Projects

1964 Fiat Abarth Berlina Corsa Grp 2 Replica

Owner:
Mike Lowe

Specifications:
Chassis:
Fiat 600-based shell. Front mounted radiator, fibreglass fender flares, raised engine lid ( trademark... I defy any male of any age to walk past the back of my car and not bend over and peer in !!) As the car was being built as historic rallycar , all new structural panels made from 16g. Car is very strong . Full rollcage of course.

Suspension:
Front - wishbone and coilovers with antiroll bar. Worm/roller steering 4 ½ turns lock-to-lock ( bloody hard work)
Rear - swingarm.

Brakes:
four wheel solid disc. Split circuit for safety.

Engine:
Abarth 4 cylinder 1050cc, 8port head, 10.75:1 compression, twin side-draft 40mm webers. Approx 70kw at 7500rpm in rally trim on avgas.

Transaxle:
5 speed with l.s.d and cv-jointed driveshafts.

Weight:
car only = 690kg dry
Car with driver and co-driver and full fluids = 900kg ( this
gives a nett power to weight ratio of 12kg/kw .....lets ballast up the
Porsches and RX-7's to this amount and we'll give 'em a run!).

Vehicle History:
The badge on the side shows a scorpion. To enthusiasts this can mean only one thing....a car with a sting in its tail....an ABARTH. This car is the only one of its type in NZ and of only a handful in this part of the world.

Taking a standard Fiat 600 , Carlo Abarth set about building the ultimate in small sedan race cars....out went the 27bhp engine and in went a full race 90bhp one ( later cars had 115bhp) ! Discs replaced drum brakes and the suspension was suitably modified. Weight remained relatively unchanged (especially in the 60's when they ran without modern safety equipment like rollcages!) so top speeds crept up towards 200kmh.

These diminutive cars were never beaten in their class in such famous long distance events such a Le Mans and Daytona, comfortably beating Mini-Coopers and other larger vehicles on the way. Their long pedigree as Group 2 and ultimately Group5 Touring cars remains impressive.

It took me over a year to find the car I was after.....a forward-hinged door Fiat 600 with Abarth connections that I could turn into a full blown Group Two replica. The car was shipped from Sydney, and over the next 5 years parts were located all around the world including a genuine Abarth race engine. I was happily tinkering away when Mike John announced Targa 95 ....boy there was a bit of a rush on then to finish the car, but finish we did, with the able assistance of NZ's Fiat Guru..........Mal Simmonds of
Dino Enterprises.

Sadly , we hold the unenviable record of being the first car to crash out of Targa , but at least we do it in style on Day One, Stage One ! Luckily the Fiat Club Waikato boys and girls) got the car back on the road for the next day, and in doing so cement their place in Targa history. Mal figured that if he was going to have to repair the car , he might as well help prepare it, and then ultimately become co-driver to me for the next 4 years.Since 2000, Mal has run his own car in Targa, but still prepares the Abarth
for its annual thrashing.

Over the years, with Mals' seemingly endless knowledge of all things Fiat, we have been constantly developing the car so that now we believe it is the only tarmac-rally specification Abarth running in the world, and maybe, just maybe, is the fastest 1000cc car in NZ. ( we do need to find out one day).

Compared to many other larger cars in Targa , we have to drive our little beast flat out everywhere. The big killer for us is loss of momentum. This is also why we hate uphill sections but lovvvvvve downhill ones ! The car isenormous fun to drive, especially on either 3 or even 2 wheels around 90degree lefts !

And why do we keep doing it? To quote from my Targa 2003 story:

" I was asked with the 10th Anniversary event coming up, why don't we run a faster modern car and go for outright honours...... apart from the obvious cost, I explained our main motivation is 'satisfaction'...... having a 40 year old 1000cc car not only finish the event, but beat home over half the field , catching Porsches and the like on the way, gives everyone involved in our Team immense satisfaction.... a feeling that cannot be repeated with a modern car that is easier to drive and doesn't break down."

I cannot praise Mal Simmonds highly enough if you are looking for someone to source parts, repair, develop or even build-from-scratch your classic Italian race or rallycar you have come to the right man!

- MiKe Lowe

Future plans:

Bring on Targa 2004!!!