Hi Carlo
The Colani is that a real Abarth. Once I thought it was. Then I heard that when they tested the Abarth Bertone at Avus they crazed the cars. And from the wreck the Colani surfaced.
Can anybody confirm.
The Abarth parts.
The pictures is from this site
http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=21300 there is also some beautiful Alfa pictures
Abarth Ferrari 166MM 1953
The racing class up to 2000ccm was continuously popular in Italy. Up to the start of the season of 1953 Ferrari had made changed on the 166 chassis .He took the brakes from tipo 212 and the rear axle from 340america. The Colombo designed 12cyl. Engine was running in its 5 year and developed 160 hp at 7000 r/min Compression 9,0:1 and with Webbers 36IF4C.
The Scuderia Guastalla had just received a Ferrari 166MM with Vignale body, but the driver Giulio Musitella was unsatisfied with the car, as he claimed that it was to heavy.
He went to Carlo Abarth to get help. Carlo Abarth promised to help and he removed all the parts and made a new car with inspiration in design from the Scaglione designed Abarth 1400 from 1952 with the central driver light.
As the unconventional man Carlo Abarth was. To the chassis he made a body that was designed to race. All the parts was made as single pieces and bolted on the chassis.
This construction made it easy to repair when there had been damage.
On the chassis/body Abarth saved 55kg and the total weight of the new chassis/body was 275 kg.
The improvements made results. Musitella took class victory in Taga Floria and used the car for the whole season 1953 with best result general victory in Messina 10 hours race.
For the 1954 season the car was equipped with the new Ferrari 250GT engine 3,0 L and 220 hp.
Later in 1954 it had a new carouse from Scagletti. Without any success, there after the Ferrari chassis 0262M disappeared.
Almost 50 years after the Abarth body was changed the car turns up with a new replica body.