Author Topic: Carlo Abarth / Alfa Romeo  (Read 40992 times)

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Carlo Abarth / Alfa Romeo
« on: August 20, 2005, 05:17:09 pm »
Carlo Abarth / Alfa Romeo

When Italy has been liberated after the war, Carlo Abarth settles down in the city from witch his family originally came from. Merano, in northern Italy.
Here he is contacted by and old acquainted an Austrians Rudolf Hruska who could not go back to Germany because the border was closed, as the Allied stood outside Stuttgart.
Rudolf Hruska had worked for Ferdinand Porsche on the Auto Union F1 and also participated in the development of the VW. Carlo Abarth´s parents had relations to Porsche and Dr Anton Piesh (VW) with witch secretary Carlo Abarth had married.
These relations to Porsche led to that Carlo Abarth and Rudolf Hruska received the right to represent Porsche in Italy.
Cisitalia

Parallel to this there was an Italian, Piore Dusio, who had an interest, to set a footmark in Italian racing history.
Cisitalia was established and had gained its first laurels with cars that were based on Fiat parts.
But Mr Dusio had also a desire for Grand Prix/ Formel 1.
One of the first projects that the new Porsche agency should tray to get support to, from Italy, was a Grand Prix/Formel 1 project designed by Ferdinand Porsche .A 4-wheel drive 1,5L 12-cyl-compressor engine.
Tazio Nuvalori got a presentation of the project from Carlo Abarth end liked the project.
Tazio Nuvalori was Cisitalia driver and was personnel acquainted to Piore Dusio to whom he mentioned the project.
Piore Dusio liked the project and byes the Grand Prix/Formel 1 project of Ferry Porsche. Included in the deal, was also a project of a 2 L Sports coupe a small tractor and a turbine. The idea was that these additional projects should generate income to fulfil the need of money to develop the Formel 1 project. The Cisitalia Tipo 360
Rudolf Hruska was employed as responsible for the development of the Formel 1 project and Carlo Abarth was employed as heed of the racing department.
Ferry Porsche used almost all the money that he got for the project, to bail his father out of jail in France, where he was accused of ware crimes. He was not convicted but the French never returned the bail.
In beginning of 1949 ran Cisitalia out of money and Piore Dicio flee to Argentina, on recommendations of President Peron, and took the Grand Prix/Formel 1 project with him.
Once again was Carlo Abarth in a position where he had to start from scratch.

Carlo Abarth & Co

On the 15.4.1949 the company Carlo Abarth and Co was establish in Turin and as company loge used his zodiac sign the Scorpion.
Abarth was able to raise enough money to bye the competition department from the estate after Piore Dusio, including the rest of chassis, 5 pcs of Cisitalia competition cars.
With Cisitalia 204 spider
and 205 Berlinette
from 1948 with 1100ccm Fiat engines, the new Abarth teem went from victory to victory. And the orders flew into the new company from customers who want to bye one of these winning cars. In all the Abarth teem won18 victories in 1949.
Carlo Abarth soon realised that running, as small scuderia with a small production besides was a risky business. He decides to offer accessories to, the first exhaust was produced in December 1949 where there was produced 50 sets, and by the take over by Fiat at 31.7.1971 he had in all produced 3,5 mill exhaust for 345 different car models.
Rudolf Hruske went another way. After a short period at Porsche, he went back to Italy where he in 1950 was employed by Siata in connection with there development of the Siata 8V and Siata 1400 both based on Fiat components. In 1951 he went to IRI, the company who owned Alfa Romeo, where he should supervise the implementation of the new Alfa Romeo 1900 into production.
Things develop and in 1954 he was appointed Technical Manager for Alfa Romeo with responsibility for production of Passenger Cars –Lorries- Busses. 
If Carlo Abarth had had a greater will to file what he did of engines alterations for customers, we could have seen the he made modifications on Alfa Romeo 1900, we know that he made manifolds. Exhaust and carburettors.

Abarth Alfa Romeo 2000 Ghia Coupe

One thing we know for sure is that on the stand of Alfa Romeo at the exhibition in Turin in 1954
The Abarth Alfa Romeo 2000 Ghia Coupe was presented.
Ghia has made a very elegant and tasteful design for the car, where Ghia took advantage of the long Alfa Romeo 1900 Berlina chassis, to make a cabin the float freely from front to bottom.
The 2-collar paint, the fashion at that time, express fully the line en the car.
Carlo Abarth had used the new Alfa Romeo 1900 Super engine of 1975ccm and mounted twin Weber 40 DRSP carburettors, and optimised the exhaust with a new manifold.
I gave an output of 135 hp at 6000 r/min, compared to standard Alfa Romeo 1900 Super Sprint at115 hp.
Carlo Abarth had produced the chassis
and was able hold the weight as low as 890 kg compared to standard Alfa Romeo 1900 Touring Super Sprint on 1000 kg.
The low weight gave the possibility to reach 200 km/h.
Carlo Abarth did not leave anything to assumption .On the Abarth Alfa Romeo 2000 Ghia Coupe, he mounted every part into the Ghia mould
to test the car prior to the final production. It is said the he liked to take the car when he drove home for lunch.
Sadly only one car was produced and it turned up at Concorso Italiano på Monterey I 2004 in a complete new condition

Alfa Romeo 750 Competizione

In 1954 Alfa Romeo presented the Alfa Romeo Giulietta with an extraordinary success? And in the spirit of Alfa Romeo there should be a competition model to promote the new Giulietta.
Alfa Romeo 750 Competizione was presented in 1955 in a beautiful Carrozzeria Boano creation;
he had used the Alfa shield
from the Abarth Alfa Romeo 2000 and incorporated it very skilful in the front of the spider. At the rear he used his design of the Giulietta, he only makes the rear fins more visible in this model.
The chassis was a task for Carlo Abarth and with the expectation of a series of 50 cars he used all his skills to produce a lightweight chassis for competition and the weight for the car was as low as 690 kg. The Wheelbase was 2120 mm and track with front 1220 mm rear 1240. All the mechanical parts were from standard Giulietta Veloce. And the purpose was to participate in the new international competition class on 1500ccm
For the car, Alfa Romeo had produced a new engine 4 cyl Bore/stroke 76x82  90` valve angel compression 10,0:1 and it gave 145 hp at 8000 r/min and with a 5 speed gear box it was able to reach 220 km/h.
Only 2 prototypes was build.

Abarth Pinin Farina Record Car.

In July 1956 had Carlo Abarth a made successful attempt on a series of attack on international records, in the classes 501ccm-700ccm, 351ccm-500ccm, 751ccm-1000ccm in a Bertone designed record car.

In 1957 Carlo started a new series of attempt on international records with a Pinin Farina designed record cars.
Carlo Abarth had made aquentinence with Pinin Farina during his work at Cisitalia and he was convinced that Pinin Farina could build cars with a lower air resistance coefficient with the help of the wind tunnel at Turin Technical Institute.
Carlo Abarth had ordered 2 record cars at Pinin Farina
one for the 750ccm engine that he had used the privies year. The other for one with a Alfa Romeo engine, based on the Giulietta design, to be used in the class up to 1100ccm. The diff on the cars
was that on the car for the Alfa Romeo engine had larger rear wings
that should stabilise the car at the higher speed with the 1100ccm engine.
On the engine based on Giulietta, Carlo Abarth had changed the piston /stroke to 68x73 (Giulietta 74x75) and mounted twin Weber’s, on the exhaust he mounted 8 exhaust piped witch was bolted direct trough a special plate to the cylinder head. The compression was 8,8:1 and the output were 73hk at 6300 r/min.

Abarth Colani

Colani had finalised his studies as an Aeronautic engineer at Sorbonne in France in 1953 and had done his first work at Simca. The first complete car body finalised in fiberglass.
1954 he went to Italy where he received the Golden Rose at Geneva exhibition for his design of Fiat 1100 Special.
Carlo Abarth had started to test ideas on aerodynamic trough his record attempts. As he vas very concerned on aerodynamic influence on his cars performance, as he vas running with small engines and therefore the aerodynamic was very important for the whole cars performance. 
In 1957 Colani receives a task from Carlo Abarth, that he shall build an aerodynamic car on an Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider platform.
A lot of things could be said about Colanis design in general, but you have never had a reason to use the word dull on his designs.
On the Abarth Colani there is a lot of borough design ideas, the front is from the Pinin Farina record car
Zagatos “Double Bubble” on the roof. At the rear there is new ideas in the way the under part of the rear is designed. A lot of work is put in on the way airflow under the car, that’s is new ideas.
The weight was only 780 kg and with an engine output of 110 hp from the 1300ccm engine the car was able to reach 210 km/h. It was the first car to go round Nürburgring in less than 10min.
One example of the car is exhibited at muse Rosso Bianca

Abarth Bertone 1000

 Abarth Bertone 1000 was presented at the stand of Alfa Romeo during Turin exhibition 1958.
Immediately it drew the visitor’s attention
Alfa Romeo was interested in the lower segment of the market in Italy, and had worked to find a partner to produce a small special GT, on the basis of the Giulietta parts.
Carlo Abarth was again the man to help Alfa Roemo, and he agrees to build the chassis and the engine, in witch he put a lot of interest
engine installation,
Carlo Abarth inspect). Bertone got the responsibility for the design and the carouse. Scaglione did a beautiful design on the little GT, where he took the design of the Arnolt Bristol from 1952 and modified it a little so it suits the smaller proportions.
A lot of intensive tests were done on the road to find the right flow of air around the car.
In those years you could do those things on public roads.
From the side of Alfa Romeo, Mario Culluci was appointed the project, with that expectation that he could come with some input from his experience at his work at Auto-Delta in Udine.
If this connection with Auto –Delta, was an expression that Alfa Romeo had further plans with the little car cannot be verified.
Mario Culluci did the construction on the chassis; witch was made of 48,5mm, 28mm and 22mm aluminium tubes. The chassis had a weight of only 50 kg and to witch Bertone bended the aluminium and with the end result that the little light wait car of only 640 kg. A result that all involved was very proud of.
On the engine Carlo Abarth changed the piston/stroke from the Giulietta engine 74X75 to a piston/stroke of 74X58, 998ccm, compression 10:1 and with 2 twin Webbers 40DCO3 was the output 88 hp at 8000 r/min and a torque at 99nm. And a max sped of 200 km/h with wheels 155x15
General dimensions:  Wheelbase 2160mm Track with: Front 1268mm Rear 1270mm Total length: 3690mm Total with: 1550mm Total height: 1200mm.
On unknown reasons the project did not come further. Alfa Romeos had an interest to go further with the GTZ. And unofficial Fiat was against that Alfa Romeo moved lower in the segment.
But Carlo Abarth benefited from it. He was now allowed to thus single parts of what he likes from Fiats department stocks in the Fiat Group, where he privies had to take complete chassis with all components on, together with complete engines.
That gave him the possibility to produce his own cylinder head, The Bialbero.
The cooperation with Mario Culluci was so good the Carlo Abarth employed him, with the results of many efficient chassis that made Carlo Abarth more famous.
It is said that after Carlo Abarth had employed Mario Culluci, there was no reason for Carlo Abarth himselve, to test every car before it was delivered to customer.   
Of Abarth Bertone 1000 there was 3 cars build and 2 still exist.

Rudolf Hruska

In 1959, Hruska left Alfa Romeo and was employed in the Fiat Group, at Simca in France where he was responsible for the development of the Simca 1000.
After Fiat sold the share majority in Simca to Chrysler in 1963, Hruska moved back to Turin we he become responsible for the development of Fiat 124 and Fiat 125.
A curiosity: Abarth started to use Simca engines in 1961 and stopped in 1964.
In 1967  Rudolf Hruska returns to Alfa Romeo, where he got a very important task, of planning a new production plant and designing a complete new car witch was presented in 1971 .
It was the Pumigliano dArco factory and the Alfa Sud.

Besides what Carlo Abarth did on Alfa Romeo parts he produced 2 other cars witch was not on parts from the Fiat Group

Abarth Ferrari 166MM 1953

The racing class up to 2000ccm was continuously popular in Italy. Up to the start of the season of 1953 Ferrari had made changed on the 166 chassis .He took the brakes from tipo 212 and the rear axle from 340america. The Colombo designed 12cyl.  Engine was running in its 5 year and developed 160 hp at 7000 r/min Compression 9,0:1 and with Webbers 36IF4C.
The Scuderia Guastalla had just received a Ferrari 166MM with Vignale carouse, but the driver Giulio Musitella was unsatisfied with the car, as he claimed that it was to heavy.
He went to Carlo Abarth to get help. Carlo Abarth promised to help and he removed all the parts and made a new car with inspiration in design from the Scaglione designed Abarth 1400 from 1952 with the central driver light.
As the unconventional man Carlo Abarth was. To the chassis he made a carouse that was designed to race. All the parts was made as single pieces and bolted on the chassis.
This construction made it easy to repair when there had been damage.
On the chassis Abarth saved 55kg and the total weight of the new chassis was 275 kg.
The improvements made results. Musitella took class victory in Taga Floria and used the car for the whole season 1953 with best result general victory in Messina 10 hours race.
For the 1954 season the car was equipped with the new Ferrari 250GT engine 3,0 L and 220 hp.
Later in 1954 it had a new carouse from Scagletti. Without any success, there after the Ferrari chassis 0262M disappeared.
Almost 50 years after the Abarth carouse was changed the car turns up with a new replica carouse.

Porsche 365B Carera GTL Abarth 1960

Here at the end of the 50, Porsche had problems with there competitiveness. The cylinder head with double overhead camshaft from 1955 was not enough to keep the position.
They went to Carlo Abarth, for help, to get a lighter and more competitive car.
The order was on 20 cars and Porsche had the understanding that it was Zagato who should build the cars.
Scaglioni designed a car where the front area
was reduced with 16% compared with a normal Porsche 356B.
Abarth made an agreement with the Carrozzeria Rocco Motto, instead of Zagato, to build the cars. After the first 3 cars was build and Rocco Motto had got the down payment for the rest 17. Mr Motto felt a certain need to have a very long holyday.
Up front again this time with Virenga and Filipponi where the rest of the cars was produced.
But the problems were not over, the platforms that were send from Porsche in Stuttgart was from a normal Porsche 356 B and not suitable for a Carera. As there was no room for the engine with the twin overhead camshaft.
All the mistakes were solved, but it is said that from the parts that was send front Stuttgart. The only thing that was used on the final car was the front light and the Plexiglas covered them.
The rear engine hood could be opened from the driver seat to give more air to cool the engine, and the exhaust who else than Abarth could do such a thing.
After the delivery was Porsche not interested to continue the cooperation’s as Porsche felt that the quality was not in order.
But complete unsatisfactory they could not have been, as the Abarth Porsche took Class victory 3 years in a row at LeMans. Class victory at Taga Floria 4 times in a row. 3 class victories at Sebring. 3 class victories at Monthery. And the ultimate a 1-2-3 victory on the home ground at Nürburgring 1000km.
« Last Edit: September 08, 2005, 09:16:38 am by webchef twpk »
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Offline guy moerenhout

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Re: Carlo Abarth / Alfa Romeo
« Reply #1 on: August 26, 2005, 08:49:02 am »
I  must say thanks to BJARKE AUNSBJORN FORM DANMARK  for this nice artikel and happy that now some persones now that it was not only FIAT ABARTH but more.I was happy to do a litle resarch for you.If some members have more interested info and photos ,please send it .
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Offline dretceterini

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Re: Carlo Abarth / Alfa Romeo
« Reply #2 on: July 27, 2007, 04:44:00 pm »
The silver Ghia bodied Alfa 1900 is NOT an Abarth car.   It is just a an Alfa 1900 with a body very similar to the Abarth/Alfa 1900.    The chassis are totally different.
I specialize in obscure French and Italian small displacement racing cars, from circa 1930 through 1970

Offline viotti600

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Re: Carlo Abarth / Alfa Romeo
« Reply #3 on: July 27, 2007, 11:48:27 pm »
The silver Ghia bodied Alfa 1900 is NOT an Abarth car.   It is just a an Alfa 1900 with a body very similar to the Abarth/Alfa 1900.    The chassis are totally different.

Yes. The most noticeable differences are the width/shape of the front grille side openings & the fuel-filler door on the rear.

-JS.
Jeff Stich
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Offline Alfa

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Re: Carlo Abarth / Alfa Romeo
« Reply #4 on: July 22, 2008, 07:07:30 pm »
Concerning the Abarth-Alfa 2000 Ghia Coupé. 

A) Was the engine tuned by Abarth or by Conrero?  (some sources mention Abarth, others Conrero)

B) According to the book 'Ghia' by Valerio Moretti:

-The Abarth-Alfa 2000 Ghia coupé was designed by Giovanni Savonuzzi.

-The grey similar looking Alfa Romeo 1900 Ghia Special was designed by Gian Paolo Boano under the 'B.junior' design theme

But because both cars are looking nearly identical, they must have been designed by the same person.  So who was it?


Can someone answer these questions (if possible with a proof of your statement)


Offline guy moerenhout

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Re: Carlo Abarth / Alfa Romeo
« Reply #5 on: July 22, 2008, 09:12:56 pm »
let us hope
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Offline dretceterini

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Re: Carlo Abarth / Alfa Romeo
« Reply #6 on: June 02, 2009, 05:48:22 pm »
The Abarth Alfa 1900 is pure Abarth.  The coachwork is by Ghia, designed by Boano.   The chassis is similar in design to the Abarth 207.   The motor was tuned by Abarth.  There is NO connection to Conrero.     The Conrero Ghia Supersonica that ran in the 1953MM was pure Conrero, except for the Ghia Supersonica body
I specialize in obscure French and Italian small displacement racing cars, from circa 1930 through 1970

Offline guy moerenhout

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Re: Carlo Abarth / Alfa Romeo
« Reply #7 on: June 04, 2010, 03:00:57 pm »
thanks to dolf geervliet
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Offline guy moerenhout

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Re: Carlo Abarth / Alfa Romeo
« Reply #8 on: May 07, 2013, 01:37:40 pm »
thanks to Sergio Lugo
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