by Mike –
The recent Post by Don Meluzio about his Fiat Abarth 1300/124 was very popular and started a discussion in the Comments of that Post about a Fiat Abarth 2000 America Coupe.
One of these rare cars was in Monterey a few days ago and I saw it at the Carmel Concours on the Avenue.
The owner, Chuck Maranto, said this,
Jolted by the sales success of the first Porsche 911 Carlo Abarth conceived of a competitor.
He built only three cars which he sold immediately to Niki Lauda, a Japanese collector and a Swiss collector. Then he quit the program because each car cost $3,000 more to build than the 911T’s US retail price!
This car is a continuation car built by Belgian Guy Moerenhout two years later for Leo Aumuller, with Abarth’s blessing, and their leftover parts and blueprints.
It’s a Fiat 850 Coupe body shell with a complete makeover and a 2-liter, twin-cam, 4-cylinder motor with a quoted 175 hp to provide the sting in the tail!
155 MPH is reported, enough to see off a 911 on the road but not in the showroom.
Can you imagine this little car with 175 hp! It must be very fast and like the Fiat Abarth 1300/124 it is good looking too.
Rich Truesdell brought up this car in the Fiat Abarth 1300/124 Post Comments and he said he will have more photos and you can be sure they will be much better than mine. Maybe he will share some of them with us?
Let us know what you think in the Comments.
I like the idea of the bigger engine but what goes through your head when you have a tire sticking out of the front grill of your car? Really ?? I think we can all agree that Carlos Abarth was a genius but this tire out the front of the car idea puts him in the DeTomaso category IMO.
Hi Mike,
As stated in the earlier post; there was never a fourth OT 2000 America. This car is a very nice replica build by Guy Moerenhout in Belgium. As you can see in the picture you posted of the engine bay it is build as a Abarth 1300/124 but with a Fiat Ritmo 130TC engine (hanging in the original 1300/124 engine mount). The original OT 2000 Abarth engine has chain driven camshafts and delivers 184 BHP, has a reinforced enginebay to hold 2 totally differend engine mounts and coilover shocks.
Best regards Patrick.