1957 Abarth 750 Zagato

When the magazine Motor Trend road-tested an Abarth early in 1958, the journalist started his article as follows: "Not since driving the Moretti coupe have I seen so many people gawk in admiration as I drove by, and not since the first TR-2 arrived have I had so much fun driving around in this beautifully styled Abarth-Fiat coupe." This car was officially called the Fiat 600 Derivazione Abarth 750 Carrozzeria Zagato. It was built on the floorpan of the first Fiat 600, which was modified by Abarth and fitted with a body made by Zagato. Zagato was famous for his low-drag aluminum bodywork and most of the Italian sports cars and racing cars were bodied in their shop. The aerodynamic shapes of the body were accentuated by the famous double-bubble roof and as the car had a weight of only 535 kg, its top speed was about 100 mph.

The 750 Zagato was first seen racing in March 1956, and the list of competition results became impressive in a short time. A highlight was the 1957 Mille Miglia where Alfonso Thiele won his class, with two of his stablemates finishing second and third. Thiele finished the 1000 miles with an average speed of 73.7 mph.

The car shown here was bought in the U.S. ten years ago by the present owner. It appears to be in very good condition, the engine having zero miles since a total rebuild. There is some slight corrosion on the sills, but this car looks very sweet indeed.