Straight out the Story by Roberto Giordanelli Photography by Michael Ward Bone-makex race series deliver close racing. With a level playing field, the best drivers are easily spotted and the low-cost, mass-produced parts ensure Ofull grids. So much for the theory; in reality, one- make series are more complex. The overall champion may be advantaged by having a superior team rather than being the best driver. And winning in one type of car may not mean success in another. Countless one-make race series have come and gone. This guarantees one thing – instantly obsolete cars that soon have nowhere to race. The Formula Fiat Abarth tested WE TRACK-TEST A NEWLY here at the Autodromo Franciacorta risks being one such machine. Doomed to occasional track- RESTORED ABARTH SE033 day use or gathering collector dust, not all one- make race cars suffer such a fate. Eventually, AT AUTODROMO DI some one-make race cars become eligible for historic racing. Such a valiant ambiance will one FRANCIACORTA day befall our 1980 Formula Fiat Abarth; in the USA this has already happened. Race tracks apart, Italy has plenty of closed-road events, so this car will be no museum piece. Formula Ford was introduced in 1967 and while it was not strictly a one-make formula, it did lay the foundations. This writer’s experience in a new Lotus 51 Formula Ford at Brands Hatch in 1967 is a useful yard-stick against the 1980 Formula Fiat Abarth. 32 auto italia Formula Fiat Abarth “This is a car that is happiest on power and therefore able to use its corner-exit traction early. ..” Caption to go here plaes to Formula Italia began in 1971 with its Fiat 125- steering wheel is not removable but the cockpit width go here please caption to go derived engine, and evolved into the Formula Fiat is very generous for a single-seater of the period. This hereCaption to go here plaes Abarth tested here; a model which is one of about is because the transverse engine layout permits a to go here please caption to 150 cars that ran in Italy between 1980 and 1987. wide cockpit, unlike a Formula Ford, which has a go hereCaption to go here Champions discovered included Grand Prix driver narrow longitudinal engine (which enables the plaes to go here please Emanuele Pirro. design to have a very narrow cockpit with all the caption to go here Taking the entire front-wheel drive transverse associated aerodynamic advantages). As cars become engine and transmission unit from a production historic, so the owners tend to widen. This precludes road car (in this case a Lancia Beta 2000) and many middle-aged drivers from narrow cars; not the planting it in the rear chassis of a single-seater is case with this Abarth. It also has wing sections built simply too tempting for some designers; a simple into the side panels. These are intended to supply solution to produce an instant racing car. You may downforce but also double as side-impact protection be waiting for the ‘but’, and here it comes. A road- as the 20-litre fuel tank is safely stowed between going transverse power unit does not really work in engine and driver. You sit low and the cockpit sides the back of a racing car. The centre of gravity is are high. A small driver would be unable to see out of high but, more importantly, mass is poorly spread the car without a seat modification. What a driver is along the chassis. Cornering with high lateral-g looking at has huge effect on lap times. A good view sends too much weight onto one rear tyre. Sudden and a good purchase on the controls are vital. oversteer is the consequence. Having a road-going power unit does bring some Pieangelo Pasini purchased his 1980 Formula Fiat ease to the driving experience, especially for novices. Abarth (chassis SE033/021) two years ago and Limited tuning means that 150bhp is on tap. The treated it to a nut-and-bolt restoration. The only non- power band is wide with a red line at 7500rpm, standard item is an electric fan for the front-mounted which allows a greater choice when deciding which radiator. The great day came when Pasini brought the gear to be in for a specific corner. Also, the gearbox car to the track fresh from its total rebuild. Imagine has standard synchros, so no need for fancy footwork lovingly restoring a car and, on its maiden outing, or the firm hand required for a Hewland shift. The you are bundled to one side while a journalist throws car feels lively; 150bhp in 500kg equates to 300bhp the pristine machine at a race circuit. But be it a per tonne. With your average modern performance Formula 1 car, a multi-million-pound classic or a car weighing in at about 1600kg, you would need battered old club racer, Auto Italia treats all cars with 500bhp to arrive at that same 300bhp per tonne. And the same respect. Only one thing travels faster than then a 1600kg lardy limo would change speed and the speed of light, and that is bad news. direction like a supertanker compared with a The Formula Fiat Abarth’s chassis is strong and flyweight single-seater. constructed of steel tubes and aluminium with an With brand-new brakes, the Formula Abarth easily removable glassfibre body. Roll-over weaved initially as the pads bedded in. The protection is excellent, as the dash structure and Abarth’s most idiosyncratic trait is the tricky roll-hoop offer roomy protection. Suspension coil- cornering technique that a driver must master. overs are inboard via pushrods. It has the look of a This is a car that is happiest on power and therefore 1970s car with its wedge profile. Its turned-up snout able to use its corner-exit traction early. The steering gives plenty of front-end clearance. On the track, is fabulous; any input supplies instant reaction. The this allows high kerbs to be taken while, in the rear-view mirrors are wobbly and supply zero paddock, it means easy transportation. information; not an issue with an empty track but a Getting in and out requires some agility as the small detail that can have huge consequences. auto italia 35 A precise driving technique is best but often I use an approach that carries so much speed into a corner that I frighten myself, and then lift off. Do that with this Formula Abarth (or just about any single-seater) and you will go to hospital. We are entering the territory where a driver’s car should match his style. This contradicts the one-make ethos that ‘the best driver wins’. You might argue that proper racing cars (single-seaters) have lift-off oversteer. Drivers who prefer front-engined neutrality might disagree and therefore loathe lift-off oversteer. But such a feature can be used to advantage. A single-seater driver uses precision, correct entry speed and employs lift-off oversteer to help rotate a car. A single-seater driver can’t see the problem. But “Formula Fiat Abarths are you can see the problem if you carry vast speed into a turn and then lift off. An alternative technique has to be mastered often stepping stones to Formula 3...” and, more importantly, has to be instinctive and instantaneous. Just as front-wheel drive and rear-wheel drive racing saloon cars need their respective TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS styles, so does a single-seater race car. Compared with a similarly aged Formula Ford, Engine: 1995cc 4-cylinder 8v dohc the Formula Abarth is easier to operate. The Bore x stroke: 84mm x 90mm Abarth is also slower over a lap, but very slightly Compression ratio: 9:1 quicker in a straight line. In period, cars like Power: 150bhp @ 6500rpm Formula Fiat Abarths (and Formula Fords today) Transmission: 5-speed manual Lancia are often stepping stones to Formula 3 and – rear-wheel drive with a lot of skill and luck – Formula 1. Being able Brakes: 4 solid discs to master this Abarth is the second rung of a Wheels and tyres: Abarth alloy split-rims with Avon very long ladder that should have begun in karts slick tyres while you were still at junior school. Dimensions: 3450mm (L), 1380mm (W) A final thank you to owner Pieangelo Pasini Kerb weight: 500kg for allowing me to be the first to blister the Top speed: 140mph (est) paint on his new exhaust system. 0-62mph: 4sec (est) ● Our thanks to Franciacorta circuit for assistance with this feature. www.autodromodifranciacorta.it.