From 1968 to 1972, the Carrozzeria Francis Lombardi Company of Vercelli, Italy, produced a small, rear-engine sports car based upon the Fiat 850. It featured attractive, streamlined coachwork in the wedge style that was very much in vogue at the time. Tiny in dimension but very well proportioned, the Giuseppe Rinaldi-penned design had exotic looks that belied its humble Fiat underpinnings. Curiously, the car was marketed variously as the OTAS 820 Grand Prix, Lombardi Grand Prix, the Giannini, and as the Abarth Scorpione during its production life.
The Scorpione made its public debut at the Geneva Auto Salon in March of 1968. Its shapely good looks — with its electrically raised and lowered headlights — attracted much favor. Despite its promise, the Abarth 1300 Scorpione sold in small numbers, and would soon prove to be Abarth’s last independently developed car, as Fiat took over Abarth in 1971 and canceled the project.
This Scorpione S is believed to be one of just four examples in the U.S. of the approximately 30 produced. Finished as most were in red over black upholstery, it presents in fine order throughout and is being offered from the collection of a devoted Abarth enthusiast. This rare bit of Abarth history punches well above its weight, especially when the tarmac gets twisty, and would be an exciting entry into a host of high-speed rallies such as the Copperstate 1000.
(Introductory description courtesy of Bonhams Cars.)
