- Abarth will exhibit at Rétromobile, the oldest classic car show in Europe.
- Built in 1964, the Fiat-Abarth 850 TC is currently being restored through the Stellantis Heritage department, whose aim is to enhance the historical heritage of the historic brands.
- The 47th Rétromobile show will take place, from February 1st to 5th, 2023, at the Porte de Versailles in Paris.
31 January 2023. Founded in Turin in 2015, the Stellantis Heritage department will exhibit the Fiat-Abarth 850 TC at Rétromobile, the oldest classic car show in Europe.
The Fiat-Abarth 850 TC was acquired by the Stellantis Heritage team in “barn find” condition and was restored to its former glory by the Officine Classiche technicians and their meticulous and laborious restoration work on the bodywork, mechanics, interior and instruments. The car will be on display as a work in progress, to testify to the quality of the technicians’ workmanship.
A rare specimen of the Fiat 600-based Fiat-Abarth 850 TC, through long hours and hard work by the Heritage department’s Officine Classiche technicians, the vehicle showcases splendid paintwork on the body, including in the passenger compartment and will be on display with the seats and upholstery removed specifically to provide an appreciation of the restoration work.
The model is a genuine racing car and showcases the meticulous attention to detail Carlo Abarth paid to the complete redesign of his cars in terms of their mechanics and chassis. One example is the fact that each connecting rod between the four pistons was rebalanced by inserting microscopic titanium weights into the metal-casted component, each of which is engraved with the initials of the operator who completed the work.
The Fiat-Abarth 850 TC is the first Scorpion car marked “Turismo Competizione”, a quiet family car transformed into an agile, lightweight and fast racing car that won numerous European competitions. Carlo Abarth took as his starting point the Fiat 600 D, equipped with a straight-four 767-cc engine with its capacity increased to 847 cc, bringing the engine power up to 52 hp at 5800 rpm. The souped-up car could reach 86.99 mph, so work was necessary on the braking system, where discs replaced the drums in the front wheels. The Abarth-tuned 600 would also soon be altered in its appearance: under – then in place of – the front bumper came the oil radiators; then to cool the increasingly powerful engine further, the tailgate was kept in a raised position using brackets, foreshadowing what would become the rear spoiler, another typical feature of the barnstorming Abarth.
Successes on the track followed soon after, especially in the endurance races that emphasized both the performance and reliability of the 850 TC. The specimen displayed on the stand has its very own story: the car belonged to the Guardia di Finanza (the Italian financial police), who used it for reconnaissance in its prevention of and crackdown on smuggling.
The Stellantis Heritage’s mission is to retrieve, safeguard and leverage the historical heritage of the brands, and to promote and disseminate the values they still hold dear, both by taking part in industry events and by offering new services and opportunities to fans of classic cars. They include visits to the Heritage Hub in Turin, Certificates of Origin, Certification of Authenticity, restoration and many others.
Turin, January 31, 2023
