Fiat Abarth OTR 1000

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Fiat Abarth

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OTR 1000
Production period: 1964-1969
Class : Small car
Body versions : Coupé ( sedan )
Engines: Petrol engines :
1.0 liter
(54–78 kW)
Length: 3608-3650 mm
Width: 1499 mm
Height: 1300 mm
Wheelbase : 2027 mm
Empty weight : 698 kg

The Fiat Abarth OTR 1000 , alternatively also known as Fiat Abarth 1000 OTR and internally as Abarth (Modello , Sigla or Tipo) 100 , is a sporty compact car model from the Italian car manufacturer Abarth ; with its special " radial " engine , it was built between 1964 and 1969 in different versions in very small numbers based on the Fiat 850 .

Model description

A comprehensively upgraded Fiat Abarth OT Berlina Corsa (presumably an OT 1600 replica) with a water cooler moved to the front and a chrome-plated grille, as was typical for the OTR 1000

The OTR 1000 belongs to the widely ramified, confusing Fiat Abarth OT series of passenger cars , which the Turin-based company produced between 1964 and 1970. Among those OT -models with 1.0 liters of displacement and a series - body of Fiat he was the sporty top model. His closest relatives were

  • the Fiat Abarth OT 1000 (1964 to 1970), which is more suitable for everyday use, and in particular the coupés OTS 1000 and OT 1000 SS Corsa (1966 to 1969), all of which were internally listed as Abarth Tipo 102 , and
  • the Fiat Abarth OTR 850 (only 1966, Tipo 103 ).

The technical basis from the chassis to the body to the engine comes from the Fiat 850 with rear engine and rear-wheel drive .

The OTR 1000 was created in several versions, partly for the company's own purposes, but also in one version for customers; The most important and best-known version in terms of numbers is the OTR 1000 Coupé with street approval from the years 1965 to 1969. A special feature is the Abarth Sigla 200 engine with a special cross-flow cylinder head , still OHV valve control and the new, brand-own radial principle, the Abarth in this First used model. While the “OT” in the model name stood for Omologata Turismo (German homologated touring car), the “R” explicitly referred to this special cylinder head , so it does not stand for “Race”. A noticeable external feature is the water cooler with a chrome-plated grille that is moved to the front . The original idea was to use it in a near-series touring car category of the sports car world championship that was restructured for 1965 . However, the motorsport homologation was initially delayed by one year due to further development work; thereafter, the Commission Sportive Internationale (CSI), the licensing authority of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), classified the model in a more unattractive and unattractive category due to the complex radial cylinder head until 1969. Abarth favored then the OTS 1000 coupe with a complicated series modified cylinder head of the Fiat 850 , and later for the group 5 the Fiat Abarth 1000 TCR with the radial cylinder heads and the lighter, more compact base of the Fiat 600 D .

In the series version with road approval, the OTR 1000 develops 74 hp (54 kW ), in the racing version without road approval up to 106 hp (78 kW). Exact production figures are not recorded; Individual sources assume that only 35 copies of the only production version may have been completed in five years, of which only eight were for the US market.

Overview of the different versions

The front of the technically closely related, everyday Fiat Abarth OT 1000 Coupé ...
... and its rear (with normal water cooler in the back)

The following variants of the Fiat Abarth OTR 1000 were created ex works:

  • Fiat Abarth OTR 1000 Berlina Corsa (internal Abarth Tipo 100 ): From 1964, the near-series racing version with an Abarth Sigla 200A engine and the two-door sedan body of the Fiat 850 Berlina was developed in individual pieces for in-house testing without road approval . It was planned for a near-series touring car category from the Sports Car World Championship in 1965 , but Abarth switched to the more attractive, aerodynamically more favorable coupé version from autumn 1965;
  • Fiat Abarth OTR 1000 Berlina (internal Abarth Tipo 100 / B ): In 1964, Abarth offered this variant with the two-door sedan body of the Fiat 850 Berlina , the Abarth engine Sigla 200 and in small series or in individual pieces on special request, possibly until 1966 Street legal on; it should support Abarth's efforts to obtain FIA homologation for a near-series category;
  • Fiat Abarth OTR 1000 Coupé (internally Abarth Tipo 100 / C ): Abarth offered this variant, developed from 1964, from autumn 1965 to 1969 with the Sigla 200 engine and a 2 + 2-seater coupé body in limited series. Vehicles up to 1968 used the body of the Fiat 850 Coupé ; It is unclear whether there were also vehicles with the facelifted body of the Fiat 850 Sport Coupé in 1968/69;
  • Bertone Abarth OTR 1000 Berlinetta : In 1965, Abarth and Bertone , who designed the body of the Fiat 850 Spider and manufactured it for Fiat , built a Berlinetta variant for exhibition purposes ; it had a newly designed, permanently mounted coupé roof on a Spider body shell with an OTR 1000 Sigla 200 engine and the upgraded interior of the Bertone 850 CL Spider . This body variant finally went into production in 1968 as the Bertone 850 Racer Berlinetta , but with the production engine of the Fiat 850 Sport Coupé .

Furthermore, individual Fiat Abarth OTR 1000 Coupés were converted into Corsa racing versions with accessory sets.

Development history

A Bertone Berlinetta 850 Racer with fixed coupe roof on Spider basis (small series from 1968, here is a US version of 1971). This body version had its premiere in 1965 as a single piece with an Abarth OTR 1000 engine

Abarth traditionally had close contacts with Fiat ; For example, pre-series vehicles of the Fiat 850 Berlina presented in March 1964 and the coupé and Spider models presented at the Geneva Motor Show in the spring of the following year were available early on in order to develop the diverse Fiat Abarth OT series . Abarth saw the OTR 1000 as a sporty top model in the 1-liter class with the aim of using the Corsa racing version in near-series touring car racing. The street legal variants, on the other hand, should enable homologation and further promote the Abarth image. In the course of 1964, Abarth developed the Abarth Sigla 200 as a street version and the Sigla 200A as a racing version , under the direction of chief engineer Mario Colucci and the head of engine development, Luciano Fochi . Both engine variants fit into the engine compartment of the sedan as well as the coupé and spider versions in terms of carburetor equipment , the exhaust manifold and the entire exhaust system .

The OTR 1000 made its public debut in the series version as a coupé with road approval on September 9, 1965 together with the OT 1000 Coupé and the OT 1000 Spider at the International Motor Show in Frankfurt am Main . On November 3, 1965, Abarth exhibited the OTR 1000 Coupé at the Turin Motor Show , while the Abarth OTR 1000 Berlinetta with Spider base made its debut at the Bertone stand ; however, the latter remained a prototype.

In parallel to the OTR 1000 , Abarth pursued other sporty concepts based on the Fiat 850 , such as the Sigla 202 / A engine for the planned OT 1000 SS Coupé and first versions of the Sigla 202 / D for the later OTS 1000 Coupé , both of which were heavily revised Fiat cylinder heads . Abarth continued to develop the radial cylinder head until 1971, most recently for racing versions of the Autobianchi A112 and Fiat 127 . A first modification of the OTR 1000 was the smaller-displacement OTR 850 , which Abarth only offered in 1966 and only with a sedan body; another, very successful in motorsport development of the OTR 1000 -Zylinderkopfes used from 1967 Fiat Abarth 1000 TCR Berlina Gruppo 5 (motor Sigla 210G ) based on the lighter Fiat 600 D .

Production history

Production of the only series version, the OTR 1000 Coupé , began together with the OT 1000 Coupé and the OT 1000 Spider in autumn 1965. Abarth received the original vehicles for the OTR 1000 Coupé individually from the ongoing Fiat production; he took over their chassis numbers and added the prefix “100GC”; a subsequent exact count is not possible.

It is controversial whether the OTR 1000 Coupé - like the parallel models with a coupé body - received a facelift at the beginning of 1968 that reproduced the transition from the Fiat 850 Coupé to the 850 Sport Coupé . These vehicles from 1968 and '69 could be recognized by the round additional headlights integrated into the front, a modified radiator grille, a more striking rear end with a thin chrome frame and two taillights each on the right and left as well as bumper horns front and rear. This is supported by the fact that the model was officially offered until 1969. However, the individual vehicles known today, as well as photos of test cars from that time, all show vehicles from the first Fiat 850 Coupé series.

The production of the OTR 1000 ended at the latest in 1969 together with the OTS 1000 Coupé , which had expanded the model range since 1966. From the Fiat Abarth OT series, only the OT 1000 Coupé (now with the more powerful engine of the previous OTS 1000 Coupé ) and the Fiat Abarth OT 1300 Coupé remained for another year ; the latter had also expanded the model range from 1966.

The OTR 1000 Coupé was available with red paint ("rosso") and black interior, as well as two off-white / creamy white tones ("camoscio") with red and black interior. How many OTR 1000 Coupés were made by Abarth is controversial. The FIA homologation sheet number 230 shows that on April 30, 1966 the minimum number of fifty identical vehicles had been reached. However, several sources assume that Abarth “tricked” during the acceptance process - similar to other manufacturers - and demonstrated individual vehicles twice; accordingly, around 35 copies are actually built. Further cylinder heads in the OTR style were later manufactured by the PBS Engineering company ; they are used to repair and restore original vehicles as well as to build replicas.

technology

The Fiat Abarth OTR 1000 is based on the simpler, more widely used OT 1000 , which in turn is based on the Fiat 850 with rear engine and rear-wheel drive from 1964.

drive

The OTR 1000 is the only vehicle model that uses the Abarth Sigla 200 engine , a water-cooled 1.0-liter gasoline engine with four cylinders in line . A special feature is the progressive "Radiale" cylinder head developed and manufactured by Abarth , which premiered in this model and was subsequently used in various others. In accordance with the motorsport regulations for touring cars, it basically took over the OHV valve control of the original model, but differs from the Fiat cylinder head in the following points:

  • The valves (one inlet and one outlet valve per cylinder) hang inclined to one another in a V-shape , so they are no longer arranged parallel to one another .
  • The two valves of each cylinder are arranged transversely to the longitudinal axis of the engine, so no longer hang in a row along the longitudinal axis.
  • The "radial" cylinder head has bisphere combustion chambers; they are each formed by two intersecting hemispheres, the smaller of which is arranged around the inlet valve and the larger of which is arranged around the outlet valve.

A cylinder bore of 65.0 millimeters and a piston stroke of 74.0 millimeters results in a displacement of 982 cubic centimeters. The manufacturer put the performance of the production model at 74 DIN PS at 6500 revolutions per minute. The mixture preparation is provided by two Solex - twin carburettor type C32PHH . Abarth stated the top speed as "over 170 kilometers per hour", and consumption was 9 liters per hundred kilometers.

It is not entirely clear which manual transmission the vehicles were equipped with. Some sources name a conventional four-speed gearbox alone, apparently the standard gearbox of the Fiat 850 . According to individual sources, all vehicles known today have this transmission. The works data sheet and the FIA ​​homologation sheet, however, name an Abarth five-speed gearbox ex works ; According to individual sources, this is said to have been available at least as an extra subject to a surcharge. This may have been the Abarth Tipo 102 transmission . Depending on the source, an Abarth six-speed gearbox is said to have been available as an alternative for an additional charge . In this case it would have been an Abarth Tipo 132 transmission .

landing gear

The OTR 1000 uses the chassis of the Fiat 850 with independent wheel suspension . As with all versions of the Fiat Abarth OT car series, it has been modified because of the higher performance . The factory had OTR 1000  - similar to the other coupés of the OT -series - 13  inches high Abarth - steel rims with a chromed trim cover together with the Abarth logo to cover the hub and wheel bolts. For a surcharge, 13-inch light alloy wheels from several manufacturers were available ex works . The series tires had the format 145 × 13 ( Michelin and Pirelli ) or 155 × 13 ( Kléber Colombes ).

As with all OT 1000 models, the front wheels are decelerated by disc brakes . According to the factory data sheet , the OTR 1000 is said to have been equipped with disc brakes on the rear wheels as standard, which differs from the weaker models; Sometimes surviving vehicles only have rear drum brakes .

The wheelbase of 2027 millimeters and the track width of 1150 millimeters at the front and 1160 millimeters at the rear correspond to the Fiat 850 and the conventional Fiat Abarth OT passenger cars. As part of the FIA ​​homologation, a widening of the track to 1230 millimeters at the front and 1248 millimeters at the rear was permitted.

body

The chrome-plated radiator grille for the water cooler moved to the front, as it was also characteristic for the Fiat Abarth OTR 1000 (here the Berlina Corsa version with a different displacement)

The OTR 1000 uses the standard bodies of the Fiat 850 . Outwardly it differs from this one in many smaller details; Compared to other variants of the Fiat Abarth OT passenger car series , the external differences are sometimes minor.

On the rear panel, between the space for the rear license plate and the right-hand rear light unit, below the chrome-plated “Fiat Abarth” and “1000” lettering, there is the addition “OTR”; it replaces the chrome-plated “OT” logo in front of the “Fiat Abarth” lettering.

The OTR 1000 Coupé shares other external features with the OTS 1000 Coupé, which was produced from 1966 to 1969 : At the front of the vehicle, a slightly trapezoidal radiator grille, which is narrower at the bottom, covers the special opening through which the water cooler is supplied with cooling air. Above the grill is a narrow chrome strip with the inscription "Fiat Abarth 1000". The large Abarth logo is mounted centrally on the radiator grille on the coupés, and asymmetrically on the top left of the few OTR sedans (viewed from the front). On the front panel of the street-legal versions, two chrome-plated attachment points for the oil cooler, which is concealed behind the panel, can be seen below the bumper; only the racing versions have a separate opening for this cooler.

Other external features that distinguish the Fiat Abarth OTR 1000 from the Fiat 850 can also be found in other models of the OT series, such as the "Abarth" logos on the body flanks and the hubcaps.

Use in motorsport

The in-house competition of the OTR 1000 Coupé in Group 5 touring cars: the Fiat Abarth 1000 TCR

Already on the occasion of the public presentation of the OTR Coupé in autumn 1965, Carlo Abarth mentioned that a racing version with 95 hp (70 kW) was being tested. However, the development turned out to be time-consuming and costly. On April 30, 1966, the FIA granted the Fiat Abarth OTR 1000 Coupé homologation as a Group 4 touring car . Abarth's hope of receiving a classification for the more serial group 3 , however, was not fulfilled; it was reserved for the Fiat Abarth OTS 1000 Coupé with a standard cylinder head. Since Group 4 seemed unattractive to Abarth , there were only a few works outings in 1966 and 1967, mostly hill climbs , rarely circuit races . From 1968 a factory conversion kit was available, which enabled racing in the more popular, more attractive Group 5 . It was only after Abarth had stopped selling the OTR 1000 in 1969 that it was classified in FIA group 2 / '70 from the 1970 season , which gave private drivers better opportunities.

Accordingly, the cheaper, more favorably classified models OTS 1000 Coupé and its racing version OT 1000 SS Corsa proved to be significantly more popular than the OTR 1000 Coupé ; in the demanding group 5, on the other hand, customers preferred the Fiat Abarth 1000 TCR because of a weight advantage of around 40 kilograms .

Abarth's homologation efforts in the United States were similarly unfortunate : The Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) refused the OTR 1000 approval as a near-series vehicle because of its radial cylinder head by demanding its own, unattainable homologation with 500 copies; as a result, only participation in smaller, subordinate racing events or in the “specials” category remained in the USA.

The new car prices at the time

At the beginning of 1966 the Fiat Abarth OTR 1000 Coupé cost 11,875 Deutschmarks in the Federal Republic of Germany. The initial model, the Fiat 850 Coupe , was at the same time with 5,880 German marks in the price lists, the Abarth -Ausgangsmodell OT 1000 Coupe with 9,975 and the Sport Coupe Fiat Abarth 1000 Bialbero with 1.0-liter DOHC -Motor and Alloy - body of Sibona-Basano even with 22,800 German marks.

At the price of a new OTR 1000 Coupé , for example, there was also an Alfa Romeo Giulia 1600 Spider Veloce , a BMW 2000 ti, a Mercedes-Benz 230 or two VW 1300 L ("Beetles") including accessories .

On the Italian home market, the OTR 1000 Coupé initially cost 1,410,000, later even 1,535,000 Lire , while the simpler OT 1000 Coupé was already available for 1,160,000 and a Fiat 850 Berlina for 798,000 Lire. Nonetheless popular accessories that were available ex works were alloy wheels from Amadori or Campagnolo for 23,500 lire; there was also a choice of various sports steering wheels with wooden wreaths or leather covers at prices between 17,000 and 22,000 lire.

The situation today

Of the few original OTR 1000s , only a few vehicles have survived to this day. Because of their inconspicuous appearance, they received little attention even among vehicle collectors for a long time. Today they are sought-after collector's items among Abarth brand lovers . On 16./17. January 2014 auction house RM / Sotheby’s in Phoenix , Arizona sold a 1967 Fiat Abarth OTR 1000 Coupé (Corsa) for 79,750 US dollars.

On January 15, 2015, a similar model was for sale at an estimate of $ 70,000 to $ 90,000 through the Bonhams auction house in Scottsdale , Arizona.

Trivia

A red painted Fiat Abarth OTR 1000 Coupé is used in the Franco-Italian adventure film The Blonde Tiger from 1967 (in the original: Capitaine Singrid ), in which the actresses Giorgia Moll and Elga Andersen take part ( Director : Jean Leduc , Scriptwriter : Bertrand Tavernier ) . The (grand) fatherly character Hector Sarkis in the debut novel The Cosantóiní by the British LGBT author Zoe A. Jones from 2019 also owns a red Fiat Abarth OTR 1000 from 1966 .

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g h i Photos, reproduction of factory documents and literature on the Fiat Abarth OT 1000 Coupé with information on the even sportier variants OTS 1000 and OTR 1000 on the web portal bernimotori.com , accessed on November 2, 2018 (English /Italian).
  2. ^ Etienne Cornil: Driving the Fiat Abarth 1000 OT. Sporting Motorist (January 1965) from Abarth 1950-1971, Brooklands Books, Cobham, ISBN 9781855209299 , p. 123 (English).
  3. ↑ a b The Bertone Abarth OTR 1000 Berlinetta (with an explanation of the model name "OTR") on the web portal fiat850spider.de , accessed on November 2, 2018.
  4. ↑ a b c d e f g h Genevieve Obert: Firecracker - 1967 Fiat-Abarth 1000 OTR Coupe . Hemmings Sports & Exotic Car (magazine), March 2008 edition (online version) , accessed on November 2, 2018 (English).
  5. ↑ a b c d Overview of the Abarth engines, here Sigla 200 and 200A , on the web portal bernimotori.com , accessed on November 2, 2018 (English / Italian).
  6. ↑ a b c Overview of the Abarth automobiles, here Tipo 100 / B and 100 / C , on the web portal bernimotori.com , accessed on November 2, 2018 (English / Italian).
  7. ↑ a b c d Photos and reproduction of factory documents for the Fiat Abarth OTR 1000 Coupé on the web portal bernimotori.com , accessed on November 2, 2018 (English / Italian).
  8. ↑ Photos of the Bertone Abarth OTR 1000 Berlinetta on the web portal bernimotori.com , accessed on November 2, 2018 (English / Italian).
  9. ↑ The Bertone 850 Racer Berlinetta on the web portal fiat850spider.de , accessed on November 2, 2018.
  10. ↑ Roger Gloor: All Cars of the 60s . Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart. 1st edition 2006. ISBN 978-3-613-02649-0 , p. 40.
  11. ↑ Roger Gloor: All Cars of the 60s . Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart. 1st edition 2006. ISBN 978-3-613-02649-0 , pp. 40 f.
  12. ↑ The Fiat Abarth OT 2000 Coupé America and the other models of the OT series of cars on the web portal bernimotori.com , accessed on November 2, 2018 (English / Italian).
  13. ^ A b Roger Gloor: All cars of the 60s . Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart. 1st edition 2006. ISBN 978-3-613-02649-0 , p. 41.
  14. ↑ a b c d e FIA homologation sheet number 230 for the Fiat Abarth OTR 1000 Coupé dated April 30, 1966 , accessed on November 2, 2018 (there as a PDF document for download, 414.79 kB) (English).
  15. ↑ a b c d N. N .: Fiat-Abarth OTR 1000, di testa propria . Automobilismo (magazine), April 9, 2016 ( online version on the automobilismo.it portal , accessed on November 2, 2018 ) (Italian).
  16. ↑ Overview of transmission components for the Fiat Abarth OT and related models on the web portal bernimotori.com , accessed on December 30, 2018 (English).
  17. ↑ Roger Gloor: All Cars of the 60s . Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart. 1st edition 2006. ISBN 978-3-613-02649-0 , p. 398.
  18. ↑ Online catalog of the RM / Sotheby’s auction house for the auction of the Fiat Abarth OTR 1000 Coupé (Corsa) with the chassis number 100GC * 117626 * from 1967 in Phoenix, Arizona on 16./17. January 2014 , accessed November 2, 2018.
  19. ↑ Online catalog of the Bonhams auction house for the auction of the Fiat Abarth OTR 1000 Coupé (Corsa) with the chassis number 100GC * 112404 * from 1967 in Scottsdale, Arizona on January 15, 2015 , accessed on November 2, 2018 (English).
  20. ↑ The red Fiat Abarth OTR 1000 Coupé in the film The blonde tiger on the web portal imcdb.org , accessed on May 12, 2020 (English).
  21. ^ Zoe A. Jones: The Cosantóiní . SRL Publishing, Bishop's Stortford, Herts, United Kingdom 2019. ISBN 978-0-9957323-5-3 , p. 76 (English).

Remarks

  1. ↑ Abarth regularly used the brand name Fiat Abarth (without hyphen) for this and other series and the model name OTR 1000 in factory publications ; on the other hand, there is the model designation 1000 OTR on the rear of the vehicle , see the factory documents for the Fiat Abarth OTR 1000 Coupé and photos of an original vehicle on the web portal bernimotori.com , accessed on November 2, 2018 (English / Italian); the latter name was also adopted by various specialist publications. For the internal designation, see the overview of the Abarth automobiles, here Tipo 100 / B and 100 / C , as well as the overview of the vehicles with the Abarth Sigla 200 and 200A engines , each on the web portal bernimotori.com , accessed on 2. November 2018 (English / Italian).
  2. ↑ In addition to the Fiat Abarth OT passenger car series , there were also the pure racing sports cars of the Fiat Abarth OT series , which were also on the floor pan of the Fiat 850 from 1965 to 1968 , but with DOHC engines from 1.3 to 2.0 liters and with plastic bodies as OT 1300/1600/2000 Spider Sport and (Periscopio) Coupé Sport ( Abarth Tipo 135 to 137 ).