Wayne Harley’s Post

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Curator at the Milestones Collection.

Innovation beyond the normal, with wacky creativity that’s what has always set the original Abarth cars apart from the rest.

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International Business/Luxe Brands/Exotic•Classic Automobiles

1969 Fiat Abarth 2000 Scorpione Concept Coupe by Pininfarina… Even by today’s standards…this unorthodox rebel ranks very high in the chapters of automotive definition…as a radical, retro-futuristic, and wickedly fast racing coupe. In 1967 famed Italian automotive designer Filippo Sapino joined the inimitable House of Pininfarina…and he went on to create some amazing cars…including the beautiful Ferrari 350 GTC…and the striking Scorpione. The early 1960s auto shows were starting to reveal the new retro-futuristic bizarre wedge-type shells…featuring severe top lines, sharp noses, with advanced aerodynamics. Sapino and famed automotive designer Gandini were two major contributors to the trend. And the Scorpione Concept pictured here remains one of the most important and unforgettable concepts of the era. Embracing some of the finest in Italian design…the racer wears fiberglass over a tubular frame. The mid-engine creation with its front hinged cockpit canopy…has a body only 39” in height…and the coupe displays as one of the lowest slung racers ever built. Based on a Abarth Sport Spyder SE…the Scorpione moniker is reflected in the cars bulging haunches, menacing stance and its diabolical tail. Beneath the skin lurks the technical wizardry of Pininfarina…and it caught the worlds attention. While sporting the daft underpinnings of the Fiat Abarth SE 010…the car sits with a curb weight of merely 1,447 lbs. The engineers immediately understood this ready-to-propel missile would not need a demonic motor in order to be viciously fast. This stunning design with its savage sawed-off shotgun looking exhaust…and the lack of a proper muffler…emits brutal and ground shaking acoustics. As loud as it is…you might imagine a massive V-12…or a robust slick V-8? Instead…under the Scorpiones’ shell…it is pure SE 010 perfection. This one-off houses a detuned Fiat Abarth Tipo 236 Straight-4 race motor. Along with the “Special Abarth Tuning Process “… the detuned engine is able to produce a healthy dose of 250 hp…but at a lower 7600 rpm…(not 8700)…which was then driven to the rear wheels with a 5-speed manual transmission…delivering the super light car to top speeds of 175 mph (281 kph). The savage looking raw open tail with the colossal exhaust turret…reveals the engine stack…visible from the rear and also from beneath the glass roof cover. In 1977 after rounds of persuasive bargaining…Fiat sold this Unicorn to Japanese architect Mr. Shiro Kosaka…provided he would build an Abarth auto museum around the car. In 1992 The Gallery Abarth opened in Japan…and the Scorpione permanently resides there. It’s important to note that this concept racing coupe is considered priceless and remains a fully functioning race car.

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