Abarth Celebrates its 70th Anniversary

Established by Carlo Abarth and Guido Scagliarini in northern Italy way back in 1949, Abarth & C is celebrating its 70^th anniversary this year and we think it is a great time to reflect on the incredible work of the famous Italian brand.

The iconic scorpion logo has adorned a host of impressive vehicles through the years, but here we have selected just a few which we think have played an important role in the company’s truly fascinating history.

204 A Roadster

Despite being best known for his work with cars, Carlo Abarth actually began his career with motorcycles. However, accidents led him to abandon racing and the first vehicle he produced was the 204 A Roadster. The car went on to win both the 1100 Sport Italian championship and the Formula 2 racing title.

Fiat Abarth 750

The Fiat Abarth 750 was a car which became a true record-breaker. In June 1956 it broke the 24-hour record at Monza by covering 3,743 kilometres at an average speed of 155km/h. It also went to secure a host of other records at the track, including those related to 5,000km, 10,000km and 5,000 miles.

Fiat 500

In 1958, Abarth was integral in the creation of the Fiat 500, with the brand going on to describe the model as “a true work of art” which transformed the small utility car. Around the same period, Abarth and Fiat’s relationship strengthened, with the former being financially rewarded for success on the track.

A112 Abarth

After an incredible amount of success on the track across the 1950s and 1960s, Fiat Auto became sole owners of Abarth in 1971.

The last vehicle that Carlo Abarth himself was involved in designing was the A112, with the brand’s founder sadly passing away in October 1979. He had overseen the creation of more than 200 models featuring the scorpion logo in his lifetime.

Fiat 131 Abarth

Abarth became Fiat’s racing department in the 1970s and while the Fiat Abarth 124 rally enjoyed much success, the Fiat 131 Abarth took matters to a whole new level. The vehicle won the manufacturers world championship in 1977, 1978 and 1980 and was a major hit with fans across the globe.

Abarth Grande Punto

While the Abarth brand had appeared on some Fiat special editions across the 1980s and 1990s, the iconic badge was properly relaunched in 2008. The Abarth Grande Punto played a key role in the new line-up alongside the Abarth 500, with racing versions of the vehicles also being created.

Further new editions have also been launched, with the brand once again proving popular with motorsports fans across the globe.

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