Raymond Arsenault on Life and Business: Hemmings Find of the Day

1964 Abarth 850 TC replica for sale on Hemmings.com. From the seller’s description:

replica ex-Coppa Mille racer with Autobianchi A112 70HP engine, dual wishbone front suspension, fiberglass doors and front hood, Scuderia Topolino rear coil overs and starter motor, and accusump / oil accumulator.

0242 has had an interesting life. Made under license from Fiat in 1964 as a Neckar Jagst 770 in the old NSU factory in Heilbronn, Germany, she was given an exhaustive “don’t even ask how many hours” rotisserie restoration in the early 2000’s by Manfred and Uve Goll to become a Coppa Mille racer. All rust was removed and replaced with new metal and a 70HP Autobianchi A112 A2 engine was rebuilt and fitted with an original Weber 36 DCD carburetor, which is fully tunable. The transmission and suspension were rebuilt, with replacement of the transverse leaf spring front suspension with a double wishbone type as used by Abarth on its racers in period. The doors and front hood were replaced with fiberglass units and the side windows replaced with polycarbonate for weight savings, and a roll cage was installed. The car was then given a beautiful paintjob. The checkerboard pattern on the roof alone is a work of art.

I purchased the car in 2007 and had it shipped from Germany. Since then I have installed Scuderia Topolino rear coil overs and starter motor. These are necessary additions because even the Koni shocks that were on the car allowed the rear suspension to drop into positive camber, which can cause loss of control and possible roll-over. The stock Bosch starter motor is infamous for not working when it gets hot, leaving one stranded until it cools down. A Pertronics ignition module, coil, and rev limiter ensure good spark and engine safety.

The oil cooler resides under the car forward of the engine, and I noticed that because of the length of tubing to it, one has to crank the engine to get oil pressure before starting. This was also done by the racers in period. I therefore fitted an oil accumulator, so the system can be pressurized before starting.

The oiling system now has 3 possible setups. For normal driving on surface streets it is best to leave the cooler unconnected, as it is not needed and just prolongs oil warmup in the large capacity sump. For expressway or heavy throttle use the oil cooler can be connected alone, but it is best to also fit the oil accumulator. The car has water and oil temperature gauges as well as oil pressure, so they can be monitored.

As the roll-up windows were eliminated when the fiberglass doors were fitted, I have made the polycarbonate window panels removable. They still have their small sliding windows to be used in winter, but in the summer they can be removed for ventilation.

The engine runs very strong and is quite flexible, pulling strongly from 2000 rpm, and compression is 195 psi +- 5 in all cylinders.

One downside of a car fit for a race track is that it is somewhat noisy. Fiat 600s came with only rubber mats on the floor, but the rear seat and matting behind it insulated the interior from mechanical engine racket. I fit a dense vinyl noise absorption blanket across the back of the passenger compartment to mitigate this problem.

Included with the car are a set of metal doors with glass and fittings, metal front hood and rear body panel, and the items I removed when making my changes.

I have not yet detailed the engine bay and will post new photos when I have.

I have really enjoyed this car for 9 years, but now it is time for someone else to.