When in 1956 the Fiat-Abarth 750 Record was revealed at the Turin Motor Show, the public was taken aback. It doesn’t resemble anything we’ve seen up to that point: it has a shape that resembles an aeronautical experiment resting on four wheels rather than a car. And in fact the aim is not pleasure, but to go as fast as possible, consuming as little as possible, to demonstrate that ingenuity can compensate for the lack of displacement.
Carlo Abarth is interested in presenting one to the world record-breaking cara technical and communicative manifesto of what it can give to the world of motorsport. The foundations of an incredible season for the Scorpion brand are laid and the 750 Record is preparing to become the progenitor of an Abarth dynasty born to be talked about, not for mass sales.
A 600 racing car
At the base of the Fiat-Abarth 750 Record is one of the most popular cars of the moment: the Fiat 600. A choice aimed at bringing the attention of sportiness to the smaller categories, those in which the stringent engine capacity limits force engineers to work on the relationship between performance, reliability and costs. In short, an excellent laboratory for the creation of technologies suitable for everyday cars, in which, among other things, people can look with interest.
The 750 Record was thus created to compete in the Class Hreserved for cars between 500 and 750 cc. The heart of the project is the four-cylinder of the 600 “derived from Abarth 750”, profoundly revised by the Scorpion with an increase in displacement and power. Again with the compact Fiat it shares many elements, including steering and suspension, despite the fact that the 750 Record project is much more than a simple development.
Beneath this unmistakable line lies a massive effort to reduce weight. The Abarth technicians barely manage to make the scale register 385 kgan incredible value even for the time. A result derived from a structure reduced to the bare bones, with brakes mounted only on the front axle, a solution that communicates well the extreme philosophy behind the project. The gearbox has three gears, with a very long axle ratio, designed to make the most of aerodynamics and maintain a high cruising speed. The result is surprising: with just 47 CVthe 750 Record surpasses i 190 km/ha fact that still makes us think today.
Scaglione for Carrozzeria Bertone
Incredible mechanical work is accompanied by an external design capable of bringing aerodynamics to levels never seen before. The pencil of the Fiat-Abarth 750 Record is Franco Scaglioneone of the most visionary Italian designs ever, which created masterpieces such as the Lamborghini 350 GT. To give life to body designed by Scaglione and Carrozzeria Bertone, together they manage to develop a shape taken to the extreme, designed in every curve to facilitate aerodynamic needs of speed and control.
The silhouette is the one that will earn it nicknames like “flying saucer” or “arrow”. The front is rounded, without edges, with a continuous surface that cuts through the air. The passenger compartment is reduced to the bare minimum, integrated into the car body like a bubble. The tail is long and tapered, designed to favor the clean separation of the flows. There is nothing decorative and edges are not part of the language of the 750 Record. It is an aesthetic that you may or may not like, but which does not leave you indifferent. And that’s exactly what Abarth wants from a communication point of view.
Technical data
The Fiat-Abarth 750 Record doesn’t impress on paper with its power, but it does so with the overall balance of the project:
- engine: 4-cylinder in-line, rear/central longitudinal, 747 cm³;
- power: 47 HP at 6,000 rpm;
- maximum speed: over 190 km/h;
- Weight: 385 kg.
Numbers that must be read in the context of the 1950s, when exceeding 150 km/h in a small-displacement car was already considered an important achievement.
The first record
The official debut takes place onMonza high speed ringbetween 17 and 18 June 1956. The goal is ambitious: to beat the 24-hour duration record. Highly experienced drivers such as Remo Cattini, Umberto Maglioli, Mario Poltronieri and Alfonso Thiele take turns at the wheel. The result is extraordinary: 3.743,642 km traveled at an average speed of 155.985 km/h. A record and demonstration of reliability, efficiency as well as design coherence. It is the first of a very long series: 133 international records, which will transform Abarth into a brand synonymous with intelligent performance.
The press arrives
For Carlo Abarth, however, the result is not enough. The feat was exceptional, but the same cannot be said for the media coverage. Thus a brilliant idea was born: organizing a second attemptthe following week, directly involving the international press. Legendary names of automotive journalism are called to drive the 750 Record: Paul Frère, Walter Honegger, Bernard Cahier, Gordon Wilkins, Hans Wieselmann and Giovannino Lurani. Making them not just spectators of the enterprise, but part of it.
The journalists take turns driving for the first six hours, then the Abarth test drivers continue the test for the scheduled three days. Thus new records arrive for 500 km, 500 miles, 1,000 km, 48 and 72 hours. But there is one fact that is most striking of all. At the average speed of 150 km/hthe 750 Record barely consumes fuel 6 liters every 100 km. Translated: 16.6 km per liter, at a speed that many sedans of the time can’t even reach. It is the definitive consecration.
The Zagato versions
The success of the 750 Record pushes Abarth to explore new variations of the project. This is how the Zagato versions were born, with bodywork in two variants: the Fiat-Abarth 750 Zagato and the Fiat-Abarth 750 GT Zagatoboth from 1956. Here the aesthetic becomes more civilized, towards the world of GTs, while maintaining obsessive attention to weight and aerodynamics. The Zagatos are also designed for use closer to the road, without sacrificing their competitive spirit. They represent a bridge between the world of records and that of sports cars intended for the most passionate customers.
The Passion of Roosevelt Jr.
The echo of the exploits of the Fiat-Abarth 750 Record does not stop in Europe. It reaches up to the United States, and more precisely up to Franklin Delano Roosevelt Jr.son of the president of the USA. Fascinated by the project and its performance, Roosevelt Jr. flies to Italy to meet Carlo Abarth.
Thus an agreement was born exclusive distribution in the United States. It is a very powerful symbolic moment: a small Italian car, with an engine of less than 750 cc, wins the interest of the White House. It is proof that genius, when authentic, has no boundaries.
