A superb and rare photo of the 1972 Abarth racer.
Abarth is an Italian
racing car maker founded by Austrian-Italian Carlo Abarth in Turin in 1949. Its
logo depicts a stylized scorpion on a red and yellow background. Carlo Abarth
began his well-known association with Fiat in 1952, building the Abarth 1500
Biposto upon Fiat mechanicals. In the 1960s, Abarth & C. S.r.l was quite
successful in hillclimbing and sports car racing, mainly in classes from 850cc
up to 2000cc, competing with Porsche 904 and Ferrari Dino. Later, Johann Abt,
who would later go on to found Abt Sportsline, was promised by Carlo Abarth
that he could drive a factory car for free if he won all the races he
entered—which Abt nearly did, winning 29 of 30, the 30th being in second. Along
with its racing cars, Abarth produced high-performance exhaust pipes. Later,
Abarth diversified in producing various tuning kits for road vehicles, mainly
for Fiat. While there were many competitors in this segment, such as Giannini,
Abarth has largely dominated the Italian tuning market since the sixties.
Abarth was also associated in producing sports or racing cars with Porsche and
Simca. Abarth was sold to Fiat on July 31, 1971, and the racing team sold to
Enzo Osella. Abarth became the racing department of Fiat, managed by famed
engine designer Aurelio Lampredi. Some models built by Fiat or its subsidiaries
Lancia and Autobianchi were co-branded Abarth, the most famous being the
Autobianchi A112 Abarth, probably the most popular "boy racer"
vehicle of its time on account of its lightness and low price. Abarth also
prepared Fiat Group's rally cars like Fiat 124 Abarth and 131 Abarth. In the
80s Abarth name was mainly used to mark performance Fiats like Fiat Ritmo Abarth
130 TC. The name was almost forgotten in 1990s and in 2000s it was used like a
trim/model level on FIAT cars, like the FIAT Stilo Abarth. In 2007 Fiat
Automobiles SpA relaunched the brand with the Grande Punto Abarth and the
Grande Punto Abarth S2000. The brand is to be seen as a separate division to
the main Fiat brand in a similar way that the Renault Sport brand is to the
mainstream Renault. It is based in the Officine 83, part of the old Mirafiori
engineering plant. The company CEO is Harald Wester. After years of sports
competing on the continent, competition organisers announced the launch of a
new Abarth 500 GB series for 2010. The competition was to represent a new high
profile sponsored race series, which was staged at Oulton Park, Cheshire, on
3–5 April 2010. Building on the success of its namesake Italian and European
series, the GB competition brought together a plethora of driver-talent from
across the UK. The GB series was developed by the competitors for the
competitors; by the sponsors for the sponsors, and by the fans for the fans.
All Abarth Assetto Corse (limited edition) cars are built in Turin, Italy, and
are checked to the highest standards. They are also subject to a shakedown and
test at the Fiat Group proving ground in Balocco.
Carlo Abarth (15 November 1908
– 24 October 1979), born Karl Albert Abarth, was an automobile designer. Abarth
was born in Austria, but later was naturalized as an Italian citizen; and at
this time his first name Karl was changed to its Italian equivalent of Carlo.
Abarth was born in Vienna, during the time of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. As a
teenager, he worked for Castagna in Italy (1925–27), designing motorbike and
bicycle chassis. Back in Austria, he worked for Motor Thun and Joseph Opawsky
(1927–34), and raced motorbikes, winning his first race on a James Cycle in
Salzburg on 29 July 1928. He later was European champion five times, along
continuing the engineering. After a serious accident in Linz he abandoned
motorbike racing, and designed a sidecar (1933) with which he managed to beat
the Orient Express railway on the 1,300-kilometre (810 mi) stretch from Vienna
to Ostend (1934). He moved permanently to Italy in 1934, where he met Ferdinand
Porsche's son-in-law Anton Piëch, and married his secretary. Abarth was long hospitalized
and had his racing career end, due to a racing accident in Yugoslavia (1938).
He stayed in Yugoslavia (with some visits in Austria and Italy though) until
the war was over. Following this, he moved to Merano, where his ancestors
originated from. Abarth got to know both Tazio Nuvolari and the family-friend
Ferry Porsche, and with engineer Rudolf Hruska and Piero Dusio, he established
the Compagnia Industriale Sportiva Italia (CIS Italia, later becoming
Cisitalia), having the Italian Porsche Konstruktionen agency (1943–48). The
first automobile outcome of this cooperation was the rather unsuccessful Tipo
360 F1 prototype (see also Porsche 360). The CIS Italia project ended when
Dusio moved to Argentina (1949). Carlo
Abarth then founded the Abarth & C. company with Cisitalia racing driver
Guido Scagliarini in Bologna (31 March 1949), using his astrological sign, the
Scorpio, as the company logo. Same year Abarth & Co moved to Turin.
Financed by Guido Scagliarini's father Armando Scagliarini, the company made
racing cars, and became a major supplier of high-performance exhaust pipes,
that still are in production as Abarth. Carlo Abarth personally set various
speed records at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza (20 October 1965). He sold the
company on 31 July 1971 to Fiat and continued a while as a CEO and then moved
back to Vienna, Austria. Carlo Abarth was married three times. His first wife
was secretary of Anton Piech in Vienna. His second wife, Nadina Abarth-Zerjav,
he married on 28.11.1949. After cohabitating with her until 1966 the couple
divorced in 1979. The same year, about six weeks before his death, Abarth
married his third wife, Anneliese Abarth, (born 1939); she continues to head
the Carlo Abarth Foundation and wrote one of his biographies in 2010.
This is a very nice and very rare photo that reflects a wonderful era of
Abarth automotive history in a wonderful way.
This is your rare chance to own this photo, therefore it is printed
in a nice large format of ca. 8" x 11" (ca. 20 x 27 cm). It makes it perfectly suitable for framing.
Shipping costs will only be $ 7.00 regardless of how many photos you buy. For 5 or more photos, shipping is free!
(Note: A. Herl, Inc. does not appear on photo, for ebay purposes only)
No copyright expressed or implied. Sold as collectable item only. We are clearing out our archives that we have gathered from various sources.
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We have photographs that came from professional collections and/or were bought from the original photographer or press studio! They are all of professional and excellent quality.
After many decades of professionally collecting photographs and posters we are clearing out our archives. They make the perfect gift and are perfectly suited for framing. They will look gorgeous unframed and will be a true asset nicely framed with a border. They are a gorgeous and great asset in every home, workshop, workplace, restaurant, bar or club!
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