Abarth Simca GT
[1][2][3][4] The Abarth-Simca GT represent a range of cars designed by the Italian manufacturer Abarth following a cooperation agreement concluded with Simca in 1961.
The Abarth-Simca GT range includes 3 distinct models: These cars are all intended solely for motor racing, studied and built by Abarth, based on the chassis of the Simca 1000.
During a visit to Turin, in 1957, by Henri Théodore Pigozzi, boss of Simca, then a subsidiary of Fiat, he was seduced by the plaster prototype resulting from this refused study and obtained to recover the project to carry it out in France 1.
To reinforce the image of the brand during the launch of the new Simca 1000, the French manufacturer, under the direction of Henri Théodore Pigozzi, wanted to rely on a sports version as Fiat had been doing for years in Italy.
Its engine was a Fiat-Abarth 1288 cc with dry sump and two overhead camshafts driven by two chains, fed by two Weber 45 DCOE twin-barrel carburetors, developing 127 hp with a compression ratio of 10.4:1.
Drivers immediately complained about the car's random behavior, demanding a more performance-tuned chassis, which was not possible, given Simca's budget constraints; this forced Abarth to find tricks to obtain sufficient handling.
Of the 58 cars entered, there were 3 Abarth Simca 1300 GTs, one with Spider Sport bodywork on a tubular chassis and two in Coupé version, including the one driven by Jean Guichet who obtained the best lap time in practice.
It was directly derived from the previous 1300 GT, with a first intervention on the chassis coming from the Simca 1000, which was from the start, the weak point of the car.
The engine, derived from the Fiat-Abarth of the 1300 GT had benefited from an increase in the bore from 76 to 86 mm which authorized the installation of a second spark plug on each cylinder.
When the new American management of Simca officially took over the reins of the company on January 1, 1964, the agreement signed with Abarth was terminated with effect from December 31, 1964.
