In 1966, Milan engineer Mario Colucci designed the 1000 Sport Prototipo, one of Abarth’s greatest cars in history. It was a lightweight and powerful spider based on a tubular chassis with a minimalistic design and a small four-cylinder engine. It made waves in Europe despite the very limited production of just a few examples.
To celebrate the 55th anniversary of the
car and to rethink the winning formula for the 21st century, Abarth has just
unveiled the 1000 SP one-off. It follows the same basic design language but
with a modern twist ensuring better aerodynamics and improved ergonomics. Abarth
says the special model respects the original’s three fundamental design
principles - lightness of forms, aerodynamics, and driveability.
The one-off strictly follows the soft
surface recipe of the original sports car. Underneath the sleek skin, there’s
an Alfa Romeo-sourced 1.75-liter four-cylinder engine with a peak output of 240
horsepower. This makes the modern prototype way more powerful
than the original SP which had just 105 hp from its 1.0-liter
four-banger. Unfortunately, Abarth doesn’t reveal details such as acceleration
times and top speed, and we suppose they haven’t tested the car yet.
The more powerful engine is not the only
major improvement, though. The tubular chassis of the original gives way to a
new hybrid frame with a central cell made of carbon fiber and an aluminum
front. Triangle wishbone front suspension and an advanced MacPherson setup at
the back should make the more powerful concept easily controllable in corners.
Abarth doesn’t provide further information
on its plans about the future of the 1000 SP. The concept will be taking part
in major events focused on vintage cars this fall, though it’s probably
remaining just a one-off for now.
