Celebrating the 55th Birthday of an iconic sports car.
Mario Colucci, a Milan engineer, designed the 1000 Sport Prototipo in 1966. It is one of Abarth’s most iconic cars. It was lightweight and powerful, based on a tubular chassis and a small four-cylinder motor. Despite the fact that only a handful of examples were produced, it was a huge success in Europe.
Abarth just revealed the 1000 SP one-off to celebrate the 55th anniversary and to rethink how the winning formula works for the 21st Century. The basic design language is the same, but it has a modern twist that improves aerodynamics and ergonomics. The special model, Abarth claims, respects the original’s fundamental design principles of lightness, aerodynamics and driveability.
The attached gallery shows that the one-off follows the same soft surface formula as the original sports car. The sleek skin conceals a Alfa Romeo-sourced four-cylinder engine of 1.75-liter capacity. It produces a peak output power of 240 horsepower (179kilowatts). The modern prototype is significantly more powerful than the original SP, which only had 105 horsepower (78 kW) of its 1.0-liter four-cylinder engine. We are not able to find out details about acceleration times or top speed as Abarth hasn’t yet tested the car.
However, the engine’s power isn’t the only improvement. The original tubular chassis is being replaced by a hybrid frame that features a carbon fiber central cell and an aluminum front. The more powerful design should be easy to control in corners thanks to its advanced MacPherson setup at back and the triangle wishbone front suspension.
Abarth has not provided any further information about its plans for the future of the 1000 SP. Although the concept will participate in major events focusing on vintage cars this autumn, it is likely to remain a one-off.