Eight on the way to Twelve – the Abarth V8 Engine

Much was positive for Abarth as 1965 dawned.  Especially so in terms of the marque’s racing exploits.  For three years in succession, Abarth had taken GT World Championship honours, in the 1 litre class in ’62, 1.3 in ’63 and ’64.  In addition to these top-flight achievements, Abarth victories in national, regional and club events were commonplace, providing the Corso Marche treasury with regular and substantial income stemming from the ‘57 agreement whereby Fiat made a payment to Abarth for each and every race win credited to one of its Fiat-based models.

 

But there was a downside to this apparently generous, sugar daddy arrangement – to maintain the competitiveness of Abarth’s numerous racing customers, across a wide spread of model types/variants, it was necessary to implement an ongoing programme of product development and resulting upgrades.  This was an expensive business – enough so to be prompting Carlo Abarth, Renzo Avidano and Carlo Scagliarini to consider a major strategical revision of Abarth & C’s operational style and commercial objectives.  Whilst this would need to include an upscaling of road car production there should be no implication that racing would become a just an incidental, low key aspect of Abarth’s activities.  Indeed, Carlo sought to optimise the commercial benefits accruing as a result of his company’s motor sport expertise.  But, whilst up to that point Abarth was associated mostly with the smaller engine capacity classes, for a higher profile and thus a more powerful halo effect to enhance the marketability of the road cars, there needed to be a new focus on ‘bigger’ racing models which could contend for victories in the most prestigious categories, such as the impending FIA Groups 4, 6 and 7 for prototypes/limited production sports cars.  This was the media coverage-attracting realm of the World Sportscar Championship and events at places like Le Mans, Nurburgring and Monza.  In addition, there was soon to be the Can-Am Challenge, providing a potentially lucrative channel to the U.S. automotive market.  Equally, there was much to be said for the commercial opportunities that could flow from participation with a Grand Prix car in the Formula One World Championship.

 

Any such undertaking would, however, require substantial immediate investment, particularly in terms of engineering innovation and effort.  Abarth would have to step beyond its comfort zone – the world of relatively simple, two and four cylinder in-line engines.  What had been achieved in working with such powerplants was not to be dismissed – after all, the 2 litre 4 cylinder Tipo 236 unit would be giving all of 270 bhp in ’71 as Abarth was absorbed into Fiat.  However, in aiming to run against a competitor such as Ferrari fielding cars with 3 litre engines, Corso Marche was going to have to be the birthplace of an 8 cylinder motor.  That established, it wasn’t difficult to conclude that this would be best configured as a 90° V8.  And, once you’d got comfortable with that as a notion, with somewhere like Le Mans in mind it was not so hard also to start contemplating the possibility of a 120° 12 cylinder of twice the capacity!

 

Understandably, there has been speculation as to why Abarth chose in ‘66 to launch its first V form engine with a capacity of no more than 2 litres.  According to Gianfranco Bossu - colleague of Luciano Fochi, Abarth’s engine designer - the original proposal was to create the engine as a means to compete with Ferrari in the European Hillclimb Championship.  This implies a lack of confidence in how much more power could be extracted from the 1946 cc 4 cylinder, 16 valve tipo 236B, then good for around 245 bhp.  But what about the competition? – as an example, the 2 litre Alfa Tipo 33 at that pointed boasted 260 bhp.  So Abarth should really be seeking to run with at least something in the 270/275 bhp range.  From the ’65-’67 perspective, 30 more bhp from the 4 cylinder was a very tall order.  To achieve such an increase, an 8 cylinder was essential, both to allow for future displacement growth and to ensure that individual components could be operated under less stress, thereby enhancing reliability/durability, characteristics so important in the longer distance World Sportscar Championship events.  For ’67, both Prototypes (limited to 3 litres) and Sportscars (limited to 5 litres) also featured an up-to 2 litre class.  The 2 litre capacity gave Abarth options in terms of event classes/categories.  Until competitiveness had been established, ‘class wins’ would be possible even if overall victory would not.

 

The all-alloy, four cam Tipo 239 engine was first presented publicly at the Turin Racing Car Show on 26^th February ’67.  With bore/stroke dimensions of 78 cm x 52 cm, the cubic capacity was 1987 cc.  The launch specification included twin spark ignition and four twin choke Webers.  With an 11:1 compression ratio, this initial set-up was said to be good for 230 bhp at 9,000 rpm.

Fig.01 Tipo 239 engine. Courtesy Berni Motore

With thanks again to Gianfranco Bossu, we know that the initial bench testing yielded very disappointing results in terms of both power and torque.  Gianfranco recalls that there was an immediate decision not to embark on an improvement programme and the project was in effect abandoned, the engine never chassis-mounted for track testing.  At the time, the Tipo 236’s maximum output was reported as being 220-230 bhp.  It is reasonable to infer that with the given greater weight of the Tipo 239 engine and its power being no more than 230 bhp, a V8-engined version of the SE04/L* would have been no quicker than one powered by the 4 cylinder.  Logically then, a decision to enlarge the Tipo 239 to 3 litres while tackling 2 litre class racing with the Tipo 236 seems well justified.

*The SE04 chassis which had been developed from the previous year’s 1000 SP model.  Thus it had a tubular chassis with mid-located engine, a car configured according to Mario Colucci’s thinking rather than Carlo Abarth’s.  However, a superficially similar car with box section chassis members and outboard engine had been built for comparison purposes.  First seen in May ’66 was a 982 cc engine-powered barchetta, of which 50 were built during the next 18 months, enabling it to be homologated for Group 6.  The two versions were tested at Vallelunga in January ’67, at this stage powered by the 4 cylinder Tipo 236 engine.  Evaluation concluded that future development should be with the mid-engine/tubular chassis configuration, designated SE004/FB2.  Rapidly forthcoming from the programme was a longer wheelbase version, identified as SE004/L.

 

Fochi pitched to Carlo Abarth the notion of increasing the cubic capacity, redesigning the heads with 32 valves and offering the engine on commercial terms to private customers.  Abarth apparently dismissed this idea out of hand, but authorised an evolution project for ’67 whereby the capacity would be taken up to 2968 cc.  This was achieved by increasing the bore to 88 mm and the stroke to 61 mm.  The prototype engine was put on the bench on 23 September ‘67, delivering 312.3 bhp at 8000 rpm.  It was first installed in a SE004/L chassis but soon mounted into a development of that car, designated SE013.  In what was otherwise known simply as a 3000 Sport Spider, the 3 litre Tipo 245 V8 made its race debut, a few days after its press presentation, on 6^th October ’68 at the Aspern Airport circuit in Austria.  Especially noteworthy was the high location of the coolant radiator – above the top of the roll-over bar – over the rear of the mid-mounted engine, a concept anticipating Gordon Murray’s experimental external cooling solutions with the Brabham BT46 the following decade.  The SE013 at this point had ‘nervous’ handling tendencies which were exacerbated by the heightened centre of gravity to which the radiator significantly contributed.  Despite this, works driver Peter Schetty put the car on pole and comfortably won the race from Arturo Merzario, who was running in Group 6 with a 2 litre Sport Spider.  At Innsbruck, Schetty recorded a second 3000 circuit victory on 20^th October.

Fig.02 Tipo 245 engine. Courtesy Berni Motore

Despite the ‘first time out’ victory, there was ready recognition that the car would not be competitive at higher profile events because of its handling characteristics.  With an ambition to run at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in ’69, it was essential that it be made easier/less taxing and tiring to drive.  But early-year progress was limited, leading to a decision that although an entry had been made, a Tipo 245-powered car would not be sent to Le Mans.  Instead, effort was invested in the evolution of the SE013 into the SE016, first shown on 2^nd September ‘69.  Obvious at first sight was relocation of the radiator to within the body and the addition of tabs on the front/lower ‘corner’ of the front wings, both measures deemed important in seeking better overall balance and to militate against the car’s propensity to generate front end lift.  Another change expected to deliver better handling was to 15” wheels, (from 13”).  However, at this point, and for an extended period, such components were impossible to obtain from the usual suppliers because of widespread workers’ union-led strikes.  Driven by Johannes Ortner, the car was nevertheless competitive, (3^rd when the race was prematurely stopped), at the 500 km of Imola, run later in the month.

Fig.03 SE013 left, SE016 right. Courtesy Berni Motore

In ’70, there were notable hillclimb victories for 3000 Sport Prototypes at Barisart (Belgium), Avignon (France) and Bergamo (Italy).  In late October, Abarth presented an upgraded version of the ‘3000 Sport Prototype,’ (SE020), at the Turin Motor Show.  Most notable revisions included a shorter wheelbase, more forward-located cockpit, extreme rear-mounted oil coolers and twin side placed coolant radiators.  The engine was upgraded – taking power up to 365 bhp – with the installation of fuel injection (Lucas) and capacitive discharge ignition (Dinoplex).  Despite these improvements, there was not a lot of confidence at Corso Marche.  Morale had been affected by a reduction in Abarth’s profitability and the disruptions attributable to Italy’s industrial relations strife experienced over the preceding three years.  Overlaying these fundamental concerns, was an internal recognition that the SE020 would struggle for competitiveness against the main Group 6, 3 litre class rival machines.  Though the Abarth V8’s power output was not greatly lacking in comparison with that of Porsche’s flat 8, (908/2), it was over 30 bhp down on the Alfa T33/3’s V8, and almost 100 bhp less than what the Ferrari flat 12 (312 PB) could muster.  A solution would be to resurrect Fochi’s 32 valve heads proposal, but with corporate financial robustness being as reduced as it was, that was a project which would again be deferred.

Fig.04 Carlo Abarth and Arturo Merzario stand behind the SE020, February '71

However, there was a niche which could be successfully exploited.  With a consistent record of good results in the category, there was a belief at Corso Marche that a bespoke version of the 3000 Sport could be a Group 5 contender for the European Hillclimb Championship.  Thus, the SE022 was unveiled in February ’71 at Campo Volo.  Designated a Monotipo, the SE022 was functionally similar to the SE020, but featured a substantial, enveloping-style windscreen frame/glass and carried a spare wheel for regulations-compliance.  ’71 saw nineteen 3000 Sport Prototype high profile hillclimb victories at Bellvue (Belgium), Draguignan (France), Liege (Belgium), Presberg (Germany), Villach (Austria), Gap (France), Jura (France), Abreschviller (France), Autun (France), Consenza (Italy), Berchtesgaden (Germany), Brescia (Italy), Avignon (France), Berwinne (Belgium), Clouneaux (France), Vuillifans (France), Trento (Italy), Sestriere (Italy) (2 classes).

Fig.05 SE022 driven by Johannes Ortner at Sestriere, July '71

Despite a visually appealing presentation of the three new Sport Prototypes and Carlo’s confident bearing at Campo Volo that February day in ’71, as an event this was a swansong.  On top of all the problems associated with the commerciality of the road car business and shortage of capital, a lack of confidence had been growing in Abarth’s motor sport customer community.  To ensure that such customers should not feel they were getting second best to the works team, Abarth created a division which could be seen as separate, self-sufficient and having 100% customer-focus.  He appointed Enzo Osella as its head, confident of the man’s expertise, abilities and alignment with his own principles.  At the same time he conducted a difficult negotiation for the sale of his company to Fiat, the confirmation of this being made in mid-October.  Fiat in effect endorsed the semi-external racing arm by delegating responsibility for the Abarth marque’s participation in the European Championship (for prototypes) to Osella for the ’72 season.  However, this did not involve utilisation of the V8 engine, and the cars became known as Abarth-Osellas.  But if that sounds like a downbeat development from a Corso Marche viewpoint, the upside was that with the Tipo 236 engine generating 270 bhp on Lucas fuel injection and a more reliable Hewland gearbox replacing the Abarth Tipo 139 unit, the Abarth-Osella SE021 was the championship-winning car of ’72.

Ollon Villars in the Sixties

Ollon is a small Swiss town with a population of about 8,000. Situated near and to the west of the River Rhone,  it is a little to the south of the western end of Lake Geneva, about 400 metres above sea level.  Heading west, mountainous topography is encountered, including the notable peak of Les Diablerets.  In this direction, after some 5 miles and at an elevation of 1,260 metres, Villars sur Ollon is reached, a village inhabited by around 2,000 people.  The connecting road, with several hairpin turns, was first used as a hill-climb course in 1951.  Every other year, (with some exceptions), for the following two decades it served as one of the most popular hill-climb venues.  By 1958 the event’s status was good enough to allow it to feature as a round of the European Mountain Championship, regulated and governed by the FIA.

At the start of the decade pure racing cars were dominant at the head of the results table.  In 1960 this can be seen in the list of the ten fastest times:

Barth’s fastest time was 4 minutes, 52.7 seconds – he was the only driver to get below 5 minutes – next up, Heini Walter, was 11.6 seconds ‘slower.’  The RSK-based 718/2, launched in Spring 1959, had benefited during the 1960 season from subsequent development informed by feedback from Stirling Moss.  Porsche had successfully interested Moss in driving the 718 in Formula 2 in 1960 by loaning a car to the Rob Walker team.  It was hoped that this would lead to a works drive in the new Formula 1 in 1961.

The Heini Walter RS60 had run as a works car at Le Mans, following which it had its modified rear bodywork, (purpose-made to enhance top speed capability on the Mulsanne straight), removed, and the engine replaced with a larger (1,700 cc) unit.  It was then loaned to Walter for hill-climb entries under his own name.  He was happy enough with this car to retain it for ’61 and was rewarded by a series of good results which secured for him that year’s Championship. 

Brabham competed at Ollon Villars as the reigning Formula 1 World Champion, his Cooper T51-Climax clearly demonstrating that everyone would have to make the move from front- to rear-engined cars.  For Ollon Villars he was equipped with the improved T53 chassis powered by a smaller 1,475 cc FPF Coventry Climax engine.  Using the T53 with the 2,497 cc version of the engine, Brabham would finish 1960 as Formula 1 Champion for a second successive season.

 

Below, left: Edgar Barth in the winning Formula 2 Porsche. (Courtesy Arthur Fenzlau).  Right: Jack Brabham in the 3^rd placed Cooper T53.

While there had been 129 competitors recording completed/timed runs in 1960, the number was much reduced in 1962 – down to just 56, (through it’s possible that there was a failure to record/preserve lower order competitors’ times).  Porsches were again prolific in the top ten:

An important development for Porsche in its quest to maintain the 718 series cars’ competitiveness was the utilisation of a 210 bhp version of the Formula 1 eight cylinder engine.  In this form the cars were designated as 718/8 W-RS Spyder. 

The event was further distinguished in 1962 by Jim Clark’s participation.  Already considered an outstanding talent and potential future World Champion, and with the ill feelings from the previous season’s tragic Monza accident fading, Clark arrived at Ollon Villars as the subject of much expectation.  Some thought that he might be fastest in the smaller capacity Racing class.  Unfortunately however, the Lotus team was unable to put a really suitable and competitive car at his disposal.  All that could be drummed up was the loan of a Scuderia Filipinetti Lotus 21.  Its dynamic attributes proved to be beyond even Clark’s prodigious talents, leaving documented reports of his performance limited to mention of an ‘off’ in practice and the absence of any record of the best time achieved. 

The photographs seen below are credited to Kuno Zimmermann.  They were found on the website, smallcar.ch, a wonderful resource which I would greatly recommend.  Left to right: Heini Walter, Porsche 718/8W-RS Spyder; near the start, #185 Walter, #184 Scarfiotti, (#186 unidentified); Jim Clark #31.

1963 saw some familiar names at the top of the results table.  Porsche supplied three of the top ten runners, but competition was more in-depth and diverse than in the first two events of the decade.  The best-placed Porsche was 2^nd, 7 seconds behind the winner:

Especially notable cars were Bonnier’s Ferguson, Brabham’s Brabham and Muller’s Porsche ‘missing link.’  The Ferguson was a very distinctive machine, it being not only 4 wheel drive, but also the last car built for Formula 1 with a front-engined powertrain.  In addition to this victory in Switzerland, the 2.5 litre car was further successful in capturing the 1964 British Hillclimb Championship.  The Brabham BT4 was introduced in 1962, primarily to be raced in the Tasman series ‘down under.’  Its agility, however, made it very suitable for hill-climbing and the third (of three) chassis constructed was sold to Charles Vögele specifically for European hill-climbing campaigns – and in 1963 he was dominant in the car in the Swiss national championship. 

As I outlined in The Dream Hybrid - Conceived in the Fifties!, the ‘Dreikantschaber’ was created to bridge the gap between the Porsche GTL and the 904: Porsche had readily appreciated since the latter part of 1962 that it would need something more radical than the GTL if it was to retain its competitiveness in the GT racing classes – threatened as that would be by new/improved rival models such as the Alfa Romeo TZ and the Abarth Simca 2000.  Thus, while the GTL would continue through 1963, the 1,966 engine and better brakes began also to be utilised in a new bodied, 718, RS61-based, ‘GS-GT.’  The two examples of this made – also known as ‘Dreikantantschaber’/DKS* – ran in parallel with the GTLs, from the Targa Florio onwards.  This model would serve as a steppingstone to the ultimate requirement, a mid-engine GT, which was realised in November 1963 with the initial presentation of Butzi Porsche’s rapidly-developed 904/Carrera GTS.  *This is the German name for a sharp, triangular-pointed scraping tool – the visual reference being to the ‘sharp’ form of the car’s nose/front end. 

Both images below courtesy of Automobile Sport.  Left: Hans Herrmann claiming 3^rd in the Abarth Spider Sport; right: Jo Bonnier with the Ferguson P99.

The 1965 event was the 17^th (of 20) round of the World Sportscar Championship, which that season was two-pronged: 1) International Championship for GT Manufacturers, and, 2) International Trophy for GT Prototypes.  The former, in its Division 1 class, was dominated and won by Abarth, the marque’s fourth consecutive World Championship triumph.  Ferrari was clearly in the ascendancy in the Prototypes competition and would finish the season with almost double the points scored by runner-up, Porsche.  Within the European Mountain Championship, Ludovico Scarfiotti’s scoring had been underlining Ferrari’s strength, with his Sant Ambroeus-entered, (works-backed), Dino 206 SP being the winning car at Ollon Villars, as it had been at Trento Bondone, Cesana-Sestrieres and Fribourg. 

Scarfiotti's car was an open-top version of the Dino 166 P with a bigger (2.0 V6) engine, giving 218 bhp.  For his part, Scarfiotti was an extremely accomplished and versatile driver, having won the European Hillclimb Championship in ’62, Le Mans the following year, and he was an Italian Grand Prix winner.  His main opposition in ’65 came from the works Porsche 904/8s of Gerhard Mitter and Herbert Muller and Abarth 2000 OT of Hans Herrmann.  Also able to challenge were, for example, 904 GTS Porsches in the hands of drivers such as Herbert Muller, Rolf Stommelen and Michel Weber, while Herbert Demetz could also turn rapid ascents in the 2.0 Abarth.  The ten fastest in ’65 were:

The model designation of Mitter’s car (chassis #906-010) was enigmatic and quite confusing.  Firstly, though referred to as 904s, the Bergspyders used for sportscar racing and hill-climbing in ’65 had chassis numbers configured 906-0xx, all with an eight cylinder engine.  To compound potential misunderstandings, #010 was used for a chassis which appeared at the Rossfeld hill-climb meeting in June but was then promptly junked and the number re-used for the chassis Mitter debuted at Ollon Villars.  This was itself distinctive as it was an even lighter Bergspyder – at 488 kg – thanks to a new tubular spaceframe construction, one of the first outcomes of Ferdinand Piech’s involvement in the works racing organisation.  Thus, this car was virtually a 906, a model type which would long remain emblematic of Piech’s influence and achievements.  Crucially, the 906 allowed a huge scope for development, in contrast to the limitations of the 904, being more of a road car modified for the track. 

Alongside Mitter’s 904/8 as a Porsche System Engineering Ltd. (i.e. works) entry, was an Elva Mk.7, driven by Anton Fischhaber.  This was powered by the same Type 771 1,991 cc flat 8 engine used in #906-010.  The Elva chassis, as proven in other applications, was effective and enabled Fischhaber to finish 16^th, his best time being 4 min. 36.3 sec, 24 seconds greater than Mitter’s.  For further comparison, the similar, but BMW M10-engined Mk.8 Elva of Sidney Charpilloz was 5.4 seconds slower. 

With his World Championship successes of the era, Carlo Abarth was keen to add the European Mountain title to the brand’s the honours list.  His problem however was the lack of a multi-cylinder engine of the level of capability at the disposal of  the Porsche and Ferrari marques.  Of the several coupe and barchetta type cars being built at Corso Marche mid-decade, the most suitable for the hills were the OT (Omologata Turismo) Spiders.  There was however an underlying compromise in so much as the Fiat 850-based chassis was relatively heavy.  A positive feature however was the first use by Abarth of glass fibre for fabrication of the whole body structure.  Designated as Tipo 139, the car, as driven at Ollon Villars by Demetz, utilised the 1,946 cc version of the Abarth 4 cylinder Bialbero, good for 209 bhp.  In simple terms the Abarth’s main disadvantage against the Porsche and the Ferrari was its weight – quoted as 710 kg.  Thus, it was bound to struggle with performance, given that its 209 bhp compared with 218 for the Ferrari and at least 250 from the Porsche unit. 

Images below, left: Peter Ettmuller’s Shelby Cobra, finished 19^th; centre: winner, Scarfiotti’s Ferrari 206P. (Copyright GPL – Geoff Goddard); right: Ferrari 275 of Giampiero Biscaldi. (Courtesy Alamy).

The meeting in 1967 – also known as the Swiss Mountain Grand Prix - was the last which enjoyed the status of being a round of the International Manufacturers Championship, (also known previously as the World Sportscar Championship, and, subsequently as the International Championship for Makes.)  The change of status was no reflection on the venue – hill-climbing underwent a diminution of popularity through the sixties, and events became less well supported.  While there were four climbs in the 1965 Championship calendar, Ollon Villars was the only one in ‘67, and the category did not feature anywhere in subsequent years.  The European Hillclimb Championship would however continue, (through to the current day), and in ‘67 Ollon Villars was the penultimate of eight rounds.  The competitors arrived at the Vaud canton in late August, with Porsche assured of the Championship, its cars, running in the premier, Sportscar (Prototype), class, having been victorious at all six of the previous rounds.

 

The two Weissach works drivers were Gerhard Mitter and Rolf Stommelen.  Mitter was the reigning European champion having outscored the opposition in 1966 at the wheel of a Porsche 910 coupe.  The Porsche System Engineering team was keen to repeat that success and was conscious that an increased level of competition could be expected in ’67, especially in the shape of the Abarth 2000 SP, Ferrari 412P, Lola-BMW T110 and Alfa 33.  Thus it was decided to revert to the ultra-lightweight Bergspyder format as had been successful in ’65 (904/8).  This decision was facilitated by a regulations change which removed the minimum weight limit and reintroduced governance by the very liberal Group 7 technical stipulations.  Both using the resulting 910/8 Bergspyder, Mitter and Stommelen had won all the previous rounds, at Montseny/Trento-Bondone/Freiburg-Schauninsland and at Rossfeld/Mont Ventoux/Cesana-Sestriere, respectively.

 

Key specification features of the Spyders included the very low weight of just 499 kg at the beginning of the season.  And this was further reduced as development continued during the season, primarily on the car allocated to Mitter, the frame of which was rebuilt in aluminium, a measure that gave a one-third weight saving.  A variety of other modifications included a tiny fuel tank – 15 litres capacity – and some exotic materials: magnesium wheel rims, beryllium for the brake discs and titanium for the brake calipers and stub axles.  Bodywork was in very thin gauge glass-fibre with notably short side panels – prompting a ‘Mini-Skirt Spyder’ nickname.  By the time of the Ollon Villars event, the kerb weight was down to 418 kg.  A side benefit of the enhanced light weight was the feasibility of using ballast over the front axle in order to ‘calm’ the handling characteristics, contributing significantly to the car’s drivability.  As for the other crucial performance component, the type 771 engine delivered 260 bhp.  All this was good enough to allow Mitter to take first place with a time of 3 min. 55 sec, (for comparison, the eventual record time, achieved by Francois Cevert in ’71, being 3.47).  The top ten in ’67 were:

The Ollon Villars course was not generally thought to be especially hazardous, though following his outright record-establishing run in ’71, Francois Cevert is quoted as saying: ‘Never again will I indulge in such a dangerous adventure. I find the climb quite frightening, brushing guardrails at high speed and clipping trees. Circuit racing is much less demanding.’  Cevert’s opinion is validated by the fact that two drivers died at the ’67 event – Axel Perrenoud, driving a Shelby Cobra on the Friday, and Michel Pillet the following day at the wheel of a Ecurie La Meute Triumph Spitfire.

Images below, left: Peter Schetty’s Abarth 2000 SP, 4^th fastest. (Courtesy Equipe Bergamote); centre: Sepp Greger’s Porsche 906. (Courtesy Zwischengas CZ); Porsche 910 of Rolf Stommelen. (Courtesy Karl Ludvisgen).

On 31st August 1969 the 7^th round of the European Championship was again held at Ollon Villars.  Where ’67 had been a season of Porsche and Mitter/Stommelen domination, ’69 had proved to be a walkover for Ferrari and Peter Schetty.  He had mastered the 212E Group 7 barchetta and was very fast on all the ‘mountain’ courses.  In winning once again at Ollon Villars – making it a championship series clean sweep, (though he was not entered for the final round at Gaisberg) – Schetty set a fastest time of 3 min.47 sec, 8 seconds better than Mitter had managed in ’67 and a fraction slower than Cevert’s all time record.  The 212E was a development of the Dino 206S with various weight-saving modifications similar to those practised by Porsche on the Bergspyders.  But, as implemented at Maranello, such measures did not result in an equally lightweight car, the 212E weighing in at around 515 kg.   The Ferrari however benefited from a very high performance engine (Tipo 232) – a 2,000 cc flat 12 rated at over 300 bhp.

Images below; left: Schetty, Ferrari 212E, 1^st place. (Courtesy SupercarNostalgia); centre: Alfa Romeo 33/2 as raced by Michel Weber to 5^th place, (this photograph not taken at Ollon Villars); right: Arturo Merzario in the Abarth SE010.

The FIA-governed European Hillclimb Championship has continued through to the current day.  Since the last Ollon Villars-hosted round in 1971, various revival events have been held there, the first being in 1998 when 12,000 spectators attended the International Retrospective Hill-Climb.

The Lingotto Biscione and the Parella Scorpione

 

In considering Abarth Corse’s final racing season it’s necessary first to go back four years and understand the unfavourable market conditions that had begun to threaten the Corso Marche factory’s very survival.  1967 saw a big drop in demand for – and, thus, production of - Abarth cars.  This was not due to any shortcomings of the products themselves but resulted from the sales inroads made by other manufacturers who had introduced new sporting variants to supplement their previously more mundane model ranges. 

Abarth’s strategic response was well-considered and logical.  Racing activity would be stepped up.  For Abarth, even more competitive achievements such as the recent run of World Championships would support marketing messages stressing the products’ actual/race-proven sporting qualities – demonstrating that they were not just models with slightly more performance and a set of stripes.  Additionally, and as a very valuable short-term benefit, more racing leading to more victories would mean more win-bonus payments from Fiat, since the 1958 contractual agreement on this was still in force.  It has however been suggested that the agreement may, paradoxically, have been partly responsible for the Marque’s eventual demise.  The argument posited is that Abarth over-focused on the 595/695 models as these generally were the most likely to win events.  As a result, development of other model lines, such as the GTs, was comparatively neglected despite these being products that especially embellished the brand image/reputation and which tended to carry significantly better profit margins.

The 1300 OT (above) had been introduced in 1965, and once homologated for Group 4, became a convincing front-runner.  Victories and podium placings were soon forthcoming in the DARM, (German Automobile Circuit Championship).  Then, in the International Sports Car Championship, as early as the April round (3) at Monza, the OT driven by Anton Fischhaber/Ernst Furtmayr/Giancarlo Baghetti won the Sport 1.3 class.  Two months later, at the Nurburgring 1000 kms, Kurt Ahrens Jr./Johannes Ortner/Wolf-Dieter Mantzel/Furtmayr took the same honour.

1966 Nurburgring 1000 kms class-winning 1300 OT. Courtesy Motorsport Images

At Mugello, a 1300 OT took the class win with Luigi Taramazzo and Giulio Bona driving.  Alfio Gambero’s 1300 OT was 3^rd overall and class winner in the Coppa Citta di Enna.  Next it was Helmut Krause’s turn to take the 1.3 class victory at the Hockenheim Grand Prix.

Overall winner of the Nurburgring 500 kms was Ernst Furtmayr, and Johannes Ortner rounded off a terrific set of class wins for the 1300 OT with 1^st place at Zeltweg.

Furtmayr winning the ‘Ring 500, ©Veit Arenz

Thus, 1966 saw another Abarth series victory – taking the title in the International Sports Car Championship, Division 1, 1300 cc.  The new 1300 OT had quickly proven its capability and there had been good individual race, class-winning, contributions too from the 1000 SP, the 1000 Bialbero, the 1000 S and the 1000 OT. 

In 1967, the 1300 OT maintained its status as the Number 1 car in the Sport 1.3 class, with wins at the Targa Florio, Le Mans, Hockenheim (outright winning car), Mugello, Enna, Zeltweg, Ollon-Villars and the Nurburgring 500.  There were some good performances in the Prototype class too for the 1000 SP.  Yet another championship year for Abarth Corse.

Ecurie du Maine -entered, class-winning 1300 OT at Le Mans

As said above, 1968 was the season in which Abarth was seeking more wins, especially with those Fiat bonus payments in mind.  But the outcome proved to be largely one of disappointment.  Bad enough that this became the first season since 1962 that Abarth could not boast of a World Championship.  Individual race results too were uninspiring.  A Fiat Abarth 1000 S took the Sport 1.0 class at Monza, but the only other international grade victories were achieved at the Targa Florio.  The performance in Sicily was something of a compensation because Abarth cars won three of the nine classes contested – Sport 1.3 – Giovanni Rizzo/Stefano Alongi, Abarth Simca 1300 Bialbero; Prototype 1.0 – Francesco Patane/’Oras’, Abarth 1000 S; Sport 1.0 – Cesare di Belmonte/’Don Pedrito,’ Abarth 1000 OTS.

Class winners on the Targa Florio, left to right: 1000 S; 1000 OTS; Abarth Simca 1300 Bialbero

The policy of a more diversified models/more numerous entries approach referred to above became more evident as the 1969 season got underway.  At the Brands Hatch Six Hours, an SRT Holland-entered Abarth 2000 S ran in the hands of Gijs van Lennep/Toine Hezemans.  Launched in 1967, the 2000 S was a development of the 1000 SP and known internally as model SE04.  The mechanical configuration and dimensions were revised repeatedly as Abarth sought the optimum template for a successful customer race car model.  Results in 1967/8 were modest, but 1969, (and 1970), would see a good number of class wins/podiums.  To allow for competitive participation in the Sport category (rather than Prototype), a homologation-required quantity of 25 units was built in 1968/9 of the further development, SE10, version.

SE10 driven by Johannes Ortner on Volterra Hill Climb, May 1970.  © 2022 The Guitar Broker

The same car seen below when recently offered for sale by C Brody Investment Motorcars,
 Fort Lauderdale.   © 2022 The Guitar Broker

There would also be a SE014 version and a SE018 for Prototype racing:

SE014, chassis #001, sold by Bonhams in 2015 for £124,700. Courtesy Ultimatecarpage.com

SE018. Courtesy Berni Motori

However, whatever the success that these later developments would bring, the SRT car at Brands Hatch  showed that much work would be needed.  Qualifying only 21^st, it was a non-finisher. 

At Monza, for the 1000 kms in April, three Abarth models were deployed – another outing for a 2000 S, two 1000 S models and three 1000 SPs.  Although three of the cars retired, there were class wins for Ugo Locatelli/Maurizio Zanetti, 1000 SP (Prototype 1.0), and "White"/Umberto Grano, 1000 S (Sport 1.0).

Locatelli/Zanetti, 1000 SP at Monza. Courtesy Motorsport Images

The Abarth contingent for the Targa Florio amounted to 9 cars of which two were class winners, and in the Sport 1.3 class Corso Marche products filled the first four places.  Leading the way was the 2000 S of Bitter/Kelleners, 8^th overall and first in the Sport 5.0 class.  Winning the Sport 1.3 class was the 1000 S of Salvatore Calascibetta/Vincenzo Ferlito.

Targa Florio class winners. Left: 2000 S. Right: 1000 SP, courtesy Schlegelmilch 

Also seen on the Madonie circuit in 1969 were three more 1000 SPs, a 1300 OT, a 1000 OT, a 1000 S, and an Abarth Simca 1300 Bialbero.

Le Mans was not an attractive event for teams running Abarth models in 1969, and the only runner of note was an Ecurie Fiat-Abarth France-entered 1000 SP for Locatelli/Zanetti, although this did not last long, retiring after nine laps with ignition failure. The car has however been preserved in beautiful condition, as seen below, at the 2022 Chantilly Arts & Elegance Richard Mille Concours:

Le Mans-running 1000 SP # SE04/0047.  Courtesy Wouter Melissen

1969 also saw the launch of an evolution of the OT 1300 /124 Scorpione.  This model, was based on the Fiat 850 chassis, but with a coupe body styled and built by Carrozzeria Francis Lombardi.  Lombardi marketed its own version as the 'Grand Prix,' and there was another variant branded as OTAS-Turin.  The Abarth had the superior specification in terms of engine performance and chassis details.  These were further enhanced in 1969 with a re-designation as the 'Scorpione SS.'  With notably good handling and power up to 88 bhp, the model had plenty of race potential.  However, with very few produced, coupled with growing uncertainty about Abarth's ongoing viability, especially its racing activities,  Scorpiones were little seen on the competition scene of the times.

Scorpione SS (pictured in 2014). Courtesy David Grant

1970 was to be the last full season in which Abarth Corse would be active.  Initially, there was plenty going on.  A definite highlight was the new SE018, a more compact, lighter Abarth 1000.  In this period there had been an ongoing internal contest between Carlo Abarth and Mario Colucci, his Chief Engineer/Designer, over how the cars should be configured.  Colucci was keen to execute the pure racing sports/prototypes as mid-engined machines, whereas Abarth favoured the rear-located solution which had brought him so much success over the previous twenty years.  By the turn of the new decade, he had prevailed and the SE018’s attributes included the progressive handling characteristics conferred by the rear mounting of the power unit.  However, the other new-for-1970 car, the 2000 SE019, could be delivered in either mid or rear-engined form!  Shown below is an example of the SE018, the rear location of the power unit being very evident from this angle.  This car is chassis #015, offered for sale by Bonhams in March 2015 with an estimate of £90-120,000; (withdrawn prior to the auction).

S 1000, #SE018/015. Courtesy Bonhams

As recounted by Asmonzaracing, a SE019 of the mid-engine, (‘entrobordo’) type featured in a head-to-head battle with the outboard engine version – ‘fuoribordo ‘ – at Mugello in July 1970.  The race was won by Arturo Merzario driving a fuoribordo with Kinnunen second in an entrobordo.  Below, on the left, is a contemporary photograph of Merzario in the fuoribordo, (with Carlo Abarth directly behind the car), while to the right, an entrobordo is pictured at Imola in 2019:

Left: SE019, Merzario. Courtesy Giorgio Nada Editore; right: 'Entrobordo. Courtesy Andrea Sofia

There were nine Abarths entered for the Targa Florio.  Heading the contingent was a pair of factory-run 3000 SPs for Arturo Merzario/Johannes Ortner, and for Mario Casoni/Jonathan Williams.  The latter car was damaged in practice and unable to start the race, whilst the other managed only two laps before succumbing to gearbox failure. More positively, 2000 S SE10s were 1^st and 2^nd in the Sport 2.0 class, an SE04 1000 SP won the Prototype 1.0 class, and a Scuderia Pegaso 1300 OT took victory in the Sport 1.3 class.

In addition to The SE019s, the racing models launched by Abarth in 1970 were:

 

Fiat Abarth 1000 TC Radiale Berlina Corsa:  Responding to further revisions of the FIA’s definition of racing classes in the ‘Appendix J’ of its International Sporting Code, this version of the 1000 TC was specified to comply with the Group 2 rules.  This was for ‘special touring cars’ with a homologation requirement of at least 1,000 units/year.  The regulations were helpful in so much as they allowed Abarth to utilise the Radiale head.  (This featured combustion chambers of a form embodying two overlapping hemispheres.  This promoted more efficient mixture charging/combustion.  On the 1 litre engine, the Radiale head was good for a 27% power increase, to 108 bhp.)  It had been seen previously in 1966 for Group 5 classes allowed in England and France.  The widespread accommodation in 1970 of such a specification was a clear benefit to Abarth.  Ongoing development saw power further improved to 112 bhp, and, coupled with the low weight value of just 583 kgs, competitive performance was assured.  It was certainly good enough to secure the title for Abarth of Division 1 of the European Touring Car Championship, with class wins at five of the nine rounds.  Johann Abt was 2^nd in the drivers table to Toine Hezemans, who, though earning his championship-winning points mainly by driving an Alfa Romeo 2000 GTAm in Division 3, also drove a 1000 TCR at the Zandvoort round.

1000 TCR of Johann Abt, Salzberg, 1970. Courtesy Mad4Wheels

1000 TCR Berlina Corsa engine installation.  ©2022 Revs Institute

Fiat Abarth 695 SS Assetto Corsa Series 3: Whilst the 1000 TCR represented a culmination of upgrading/improvement to the 600-based berlinas, the 695 SS Assetto Corsa Series 3 embodied the same summation for the variations on the 500 theme.  That Abarth at this point was every bit as concerned with marketing as with engineering, is indicated by the range of variants concurrently offered: 595, 595 Competizione and 695 SS Assetto Corsa.  It was also possible to have post-sale conversion to uprate the engine with a Radiale head.  However, the SS Assetto Corsa boasted at least 38 bhp on 520 kgs, so was a capable front runner.

695 SS Assetto Corsa. Courtesy Bonhams

695 SS Assetto Corsa engine bay. Courtesy Bonhams

By May 1970, the number of 695 SS cars to be seen on-track had become substantial.  At the Trieste-Opicina hillclimb, for example, six ran in the 700 class, with Cesare Garrone taking the win.  At Imola the class win went to Antonio Leone.  At this event there was some competition for the 695s, a BMW 700 CS running in the same class.  Otherwise, throughout the season, the Abarths had the 700 class almost completely to themselves. 

As said at the outset, the late Sixties had brought much pressure for Carlo Abarth, especially in terms of sales and the related existential issue of corporate solvency.  The latter concern was not helped by the more extreme aspects of Carlo’s search for the higher racing profile intended to secure increased sales revenues by enhancing the appeal of the normal production cars.  There were two such aspects and both not only drained funds but also distracted attention from customer-sales-related operations.  Firstly, there was the T140 Sports Prototype project initiated in 1966 and founded on the creation of a six litre V12 engine.  A chassis for this was built, and testing became intense during 1967.  However, quite abruptly, the FIA revised its definitions of the Group 5 and 6 categories relevant to the World Sports Car Championship.  Whilst the main thrust of the changes was to introduce a 3 litre engine capacity limit, provision was eventually made for 5 litre engines, but subject to a homologation requirement of 25 built examples.  Having invested much time and money in the project, Abarth had to face up to the reality of his situation, one in which he lacked the resources which permitted both Porsche and Ferrari to meet the homologation requirements and subsequently contest the World Championship with their 917 and 512 5 litre models in 1970-71. 

As if the T140 project was not enough to be going on with, a 3 litre Formula One car had also been under development.  Whilst not very much has been written about this, we do have an interesting account from Jonathan Williams in his autobiography, Shooting Star on a Prancing Horse.  Finding himself no longer wanted at Ferrari, Jonathan had a meeting with Carlo in late 1967/early 1968.  Jonathan was invited to be the driver of a ‘secret’ Abarth Grand Prix car.

I was given a tour of the factory and saw ‘my’ F1 car.  It was a Cooper style space frame with a 3 litre V8 engine.  This was when everyone was moving to monocoque chassis.  I knew right away that it wouldn’t be competitive, but I would never find out.  During the next few months, little if any work was done on the car, and it was eventually shelved and the project abandoned.

 

There are several accounts by people who interacted with Carlo which attest to his tendency towards arrogance and inflexibility.  To a degree, these sorts of trait would have been key to the character that enabled the man to have a singular sporting/engineering vision and the energy/resilience necessary to establish and grow a business in a competitive milieu.  Such a personality may have difficulty in evolving a changing operational outlook in response to a company’s developing size and scope of business.  In such circumstances, it is often the case that there is a natural successor with the mindset required.  And, perhaps as the ideal, this has often been realised by a son/daughter, likely aligned with the father’s core values, but able to contribute a new dynamic to their delivery.  In Carlo’s time, this would be the vocation for a son, but there was none.  It has been suggested that Carlo may have looked upon Peter Schetty as a surrogate for the role.  In his late twenties, Schetty’s prowess as a driver was backed up by a formal engineering training at university and a naturally confident manner stemming from his upbringing in a wealthy business-owning family.  Like Abarth, he was highly accomplished in carrying out vehicle testing, analysing results and planning developments.  But, ironically and unhappily for Carlo, Peter was perhaps too good – his reputation being sufficient to prompt Ferrari to headhunt him.  Thus, he left Abarth to work at Maranello, where in 1971 he took over the management of Scuderia Ferrari, securing the World Championship for Makes the following year in very convincing style.

 

As 1971 dawned for Carlo, his attention could not be exclusively focused on the new cars that would represent the Marque that season – he had also to find a means by which he would have the wherewithal to continue the enterprise through to 1972.  His options were however severely limited and, eventually, he would not be able to find an alternative to a sale, lock, stock and barrel, to Fiat.

 

Meanwhile, there were new cars to be launched which had the potential at least to bolster Carlo’s asking price as a result of renewed on-track success.  Whilst the ambition – perhaps disastrously overreaching – of the T140 had come to nothing, Abarth remained keen on seeking the prestige associated with running in the larger capacity prototype form of sports car racing.  Thus, two new 3000 Sport Prototipos were presented to the Press in February.  The 365 bhp 2968 cc V8 engine had by then been through five years of development, including enlargement from its original 1978 cc displacement.  For 1971 there was a circuit racing version – SE020 – and a hill climber, SE022.  Although there were some serious issues of potential competitiveness, at least at this point the question of engine location on both cars – and the 2.0 SE021 – had been resolved: mid-engined, as had become the general convention by then, as well as validating Ing Colucci’s philosophy.  These cars are sometimes referred to as Sports Spiders.  The SE021 is considered a significant model as it benefitted from the increased influence of Enzo Osella, (who had first worked for Abarth in the early Sixties), and Antonio Tomaini, both of whose status within the Abarth organisation had been revised and uprated.  Its success was confirmed when it took third place in the 1971 season’s European Championship.

 

A major issue for the SE020 was the Abarth V8’s power disadvantage against the competition.  At a very simple level, the relevant classes were restricted to 2 and 5 litres, so any 3 litre, however good, was bound to have a significant power deficit.  As to other 3 litre cars, the flat 12 in the Ferrari 312 PB delivered almost 100 more bhp.  The Alfa Romeo T33TT3’s V8 was capable of over 400 bhp, as was the Matra MS12 V12.  Even the less up-to-date Porsche 3 litre flat 8 was a little more powerful.  To make matters worse, even the relatively modest 365 bhp of the Abarth unit was more than the transmission had been designed for, and reliability thus came into question.

 

Abarth recognised that both performance and quality concerns were affecting customer confidence.  To overcome this, he decided to consolidate a specialist motorsport customer-support orientated division in the style of Alfa Romeo’s Autodelta.  Also responsible for running the factory cars on-track, Osella was publicly announced as the manager of this new operation, the Abarth Reparto Corse.

 

At Monza, in April’s 1000 kms, an SE10 2000 S driven by ‘Pal Joe’ and Romolo Becchetti won the 2 litre class, though there were only three other Sport 2.0 class cars contesting the race.

SE10 of ‘Pal Joe’/Becchetti at Monza. Courtesy Motorsport Images

SE021 2000 SP of Arturo Merzario, Imola (European 2.0 Championship)

Seven Abarths started the Targa Florio, but only two were finishers.  However, these, both 1000 SPs, came in 1^st and 2^nd in the Prototype 1.0 class.

Also new for 1971 were: 

1300 Sport Spider.  This was in effect an SE021 with a 190 bhp version of the 1289 cc engine.  It maintained the Marque’s reputation for being able to dominate the 1300 class of the Italian national championship.

1300 Sport Spider. Courtesy Bonhams

Autobianchi A-112 Abarth Berlina Series.1.  The Abarth version of the A-112 was in development soon after the standard car’s launch in 1969.  That development process straddled the sale of Abarth to Fiat and in several ways does not seem to be typical of the Marque.  It was, however, a significantly upgraded machine, with engine power 35% up on that of the standard car.  Eventually it would receive further modification, with consequent power increases, in the guise of a Fiat rally ‘special.’

Autobianchi A-112 Abarth Berlina (prototype example)

Fiat Abarth Formula Italia.  This, again, was a project which though begun whilst Abarth was still independent, did not really emerge in public until after Carlo has completed the corporate sale.  The car – SE 025 - provided a ‘junior’ format allowing drivers to compete in identically-specified single seat, open wheel machines.  The series was crucial to the establishment of the careers of several Italian drivers who would make it to Formula 1, including Ricardo Patrese, Michele Albereto and Bruno Giacomelli.  The tubular chassis was the work of Abarth’s Ing. Colucci and it remained the Formula’s control chassis until 1979, when it was replaced with a Lancia Beta-based, transverse engined, semi-monocoque.

Fiat Abarth Formula Italia, (SE 025). Courtesy Bonhams

With Carlo preoccupied with negotiations with Fiat, it is perhaps not surprising that there was no Abarth representation at the rounds of the International Championship for Makes after the Targa Florio.  Those negotiations did not look likely to succeed for quite some time, Carlo Abarth seeking to be uncompromising despite the underlying weakness of his position.  However, his partner from the time of the company’s formation, Carlo Scagliarini, who enjoyed a good relationship with Fiat’s commercial director, intervened, and, through an intense period of discussion, was able to broker an agreement which was finalised in July.  Abarth’s third wife, Anneliese, has provided insight relative to the standing of the Reparto Corse in the negotiations:

Fiat had immediately declared that it was not interested in the Reparto Corse.  Carlo Arbarth then turned to Enzo Osella, before formalizing the sale to Fiat, so that he could take over all the equipment of the Reparto Corse, granting him payment in instalments as long as his name continued in racing.  In addition to the equipment and the cars, a dozen of the best mechanics went to Osella, (another 30 were hired by Fiat), Antonio Tomaini and, among the drivers, Arturo Merzario and Domenico Cedrati ‘Poker.’  The transfer of all the equipment of the Reparto Corse to Osella took place during the closure of August.  With the ex-Abarth material, Osella formed the ‘Osella 1972’ Scuderia. 

The sale of Abarth to Fiat was made public in October 1971.  As a result of Osella’s activities, there was the appearance of ongoing Abarth race car development, underpinned by an important measure to address the transmission reliability problems that had recently been experienced.  The situation was addressed by the simple expedient of substituting a Hewland ‘box for the Abarth unit.  With the adoption also of fuel injection and a resulting increase in power from the 2.0 engine, the SE021 in 1972 form was good enough to win the European Championship. 

For a while, Carlo remained involved on a consultancy basis, though it must have been difficult for him to accept a situation where he no longer had autocratic power and would have to defer to Fiat management as a generality.  Eventually he retired, leaving Turin and relocating to Vienna.  He died in 1979, just short of his 71^st birthday.  Today the Abarth name enjoys a renewed currency as an overtly sporting brand of Fiat, and his personal achievements are very well celebrated by the Carlo Abarth Foundation.