built) car – chassis number unknown – is currently in excellent condition and provides a good basis for appreciation of detail features such as the rear lamp units as mentioned above and the two front wing badges mounted one above the other forward of the door aperture leading edge:

Courtesy Columbus Klassic

Also with a chassis number I’ve been unable to trace, the 1300 GT seen below is a ’66 first-registered example.  This is also in nice condition today and the interior shows the pleasing aesthetics of the design.  The instruments layout is easy on the eye and functionally good.  Other points of note are the Nardi-style steering wheel with decorative rim rivets and horn button featuring the Glas crest created for the GT-designated models, dashboard-face script badge to the left of the glove box door and the light colour vinyl trim to the seats and door cards.

Courtesy Gassmann GmbH

In Autumn ’65, the 1290 cc engine was upgraded and consequently re-rated at 74 bhp.  At the same time the 1682 cc version of the engine available in the TS Berlina since the previous year was made available in an additional model named 1700 GT.  As the unit was a little ‘taller,’ a revised bonnet panel with longitudinal raised centre section (’hump’) was necessary, as mentioned above. The 1682 cc engine breathed through twin 40 mm Solex single barrel carburettors, whereas the 1290’s were smaller at 35 mm.  In the GT body this unit enabled a maximum speed of 115 mph and a 0-60 mph time of around 11 seconds (and under 10 seconds according to Sports Car Graphic’s test).  Compared with the Alfa Giulia 1600, the Glas was appreciably faster flat out, though the Giulia had a small advantage in acceleration capability.  Road & Track’s November ’66 Road Test Report, with full performance data, is shown below:

The 1700 GT was priced at around £1285 in the UK – a moderate premium compared with the 1300, justifiable in the light of its higher top speed, something which had become more significant with the extension of motorway/autobahn networks in the UK and Germany. 

A ’66 1700 (chassis number unknown) restored in recent times, shows the limited revisions to the rear bodywork relative to that of the 1300 – boot panel script badge (to ‘1700’) and the reflectors becoming rectangular with radiused corners, where the 1300’s were circular; (however, some 1700s are seen with the circular version):

Courtesy Marc Vorgers

The revised ‘GLAS 1700 GT‘ script badge mounted in the upper right area of the boot lid mentioned above, is seen below on another car – probably ’66 built - for which the chassis number is not currently known.

Courtesy Bonjourlavieille

As seen on #5635 with ‘gold’ finish:

Courtesy Cog Classics

The car is in excellent condition and shows the sleek lines of the fastback very well, as below:

Courtesy Cog Classics

Another ’66 1700, white over red, has had a recent restoration and features a nicely presented engine bay:

Courtesy Bimmerlife

 

#5500 – also from ’66 – is seen below from an angle which enables perception of the shallow V form of the bumper and the lower front bodywork of the GT:

Courtesy GetYourClassic

Alongside the Coupes, the GT was also available as a Cabriolet.  However, only about 7% of production was of cars in this form.  As would be expected, the Cabriolet was a little heavier than the Coupe.  The chassis plate in all, (both 1300 and 1700), closed cars is stamped with a total weight value of 1200 Kg.  As regards kerb/’dry’ weight, the lowest value quoted (factory) for the 1300 Coupe is 800 Kg, while the Cabriolet is 850 Kg.  However, I have seen the value 920 Kg suggested for the Cabriolet.  No other credible variations of these figures for the 1700 have been published. 

The 1700 Cabriolet  was priced at circa £1400 in the UK. 

As always with a car of this type and of its era, production figures as given by different sources vary to some degree.  Consolidating the available data, the approximate number of units per model manufactured were: 1300 GT: 3500;  1700 GT: 1680; 1300 Cabriolet: 230; 1700 Cabriolet: 120.

 

A ’66 1700, this Cabriolet is apparently fitted with the wider wheel rims, (for 175 mm as opposed to 155 mm width tyres), as specified for the V8-engined Glas Coupes.

Courtesy PreSelect

 

Another ’66 Cabriolet is this example, sold recently by Scuderia Sportiva Colonia – describing it as a car which had undergone a 10 year restoration process concluding in ’22, which included, ‘many small improvements such as seats with headrests (original seats are still available), and conversion to 12 volts.’  The price expectation was circa £85,000.

Courtesy Scuderia Sportiva Colonia

#5220 is again a ’66 1700 GT Cabriolet.  Despite having apparently been restored within the last ten years, the car failed to meet its reserve when offered on Bring a Trailer in ’23, (high bid $35,288).  The BaT description/gallery shows a car in generally good condition with some nice distinctive touches such as 14” Borrani wheels and a wood rimmed Nardi steering wheel.

Courtesy Mario_L, Bring a Trailer

The Glas GT on-track:

 

The early Sixties saw a lot of interest in production specification-based sports car racing, governed by the F.I.A. and run under a hierarchy of Categories (car type/production volume) subdivided by Classes (mainly identified by engine capacity/induction type).  Regarding the latter, there were several classes/’divisions’, for example in ’64, for cars, (1) with an engine smaller than 1150 cc; (2) 1151-1299 cc; (3) 1300-1599 cc, etc.  In the 1151-1299 cc class, a Glas 1300 GT would be pitted against some formidable competition, e.g. Abarth Simca 1300 GT, Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint Zagato, Lotus Elite and Bonnet Djet.  At the Nurburgring 1000 Kms in ’64, unsurprisingly, Abarths finished 1-2-3 in class.  However, despite the relative lack of development and experience, the Glas 1300 GT of Gerhard Bodmer/Dieter Schmid came home in 4^th.

Bodmer/Schmid 1300 GT, ‘Ring, ’64. Courtesy H-J Roegler

In August, again at the ‘Ring and that same year, Bodmer took the class victory at the Rheinland-Pfalz Preis meeting.  Belief in the potential of the 1300 GT as a competitive racing car was evidenced by there being no less than five examples running in the Neubiberg round of the Deutsche Rundstrecken-Meisterschaft, (‘DARM’), with drivers, Karl Gollwitzer Jr, Walter Strohmaier, Karl Heblich, Otto Brindl and Helmut Maier.  In the same series, Bodmer finished 2^nd at the DARM round in September at Wunstorf, and 3^rd in the Preis von Tirol at Innsbruck the following month.  Bodmer was placed 4^th in the DARM for ’64. 

1300 GTs were to be seen once again in the DARM the following season, with a win for Bodmer in May at the ‘Ring and a 1-2-3 for the model later that month at Zolder.  In July a 1700 GT appeared at Solitude, though resulting in a DNF, it was not an impressive debut.  Bodmer ‘s 1300 GT was 6^th at the ‘Ring, (GP von Deutschland), on the 1^st August.

Bodmer, Nurburgring, August ’65. Courtesy H-J Roegler

In October, Bodmer enjoyed another class win, this time at Innsbruck.  Bodmer finished the ’65 DARM as champion, (on equal points with Manfred Schiek, who was killed before the end of the season).  Note: some records indicate that Bodmer achieved this championship at the wheel of a Glas 1204 TS, but as can be seen in the photograph above, and in those below (Nurburgring 1000 Kms) he was in a 1300 GT.

With the ’66 season, May saw another good result – 2^nd in class - at the ‘Ring for Bodmer in the ADAC-Hansa-Pokal race, while Helmut Eck went one better and was the class victor later that month at Zandvoort.

Helmut Eck, class winner, Zandvoort, May ‘66. Courtesy Volker Eck

Meanwhile, back at the ‘Ring, Bernd Terbeck won the 1.3 class in a non-championship race and at Hockenheim was equally successful in the DARM.  A week later at the same circuit he was again first across the line.  Terbeck remained on good form, winning at Zandvoort on 5^th June, while Karl Herd was victorious at Hockenheim in the middle of the month.  There was another DARM win for Bodmer at Mainz-Finthen, 19^th June, and in July Herd scored a further championship class win at Hockenheim.  A fortnight later Herd won again at the ‘Ring at the Rheinland-Pfalz Preis event.

Karl Herd, another class win at the ‘Ring, August ’66. Courtesy H-J Roegler

Later that August, Bodmer and Herd recorded a 1-2 at the DARM in Wunstorf.  Terbeck and Eck did the same thing at Zandvoort in the Girling Brakes-sponsored race, 14^th August.  Early in September, Bodmer was again first in class at the ‘Ring 500 Kms, while Joachim Kautz achieved the same feat at Zolder, mid-month.  As the season came towards its end, Bodmer took class honours in mid-October at Aspern.  In ’66, Glas was classified 4^th in the European Touring Car Challenge.

At the Fassberg Flugplatz in late April ’67, Herd and Manfred Becker were 1-2 in class.  Bodmer and Herd replicated that result in May at the Hansa-Pokal DARM meeting.  Another impressive 1-2 was chalked up that month at the ‘Ring 1000 Kms with Bodmer/Schmid leading Friedrich Noenen/Manfred Herbertz over the line.

Bodmer/Schmid, ‘Ring ’67. Courtesy Michael Bratz

Through the rest of the ’67 season, Bodmer continued to secure class wins, 10 in total, mainly in the DARM rounds. Herd scored 2 more, at Mainz-Finthen while Otto Arnold and Becker both drove 1300 GTs to class victory. So ’67 was a notably successful season for the model, with Gerhard Bodmer remaining its leading exponent.

Class wins were elusive in ’68 and though there were a few DARM podiums, reliability had deteriorated, possibly due to drivers needing to push harder against the competition of newer, better performing rival models.

In 1970, Franz-Adolf Kremer founded the Yellow Arrow Racing Team (YART) in Duisburg, Germany. He selected a ’64 Glas 1300 as the team’s car for the debut season, racing it in German, Belgian and Dutch events. Pictures from that year, as displayed on the YART website are seen below:

Courtesy YART

The team’s results were summarised:

Seeking increased competitiveness the following season, the car was modified/rebuilt and raced in the Prototype category, 1300 class.  Power was upped to 138 bhp, while the weight was reduced to 700 Kg.  Running mainly in hillclimb events, a victory was achieved at Osnabruck, with podiums scored at Risselberg, Hoxter and at the circuit race at Zandvoort in August.  The car is seen below at Mainz-Finthen, June ’71:

Courtesy YART

1300/1700 GTs are today, occasionally, seen in Historic events and race meetings, as below:

Courtesy Eyke Wohlbold

 

The impressive ‘65 1300 GT of Helmut Riemer is seen above at the ’22 Riedenburg Classic.

The Glas 1300/1700 GT was an attractive and innovative car with the potential for a long and successful production run. Unfortunately, the Glas company was out of steam, yielding to a take-over by BMW in late ’66. While the Munich marque was primarily interested in acquiring the Glas factory manufacturing capacity at Dingolfing, it was not blind to the potential of the GT, and proceeded at speed to re-engineer the car such that the BMW M116, 1573 cc version of the M10 four cylinder engine could be substituted. At the same time, the rear was reworked to incorporate independent suspension, and styling changes were made to the front and rear in order to create the distinctive ‘BMW look.’. The work was completed in little more than six months, allowing the BMW 1600 GT to go on sale in June ’67. Despite this notably expedient effort, BMW halted production the following year, with only 1259 units built. Strategic review had led to the conclusion that with the existing Neue Klasse range expanding and selling well, a parallel but technologically-variant model of similar size and in the more niche form of a sports coupe would make for additional manufacturing and marketing costs that would not be recoverable by incremental volume.

De Tomaso Takes to the Road - the Vallelunga

 

A Vallelunga at the De Tomaso factory, Modena  Courtesy Sports Car Digest

 

You won’t often catch me saying anything complimentary about Japanese cars – though I did love the Honda CRX I bought for my wife long ago – but it’s difficult to be too shirty about the Mazda MX5/Miata.  It’s often been said that Tom Matano, key figure in the creation of the Miata, was much influenced by the De Tomaso Vallelunga, a car he was very pleased to own himself, (#0134).  An interview with Matano was featured on the website of PI Motorsports, which includes the following passage: 

PI:        We know that you own a Vallelunga.  Have you ever found out who designed it? Norbert MacNamara says it was Mario Fissore.

Matano: I spoke with Trevor Fiori who worked on the Elva BMW with Fissore about the same time the Vallelunga was in the works.  He said that Mr. De Tomaso himself was working with Fissore and he didn’t see any other designer was involved.

PI:        Do you think De Tomaso was trying to do a mini 250LM?

Matano: The original alloy bodied Vallelunga had a more 250 LM-like front end than the production fiberglass bodied car. It also had an entire rear half of the car which opens up for engine service just like the 250 LM.  But, the similarity stops there. The side view profile of the Vallelunga is unique for a mid-ship layout car.

PI:        What parts of the design do you like and what parts would you do over if you were updating it?

Matano: I like the 360-degree visibility the best, thanks to its low engine location.  It is still very contemporary.  It hasn’t dated at all in my opinion.

 

Making allowance for the passage of about three decades, you may find echoes of the Vallelunga in the Miata’s overall form, as seen below:

Left, Vallelunga, courtesy Bonhams Cars. Right, Miata, courtesy Dond90 (BaT)

If there are some visual similarities, the relative production numbers certainly diverged, bringing to mind the old saying, ‘less is more.’ 

But, to linger right in the middle of mainstream thinking, we need to acknowledge the Miata’s debt to the Lotus Elan in terms of concept, style and footprint.  And while there, we can trace a connection back to the Vallelunga, since it too followed a Chapman lead in being built on a backbone chassis and powered by a Ford 4 cylinder engine.  Notwithstanding the considerable circuit motorsport heritage already banked at Lotus by the mid-Sixties, the Vallelunga could be seen as more closely based on a pure racing car than the Elan.  As well as the chassis form, the De Tomaso utilised the Ford block as an integral structural component, front suspension by wishbones with the rear controlled by multi-links, and disc brakes on all four corners – all much as had been seen on the Marque’s single seater race cars – F1, F2, F3 and Formula Junior, (called ‘Isis’) - constructed since ‘59.  Possibly inspired by the Ferrari formula of dedication to motorsport but with funding flowing from the production/sale of road cars, De Tomaso crystalised his ambitions by embarking on the design and creation of a prototype stradale sports barchetta in ’62.  This was put on show at the following year’s Turin Show, but drew no serious interest.  Resilient as he was – some said ‘pig-headed!' -  Alejandro gave Carrozzeria Fissore an order to rebody the chassis as a coupe.  The Turin Show – one year on - was once again chosen to launch the resulting car, with design credited to the Carrozzeria’s stylist, Franco Maina.  Reception was more positive this time and Fissore was contracted to undertake a production run of 15 aluminium bodies.  A surviving prototype was restored in England in 2021 by the specialist workshop of Three Point Four.  Excellent photographs of the car undergoing the renovation process can be seen here.  Head of Business there, Roger Brotton, has told me that all the Fissore prototypes were identified with the same chassis number - #1606.  Fissore, apparently, scrapped its own prototype in-period.

#1606 under restoration in ’21, courtesy Three Point Four

Fissore fulfilled the initial batch order in late ‘64/early ’65, though De Tomaso had already had some ‘developmental’ ideas which led to not all these bodies being used.

At least two ’64-made Vallelungas exist today, the earliest being chassis #0103.  At this point I have to observe that, not unexpectedly, some of what’s been written previously and/or ‘loose’ record keeping at the factory, (in the Italy of the Sixties, surely not!), undermines the certainty with which I can write this narrative.  In ’97, Thoroughbred and Classic Car published this: 

The Vallelunga coupe was built from early 1964 by Fissore of Savigliano, but after three (some say five, but just one survivor is known) had been made De Tomaso transferred the contract to Ghia over whom he had begun to exercise influence, assuming control by 1967. The Ghia cars were 'productionized' with a one-piece fiberglass body and were on sale from July '65. Engine access was now via a lift-up Perspex rear window and a removable plywood deck lid. . .

Probably the anomaly here is over the understanding of the production date.  This car is recorded as being first registered in the UK on 31^st December ’64.  #0103 is a glass fibre car with opening rear window, whereas other sources suggest that no Ghia production occurred before ’65.  The revised rear is a key feature which differentiates the Maina-designed coupes from the prototype barchetta, including the revised rear quarters where an opening glazed (Plexiglass) screen gave access to the engine rather than the original clamshell format.  This car is also a very ‘pure’ De Tomaso, being to Competizione specification and thus a racing car that might occasionally serve purpose on normal roads.  As such, its kerb weight was low, at around 700 Kg, while the stradale version is usually quoted at 726 Kg.

Courtesy Cottingham Blue Chip London

The car’s description for sale by DK Engineering notes engine power at 135 bhp, ‘thanks to the Cosworth enhanced cylinder head . . .  The Hewland 4-speed transmission is mounted in a VW housing, rotated around for mid-engine placement.’ 

A standard Vallelunga had considerably less bhp on tap.  Contrary to some accounts, the OE engine was the Ford Kent 1498 cc, pushrod unit, not the Lotus twin cam.  However, the engines, on receipt at the De Tomaso factory in Modena, were modified to the extent of an upgraded cylinder head which facilitated a 24% increase in the compression ratio.  Together with twin Weber 40DCOE2s, this enabled a power output of 104 bhp, one third up on its delivery in its original Cortina GT application. 

Chassis #1611 is another Competizione example, equipped with a 1558 cc engine and Colotti five speed gearbox.  Seen in period below:

#1611 Courtesy Bonhams Cars

Repainted in yellow, the car was offered for sale by Bonhams in June 2014.  The description referred to this as being one of only two right-hand drive Vallelungas built by De Tomaso, (other sources say there was only one). It was initially in Colonel Ronnie Hoare’s care when he was considering adding the De Tomaso franchise to his operations best known for the UK Ferrari import business, Maranello Concessionaires.  He decided against this initiative after establishing that it would be impractical to incorporate the Lotus twin cam engine as a series upgrade, and he sold the car to racing driver, Robs Lamplough.  However, #1611 does today benefit from having such a power plant nestling under its rear screen – see centre photograph below.

#1611 Courtesy Bonhams Cars

Made in ’65, #0101, located in Holland, was sold on Bring a Trailer in 2024 for $260,000. The vendor asserted that this is the first glass fibre bodied Vallelunga made by Ghia after De Tomaso had halted construction of the aluminium version at Fissore. A reasonable claim, given the chassis number, which should be read in conjunction with the type number 807DT. Shown below are Vallelunga characteristic features, model-bespoke 13” magnesium alloy Campagnolo road wheels, chassis number stamping, and branded De Tomaso-modified cylinder head:

and drive Vallelungas built by De Tomaso, (other sources say there was only one). It was initially in Colonel Ronnie Hoare’s care when he was considering adding the De Tomaso franchise to his operations best known for the UK Ferrari import business, Maranello Concessionaires.  He decided against this initiative after establishing that it would be impractical to incorporate the Lotus twin cam engine as a series upgrade, and sold the car to racing driver, Robs Lamplough. 

#0101 Courtesy ImageStreetClassics

0101 Courtesy ImageStreetClassics

#1612 is said to have been delivered to its first owner in ’66, but it is likely a ’65 build.  A ‘VL’ designation is associated with the chassis number and the car’s recent vendors, Artcurial, claims this confirms it as a Competizione version.  With this spirit in mind, a previous owner had installed a Lotus twin cam engine.  The Artcurial auction – held in Monaco in July 2020 – resulted in a sale price of €313,200.  Referring back to the Vallelunga’s limited sales success when new, Artcurial pointed out that it was priced the same as a Lancia Flaminia Zagato, causing many to find it poor value given the Lancia’s size, sophistication, including a 2.5 or 2.8 V6 engine, and the prestige/motorsport pedigree associated with Carrozzeria Zagato.

#1612 Courtesy Artcurial

 

Artcurial also handled the sale – for €226,480 - of a France-located, ’66 Vallelunga, (registered 801PL68), in 2015.  At that time, it was in unrestored condition and reported to have had light, spasmodic use over the near half century since its original sale.  The auction lot description includes a chassis number - 4236620 - which is not formatted in any similarity with those of other examples and is likely not a reading in error of the engine number.  (This value on a Vallelunga OE block would be 10 position, (8 digits/2 characters), I believe).  I subsequently discovered that Ruote Vecchie had in reporting on the sale, attributed the chassis number #0115 to this car.  However . . . that chassis number appeared again, in October 2017, associated to a red “‘67” Vallelunga, (registered TON41126), on offer by Bonhams at Padova.  I have been unable to contact the author of Ruote Vecchie, so I do not know the basis of their attribution of #0115 to the Artcurial-sold vehicle.  Meanwhile, the latter is shown below, left, with the Bonhams-offered car to the right.    

Left, “#4236620” Courtesy Artcurial; right, #0115 Courtesy Bonhams Cars

Lou Costabile shot a YouTube video of John Weinberger’s Vallelunga, #0134, in ’17.  He reported that John had owned the car long term in company with several other rare vehicles.  John died in 2020 after a long career in automotive retailing and motorsport.  Latterly he had been President and CEO of Illinois-located Continental Motors Group for over half a century.  As seen below, his Vallelunga was fitted with a VIN plate to confirm compliance with required U.S. import technical regulations.  Scott Martin‘s Vallelunga Registry records this as having been owned by Ricci (son of Dean) Martin, Dick Carr and Tom Matano.

#0134 Courtesy John Weinberger/Lou Costabile

€168,560 was the winning bid for #0106 when it was offered at a Belgian Bonham’s sale in June 2024.  The lot description highlights the sporting upgrades featuring on this Vallelunga, including extended wheel arches/wider wheels and an ex-F3 engine with induction by big (48 mm) Webers and a supercharger. Views into the engine bay and of the cockpit are seen below:

#0106 Courtesy Bonhams Cars

Though apparently to standard specification, #0128 was raced in the Sixties by its original owner.  Subsequently it was imported to the U.S. and from’10-’18 it was subject to a full restoration project.  The car featured in Gooding & Company’s Pebble Beach auction in ’18.  It was offered with an estimate of at $400,000-$475,000 but did not sell.

#0128 Courtesy Gooding & Company

Badges: 

A rectangular De Tomaso marque badge is mounted centrally on the upper surface of the front panel:

On the rear panel, centrally pinned on the horizontal plane, are two script badges, ‘VALLELUNGA,’ and, usually above, ‘de tomaso.’  On at least two extant cars, the ‘VALLELUNGA’ script is missing, and, on #0101, the relative positions of the two badges is inverted.

A Ghia ‘BUILT BY’ marque flank badge is applied to both front wings between the trailing edge of the front wheel arch and the leading edge of the front door.  (These are not extant on all surviving cars).

The marque badge features again on the wheel centre caps.

#0101 is fitted with a leather bound Ferrero sports wheel.  Ferrero was a noted supplier to De Tomaso and is possibly also the manufacturer of this wood rimmed example, style and spokes detail very much as typical for the era.  For more on Ferraro see here.  Though an aftermarket fitment, a Momo 'Jackie Stewart' seems a very appropriate wheel for a Vallelunga.  The rotation by 90° of the stripes on the horn button is also seen on some other versions of this component.

Literature:

Brochures:

Lower image is of a '65 edition

The consensus is that by the end of production, a total of 45-60 Vallelungas had been built.  It may be that most of this number were made as a batch, mainly in ’65, though not all sales were completed until ’68.  If, as seems confirmed, #0101 was the first Ghia-built chassis number, and #0146 the last known, 45 would be the built count.  The most likely breakdown was: Aluminium prototypes, (including Spyder): 4; Ghia production, (including Competiziones):45.

As a ‘first attempt’ the Vallelunga had established De Tomaso as a maker of road cars and facilitated a great deal of learning about the management of series production.  It thus was a positive factor in the company’s next development phase involving the creation of a considerably more complex model, the Mangusta.  With a Ford 4.7 litre V8 engine and imposing coachwork by Giorgio Giugiaro, it was well received on its launch in ’67 and was in production until ’71, with 400 units sold.  In turn, the Mangusta was followed by the Pantera – a car that gave De Tomaso a serious presence in the American market and was in production for over 20 years.  Over 7,000 had been built by ’92, so De Tomaso’s progress in terms of manufacturing volume was impressive. But, more importantly from my viewpoint, all three models were charismatic beauties!