Abarth 750 GT Zagato

Vehicle Overview

The Abarth 750 GT Zagato original model was also offered in a more luxurious variant for export (called “America”, as it was almost strictly meant for the United States) and a stripped down model with lower, uncovered headlamps and smaller taillights for the domestic Italian market. The “America” also has a different layout around the rear license plate. The all-aluminium bodywork has Zagato’s famous “double-bubble” design and Abarth’s tuned derivazione engine with 43 CV (32 kW; 42 hp). Aside from the floorpan, not much of the Fiat 600 remains in use for these cars. By the time of the appearance of the Abarth Zagato Record Monza 750 Bialbero, the bodywork had been unified into a separate model with a rather large hump on the engine lid, made necessary by the taller twin-cam motor. There were then three distinct models: 750 “Double Bubble,” 750 Record Monza, and 750 “Sestriere”. The Sestriere had a single cam pushrod engine, and the majority were built with a steel body, a very small number of alloy cars, and there is one aluminium car known to exist today. The Sestriere had upright headlights, and two very large air intakes on the engine lid, much wider than a double bubble. (The Sestriere was believed to be the last model produced for Abarth by Zagato, due to disagreements between Abarth and Zagato) One of possibly two Zagato-bodied Fiat-Abarth 750 Spyders.

The Abarth 750 GT Zagato Bialbero model appeared at the 1958 Turin Auto Show; along with various alterations to the bodywork it has the new twin-cam engine with 57 CV (42 kW; 56 hp) at 7000 rpm. The first series constituted 100 cars, enough to homologate the car for the Gran Turismo competition category. 750 Bialbero-equipped Fiat-Abarth Zagato Record Monzas featured a lower roof with no bubbles and one single centered air scoop on the engine lid. “The Record Monza” was the most successful racing Abarth in the USA with the Franklin D. Roosevelt Jr Racing team, (Abarth cars winning over 700 races worldwide), including both Sebring with the 750 cc Bialbero engine and Daytona under-1000 cc races in 1959 widely believed to have had the first 982 cc Bialbero engine.