1961 Fiat-Abarth 850 SS Record Monza Coupé

Footnotes

"The performance of FIAT engines, as modified by Carlo Abarth, has for long been held to verge on the supernatural." – John Bolster, Autosport magazine.

After leaving Cisitalia in 1948, Austrian-born engineer Carlo Abarth set up as an independent in Turin, the home of the Italian auto industry. An innovative concern with a sporting pedigree second to none, Abarth's company branched out from producing induction and exhaust systems into selling performance kits for - mainly FIAT - production cars, later building a succession of aerodynamically stylish sports prototypes and limited-series production cars, many of which were produced in conjunction with Carrozzeria Zagato, commencing in 1955 with the 750 GT.

Possibly the best known of all Abarth's creations are the series of high-performance adaptations of the FIAT 600 saloon, whose giant-killing exploits were one of the most entertaining aspects of saloon car racing in the 1960s. In creating his racers, Abarth stretched FIAT's 'D'-block, four-cylinder, overhead-valve engine to 750, 850 and finally 1,000cc. Quoted maximum power output for the 850cc engine in Group 2 specification was 76bhp (DIN) at 8,000rpm, a quite exceptional output for a production based pushrod engine of this capacity.

A development of the 750 GT, the original 750 Record Monza was named in honour of Abarth's numerous record-breaking exploits at the famous Italian circuit. The car had been developed by Abarth and bodied by Zagato with the latter's typically lightweight and aerodynamic coachwork. In 1960 a more powerful, larger-engined version, the 850 Record Monza, was produced to contest the 850cc class in the Italian Gran Turismo championship. By 1962 there were four cars in the Abarth line-up: the 850 TC (Turismo Competizione), Nürburgring, Nürburgring Corsa, and 850 SS, all of which were produced in strictly limited numbers and are highly collectible today.

Finished in Azzurro Chiaro (light blue), this Zagato-bodied FIAT-Abarth 850 SS Record Monza is offered from a prominent collection of competition cars in Tuscany. The car was bought in France and has formed part of the collection for many years. Well maintained and ready to be used, it has featured in the famous French motoring magazine Gazoline (May 2019 edition, copy available).