FIAT ABARTH 750 SPIDER ZAGATO 1957 Lot n° 15

Zagato spider bodywork 4 cylinder engine Displacement 747 cm3 Power 50 hp Maximum speed 150 km/h Mileage 100 236 km Serial number 325886 (engine n° 357706) Karl Abarth (1908-1979), of Austrian origin, was, like Tazio Nuvolari, one of a generation of drivers who began their careers on motorcycles before switching to cars. After emigrating to Italy after the Second World War, Abarth changed his first name to Carlo and joined Cisitalia, along with his compatriot Rudolf Hruska, as technical advisor at the end of 1946. As representatives in Italy of the Porsche Konstruktionsbüro für Motorenfahrzeug Luftfahrzeug und Wasserfahrzeug, they had to develop a single-seater with a central engine inspired by the Auto-Union designed by Porsche before the war. At the end of 1947, when Savonuzzi left Cisitalia, Abarth took over the competition department. But Cisitalia's business was not flourishing and in early 1949, the founder, Piero Dusio, left for Argentina, leaving Cisitalia to its fate. Even before Cisitalia sank, Abarth left the company, taking with him, as compensation, a few chassis and a few spiders, as well as a racing engine, which he used to contribute to the Abarth & C. S.r.l., which he founded in Bologna with Armando Scagliarini on 31 March 1949. He chose the scorpion, his zodiac sign, as his emblem. However, Abarth was a stubbornly brilliant mechanic rather than a brilliant designer, and soon after a few record-breaking and competition models were built individually, he turned to the preparation and improvement of existing models. Competition is his domain, the Grand Touring categories are favoured by sportsmen and coachbuilders, especially in the 750 cm³ and 1100 cm³ classes, the most popular. In addition to "souped-up" production models, such as the Fiat 750 Abarth based on a Fiat 600 with production bodywork, he marketed his famous "marmitta" exhaust pipes. He launched his first model with specific bodywork in 1956, the 750, based on a Fiat 600. This attractive coupé with aluminium Zagato bodywork was equipped with the Fiat 600 engine, which was increased to 747 cc (61x64 mm instead of 61x56) and 40 to 50 bhp depending on the preparation (instead of 32), the same as the engine used in Fiat Abarth models with standard bodywork. Its rounded lines immediately earned it the nickname of "soap". A spider version was derived from this model, which was even rarer, as there were probably no more than a few dozen units. Abarth and Zagato, by alphabetical order the first manufacturer and the last coachbuilder in Italy, were destined to meet. Zagato, the Milanese coachbuilder, specialised in lightweight aluminium cars and served many amateur drivers who were members of the Sant'Ambroeus team, founded by Elio Zagato, the son of the carrozzeria's founder. This 1957 Fiat Abarth is a rarity. It was sold in Argentina before returning to Europe, in Belgium. Completely restored in 1991, it keeps all its original features, both in terms of exterior and mechanical characteristics. The paintwork is in good condition with all its period decorative elements in typical aluminium. Its original engine, whose number is on the identification plate (n° 899901), has been replaced by an original engine (n° 357706). Its FIA form n° 1023 dated May 11, 1994 testifies to its restoration in 1991 with this new engine. The red leather interior is in very good condition. These very rare Zagato aluminium bodywork models are nowadays very popular, especially when they are in their original configuration