Abarth Fiat 750 GT Coupe
The Abarth Fiat 750 GT Coupe was a car first seen at the 1955 Turin Auto Show.
The cars were quickly put to use with 750 GTs racing in March 1956 where they quickly scored a clean sweep of the 750cc Gran Turismo Class at the 1956 and 1957 Mille Miglias. The 750 GT was the perfect entry level car for “Gentlemen Racers”, who could drive to the track, win their class and drive home, and it quickly became the core of Abarth’s business. Abarth had also made a deal with Fiat that the company would pay him for wins and second places for Fiat-Abarths, so the more cars he built the better. The first two series were fairly small in number but there were more Series III cars, following a record-setting session at Monza in July of 1957. Raced around the circuit for four days, the Zagato coupe broke 15 records including averaging 165.346 km/h. Later versions were bored out as far as 981cc, some with double-overhead cam options and the Record Monza was developed from the Zagato “double bubble”, though it’s not nearly as attractive.
Owners report delightedly of the 750 GT’s handling, and that the combination of modest horsepower and agility just leads the driver to maintain his best speed at all times. They also remark that the car is surprisingly spacious inside, and the iconic ‘double bubble” roof leaves suitable headroom for tall drivers.