Thursday 16th May 2019

Abarth 750 GT Zagato: Spotted

Remember when cars were achingly pretty and only needed 56hp? No, us neither...

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We stumbled upon this Italian slice of loveliness searching for this week's Showpiece. The Zagato-designed Abarth 750 GT is now sixty years-old, and, it turns out, brimming with history. Finished in a shade not dissimilar to French Racing Blue and sporting a double bubble bum, the two-door is one of only 100 examples in homologation specification.

Beneath that rear engine cover is a 747cc twin-cam engine producing 56hp, measly by today's standards but a 14hp gain over the non-Gran Turismo homologated model and with only 535kg to shift, power-to-weight was a respectable 104hp per tonne. Still, it took a full 15.8 seconds for the 1958 GT to hit 60mph and you'd need a lot of space to reach its 95mph top speed. This was a time when competition cars weren't always fast. Pretty, though!

Even without much grunt, the Zagato-shaped 750 went on to win at Sebring and a 982cc version continued the success with a Daytona win for sub-1.0-litre cars. A one-off 698cc model was then produced for the 1960 Le Mans' smallest class, but it only completed 31 laps, preventing Abarth's Fiat 600-based two-door from earning any more significant success. Several versions of the 750 and 1000 Zagatos did remain in motorsport in the following years, however, and a few surviving examples take part in historic driving events this day.

Today's Spotted falls under this banner because it's a late Zagato that was built in 1959 for competition in the USA. It was ordered with a lightweight crankshaft and in Mille Miglia-specification, making it unique both in terms of performance and finish. Exactly where this car competed is not known by the seller, because its history documentation only extends back to 1977. But perhaps this could be because the original custodian used the blue two-door exclusively for competition, so no paperwork relating to its roadworthiness was produced until it was 18. Or the sheets were lost. We'll probably never know.

Whatever the story, there's no questioning the conditioning of the car as it stands now. Having undergone a full nut and bolt restoration that took three years by Abarth specialist TurinOne, it's at least as good as new. The seller describes it as being in concours condition, but because it's also finished as it would have been back in 1959 and has an Abarth Classiche Certificate of Authority, it remains eligible for entry into classic competitions and events. Coincidentally, its restoration has been completed on Zagato's centenary year.

The buzz from that, along with the fact this is one of the loveliest classic homologations cars to have existed - not to mention one of the rarest - explains the predicted €100,000 to €120,000 auction sale price. Fancy it? The car goes under the hammer in just nine days at RM Sothebys' Villa Erba event.

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SPECIFICATIONS - ABARTH 750 GT ZAGATO
Engine: 747cc, four-cylinder
Transmission: 4-speed manual, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 56@6,000rpm
Torque (lb ft): N/A
MPG: N/A
CO2: N/A
First registered: 1959
Recorded mileage: N/A (fully restored)
Price new: N/A
Yours for: €100,000 - €120,000 (auction yet to run)

See the original advert here

 

[Lotusgone]

I remember seeing one of these at a show in Stuttgart, and it's still the car that sticks in the mind from that day a few years ago. It doesn't have to go fast, it just looks so damn good - love those bubbles.

[fernando the frog]

it's quirky for sure, but achingly beautiful? imo far from it

[unsprung]

PH article said:

and with only 535kg to shift, power-to-weight was a respectable 104hp per tonne.

it's fascinating to compare the physics of yesterday and today

everything appropriate for its time, yet distinct or divergent over time

charming car btw

[Q Car]

I've got a soft spot for this type of Italian exotica with tiny engines. My choice (if I could afford one) would be the Moretti 750 Gran Sport. There's a great quote that I read a few years ago from Sr Moretti, the company founder on being asked about if he thought the handling of his cars on the limit was dangerous; "I reject any suggestion that my cars are dangerous. All of the owners of my vehicles are excellent drivers...... and the ones who weren't are dead."

[harry miller]

Q Car said:

There's a great quote that I read a few years ago from Sr Moretti, the company founder on being asked about if he thought the handling of his cars on the limit was dangerous; "I reject any suggestion that my cars are dangerous. All of the owners of my vehicles are excellent drivers...... and the ones who weren't are dead."

I love that! Brilliant, brilliant quote

[Esceptico]

On roads that are fun to drive ie tight and twisty B roads I imagine this would be a hoot to drive with the bonus that you would have to try pretty hard to exceed the NSL by much (and hence would be good for your licence).

[Kolbenkopp]

Maybe this specimen of ancient compact performance car is not achingly pretty, think there are a few Abarths et. al. that would qualify better. But achingly sympathetic? I think yes. Just looking at the context, what they were trying to achieve, how, and with what limited resources and to what great result... And still somehow valid in 2019...

What makes this desirable for me a apart from the product itself, is that this time of almost total freedom in auto engineering will not come back. Perhaps a tiny little bit with EV adoption, but still likely a pale shadow.

And perhaps it's just plain simple nostalgia (granddad on father's side briefly worked with Carlo). Damn those Abarths are great. Some more then others, but somehow all ... Swoon...

[Turbobanana]

unsprung said:

PH article said:

and with only 535kg to shift, power-to-weight was a respectable 104hp per tonne.

it's fascinating to compare the physics of yesterday and today

everything appropriate for its time, yet distinct or divergent over time

charming car btw

There is always a bit of an obsession on PH about power outputs, and an incredulous attitude on the forums that "that engine size" can only make "that amount of power". Technology has moved on - inevitably - and what we take for granted nowadays has actually been hard won by years of engineering advancement.

And yes, I'd certainly give it garage space

[TWPC]

harry miller said:

Q Car said:

There's a great quote that I read a few years ago from Sr Moretti, the company founder on being asked about if he thought the handling of his cars on the limit was dangerous; "I reject any suggestion that my cars are dangerous. All of the owners of my vehicles are excellent drivers...... and the ones who weren't are dead."

I love that! Brilliant, brilliant quote

Fantastic.
Patron of the Darwin Awards I presume.

[TWPC]

That is gorgeous. I'd have it in a heartbeat.

ULEZ-compliant too, I guess...

[dunnoreally]

Interesting little curiosity, and the price almost seems like a bargain considering the rarity and relative significance of it. I feel like it belongs in someone's collection of Alfas, most likely sitting between an 8C Spider and a Giulia Sprint GTA.

[Turbobanana]

dunnoreally said:

Interesting little curiosity, and the price almost seems like a bargain considering the rarity and relative significance of it. I feel like it belongs in someone's collection of Alfas, most likely sitting between an 8C Spider and a Giulia Sprint GTA.

It's Fiat-based.

[Nerdherder]

Hump-a-licious this one

[sjabrown]

Beautiful wee machines. Saw a couple of them at the mille miglia a few years ago.

[deltashad]

Incredibly pretty little car and I'd live to own one. But......£££

[Oi_Oi_Savaloy]

There's a thread on retro rides currently, where the OP runs a fabrication company in the US - he's restoring one of these at the moment. One of the best threads/restorations I've read, anywhere (and that's saying something - there are at least 5 other threads on other cars, from a 1950's jowett, to an SD1 being rebuilt in a car park and plenty in between that are simply awe inspiring) on that forum.