Abarth Classiche: PH Meets

A tour round Abarth's classic department reveals a brand about much, much more than ruded up Fiat 500s

In a rather drab quarter of southern Turin lies Mirafiori, Fiat's giant, sprawling factory - you know, the one that gave its name to the Fiat 131 in 1974. In its heyday it was one of Europe's most productive plants, but today it's a more modest site, churning out Abarth 595s, Alfa Romeo Mitos and Maserati Levantes.

Much is made of Abarth's future...

It's also home to Officine Abarth, the headquarters of the scorpion badge that I'm here to have a good sniff around. Once through the main security gates, you have to circle a building intriguingly labelled 'Prototipi' but, despite keeping my eyes on stalks, I spy not a single yet-to-be-launched Abarth Coupe or Alfa Romeo 4x4. That scoop will have to wait.

Abarth's entrance foyer houses a dozen of its most significant cars from throughout the brand's history. Taking pride of place is the future of Abarth: the new 300hp hardtop Abarth 124 rally car, which looks fabulous in its 1970s Group 4-style livery. There's also a resin prototype of the roadgoing 124 Spider, a Tatuus Abarth Formula 4 single-seater and an absolutely tiny 1000 Monoposto racer. But the car that really stands out is the 1956 Bertone 750 Record - a sleek shark of a car whose aero shape managed to squeeze 118mph out of a 47hp engine.

... but Classiche is all about the past really

My guide's swipe card opens a door to the adjoining Abarth factory, where I witness new Abarth 124 Spiders being assembled from chassis/body units imported from Mazda in Japan. But I'm hustled quickly away, via a magnificently faithful recreation of Carlo Abarth's 1960s office, into the heart of Abarth Classiche - a giant workshop awash with classic Abarths.

If the word 'Classiche' rings a bell, you're probably a Ferrari fan. Its Classiche program has been fantastically successful, offering factory certification for Ferrari owners keen to underscore the provenance of their precious metal. Now Abarth is getting in on the act for Fiat/Abarth/Lancia classics over 20 years old. So far, Abarth Classiche has certified and restored more than 50 cars.

The idea is that Abarth HQ inspects your car and puts together a cased presentation pack to certify its originality. If it discovers non-original bits, the workshop offers to return it to original spec, using correct, freshly remade parts.

Group S Lancia ECV2 evolved from Group B

The cost of Classiche authentication is a whopping 1,000 euros but Abarth says it can increase your car's value by up to 10,000 euros. And Abarths can now be very valuable indeed. To prove the point, the workshop is currently working on a Zagato-bodied 750 Record Monza - achingly beautiful and a performance bombshell in its class at the time, despite its Fiat 600 basis. Current value: 120,000 euros.

Next to it sits an ex-Markku Alen Fiat-Abarth 131 rally car, in for an engine fettle. I'm told its (incorrect) one-piece exhaust has just been replaced by a (correct) twin-pipe system built from scratch.

Of the dozen or so cars in the workshop, one really leaps out at me: the Lancia ECV2, a unique car built for the abortive Group S rally class in 1986. It's absolutely hideous in a brutally beautiful kind of way. And its sensational stats give you some clue as to why Group S was abandoned. Can you imagine cajoling a car weighing 800kg and packing 830hp amidships around a damp forest stage? Other Lancias present include a works 037 and a couple of Integrales.

Wouldn't be an Abarth visit without one of these!

And, alongside the inevitable Fiat-Abarth 695 SS, I'm delighted to see two examples of the coolest hot hatch of the 1980s: a Series 1 Fiat Ritmo Abarth 125TC and a Series 2 130TC, which look just perfect.

I'd like to say I understood everything Maurizio, the intensely focused man in charge of the place, told me but my Italian proved sadly inadequate. If you want to visit yourself, however, multilingual guides are apparently available...

Check out the official website for more information.