Abarth celebrates 70 years of sting and sizzle

You know you’re destined for great things when as an 11-year-old you’re modifying scooters to beat the bigger kids on your block. Such was the beginning of a life-long fascination with speed for Vienna-born Carlo Abarth, a man who’d rise quickly through the motorcycle racing ranks to form his own company, and eventually become a legend.

By age 19, and while employed by Motor Thun, Abarth was building and racing his own motorcycles, eventually winning the Austrian Grand Prix.

His obvious skill and a windfall inheritance helped the young man develop a sidecar business. A daring 1300km publicity race against the Orient Express eventually attracted the attention of Ferry Porsche. Later, Abarth was appointed the sporting director of Italian manufacturer, Cisitalia.

That company was liquidated just a year later (in 1949), so Abarth and business partner Armando Scaliarini purchased the business and a handful of unfinished 204 sports cars. Abarth’s fettled 204S won many races, and his Bolognia-based business Abarth & Co was on its way to success.

Abarth manufactured performance intake and exhaust manifolds for companies including Fiat, Lancia and even Ferrari. His tuning kits became famous in racing circles, and soon Abarth was working with Simca and Porsche in the development of high-performance sports and racing models.

The business continued to produce go-fast parts and co-develop sports cars until purchased by Fiat in 1971. Fiat acquired Abarth, Autobianchi, Lancia and half of Ferrari that year, Abarth becoming head of the Fiat Group’s racing development program until his death in 1979.

In all, Abarth produced 35 of his own branded cars during his lifetime (in conjunction with Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Porsche Simca and Lancia). The badge eventually adorned a further 19 models, including the two featured here.

Ask anyone why the Abarth badge bears a Scorpion and they’ll tell you it was Carlo Abarth’s astrological sign. And they’d be right.

On receipt of the rights to the Cisitalia business, Abarth was said to have selected the scorpion in part because it was his zodiac sign, and in part because it was hard to imitate. Originally the scorpion sat on its own, the shield added in 1954.

The red, blue and yellow colours of the logo are said to be a tribute to Merano, the home city of Abath’s father.

Since that time the Abarth badge has been restyled four times. The scorpion has been simplified and the colours changed to green, white and red (from the Italian flag); blue and black; and white and light blue.

The current logo with the red and yellow motif and Italian tricolour combination was adopted in 2007.

You sure can. In fact you can buy two different models and up to 10 different variants. Driving them all at once might be difficult, though...

First up is the Fiat 500-based range. Offered in hatch and convertible body-styles the Polish-built line-up currently comprises 595, 595 Competizione (pictured) and 695 Rivale variants, the latter exclusively in Riva blue and grey livery separated by an aquamarine waterline.

The special edition is said to reflect the attention to detail and craftsmanship synonymous with both Riva Yachts and Abarth. Incidentally, both the respective company founders were both named Carlo!

The Abarth 695 Rivale features an Akrapovic exhaust system and is powered by a 141kW/250Nm version of Fiat’s 1.4-litre T-JET engine. It’s the most powerful 500-based variant in the current range.

Entry grade Abarth 595 and 595C variants feature 16-inch alloy wheels, a sports exhaust, and red-painted four-wheel disc brakes. They’re powered by a detuned 107kW/206Nm version of the same T-JET engine found in the 695 Rivale and drive the front wheels via a five-speed manual or Dualogic automated-manual transmission.

For the 595 and 595C Competizione standard equipment includes 17-inch alloys, a Monza exhaust system, adaptive Koni dampers and a Garret turbocharger. Power is amped up to 132kW/250Nm, again driving the front wheels via the choice of five-speed manual or Dualogic automated-manual transmissions.

The 0-100km/h dash takes 7.8, 6.7 and 5.9sec respectively for the three variants – a far cry from the original Abarth 695’s top speed of 130km/h and 22kW (699cc) engine.

The second body style Abarth offers locally is a two-seat convertible derived from the Mazda MX-5. Excusing the doors, retractable top and windscreen, the 124 Spider’s sheet metal is exclusively ‘Abarth’ – even if it is made in Japan!

The larger guards, bonnet and headlights recall the original Fiat 124 of the mid-1960s. The squarer tail treatment and (optional) red leather upholstery are another nod to its ancestry; ditto the red and yellow scorpion badge placed in 11 separate locations.

Available with six-speed manual or automatic transmissions both the Abarth 124 Spider  and Abarth 124 Spider Monza Edition (pictured) are powered by a Fiat-sourced 1.4-litre T-JET engine. It makes 125kW/250Nm and drives the rear wheels through a limited-slip differential.

The 0-100km/h dash takes just 6.8sec and top speed is listed at 230km/h.

Fiat’s, and therefore Abarth’s, continuation of the now 12-year-old 500 range and its derivatives is bound to work against it. Largely, the retro fad seems to have passed us by.

Volkswagen has already pulled the pin on its Beetle. Likewise all other retro-styled models bar MINI.

Sales numbers for the 500 and its spin-offs are slowing. Annual sales are down 11.7 per cent, while year-on-year sales for April have slowed by 3.2 per cent. It’s also an expensive little tacker with the 595 beginning at $26,990 and topping out with the 695C Rivale at $50,990 (plus on-road costs, see below).

It’s a similar conundrum when viewing the Abarth 124 Spider and the Mazda MX-5. The Mazda is nearly $10,000 cheaper than its turbocharged sibling, and offers a better warranty to boot (three years/150,000km versus five years/unlimited kilometres).

Sales figures for 2019 show the Abarth 124 with just 32 year-to-date sales against Mazda’s 188. To be fair, both marques are down by more than 45 per cent year-on-year, which doesn’t bode well for the sector as a whole.

Maybe the scorpion badge needs to start something new, or maybe it just needs to race another famous train. Whatever the case may be, we hope it finds inspiration soon. The Abarth brand is one worth preserving.

>> 595 – $26,990 (MT) / $28,990 (AMT)
>> 595C – $29,990 (MT) / $31,990 (AMT)
>> 595 Competizione – $31,990 (MT) / $33,990 (AMT)
>> 595C Competizione – $35,990 (MT) / $37,990 (AMT)
>> 695 Rivale – $44,990 (MT) / $46,990 (AMT)
>> 695C Rivale – $48,990 (MT) / $50,990 (AMT)
>> 124 Spider – $41,990 (MT) / $43,990 (AT)
>> 124 Spider Monza Edition – $47,580 (MT) / $49,580 (AT)