Mysterious prototype of the Pininfarina Abarth 1000 Coupé Speciale revealed

Unique ONES - At first, We were amazed because We had never known or seen it before. Then We searched the internet and finally found out what model this car was. Back into the 1960s, one of the car models that was quite popular and widely used by Italian coachbuilder companies as the basis for their new sports car was the Fiat 850. One of them was Pininfarina, the Italian famous coachbuilder company based in Turin was interested in developing of the model, in order to further expanding its marketing reach to America.

The 1965 Pininfarina Abarth 1000 Coupé Speciale was a compact-size sports car as collaboration result of Pininfarina and Abarth. (Picture from: Carrozzieri-Italiani)

While Abarth&Co. widely known at the time was closely associated with automotive giant Fiat, and somewhat successful with its sports car mounted primarily on Fiat 600 and 850 chassis, the Abarth 1000 seem like formed a complex saga with many versions only united by a shared Fiat-Abarth 1000 engine block.

The 1965 Pininfarina Abarth 1000 Coupé Speciale has unique element that rotates forward via a special hinge system, for easy entry into the car. (Picture from: CarStyling.ru)

However actually Carlo Abarth was still pondering the idea of having his own mass-marketed car. But how to do it, and he seemed to find the solution when Pininfarina asked him to be a partner in developing of a sports car model that became known as the Pininfarina Abarth 1000 Coupé Speciale.

In short, they managed to design a slick little two-seater sports car powered by a Fiat Abarth 1000 engine that is 4 cylinder, 982 cc, capable to burst out power of 54 hp (gear ratio: 9/37 - 2 Girling disc brakes) which derived by Abarth from its Fiat 850 model.

The 1965 Pininfarina Abarth 1000 Coupé Speciale was  a slick compact 2-seater sports car powered by a 4 cylinder, 982 cc, capable to burst out power of 54 hp derived by Abarth from its Fiat 850 model. (Picture from: Carrozzieri-Italiani)

Aesthetically the car conveys a very sleek and low profile: noteworthy is the relationship between the very thin and aerodynamic front end and the rear, where the mechanical group is housed. At the front of the lenticular section, it is more sloping towards the front end and blends harmoniously with the fenders, with a very thin section.

The entire front end of the 1965 Pininfarina Abarth 1000 Coupé Speciale is protected from shock by mild steel and rubber bumper guards, which are attached to the ends of the fenders. (Picture from: Carrozzieri-Italiani)

The iodine front lights, expressly realized by Carello Co., are protected by a transparent fairing forming a one only horizontal front element. The entire front end is protected from shock by mild steel and rubber bumper guards, which are attached to the ends of the fenders. The very low, slender sides show a bit of a dyhedron that gives it a certain slimness.

The 1965 Pininfarina Abarth 1000 Coupé Speciale featured with the iodine front lights, expressly realized by Carello Co., are protected by a transparent fairing forming a one only horizontal front element. (Picture from: Carrozzieri-Italiani)

Side windows with two ventilation wings and a strongly tilted and curved windshield shape, with pavilion, the only element that rotates forward via a special hinge system, for easy entry into the car. The back of the pavilion functions as a roll-bar. The very wide rear window allows for great visibility.

The mechanical group of the 1965 Pininfarina Abarth 1000 Coupé Speciale was housed at rear, had a very wide surface and was limited to the sides by two dead elements in the fenders. (Picture from: Carrozzieri-Italiani)

The rear, where the mechanical group was housed, had a very wide surface and was limited to the sides by two dead elements in the fenders. Grooves above the fenders serve as air outlets for the interior of the car and brighten up the overall design". The car also fitted with special wheels made of electron alloy, allowing for a tremendous reduction in weight compared to traditional ones.

Besides the Coupé Speciale model, the collaboration between Pininfarina and Abarth has also succeeded in producing the Abarth 1000 Pininfarina GT Spider. (Picture from: En.Escuderia)

While the interior of the car is covered with elastic leather and covered with foam rubber for safety purposes. The instruments are housed in a very light ogival fairing instead of the traditional instrument panel, which this car doesn't have. The steering wheel can be shifted sideways to provide a better driving position, as the seat is very low and tilted back, in keeping with a typical sports car solution.

Besides the Coupé Speciale model, the collaboration between Pininfarina and Abarth has also succeeded in producing the Abarth 1000 Pininfarina GT Spider. And as usual, newly developed cars like this always face a lot of challenges that end in a collision on the wall of agreement. So that all these efforts never resulted in a large series model, and stopped at the prototype phase only. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURVES | ABARTH | EN.ESCUDARIA | CARROZZIERI-ITALIANI | FIATFUORISERIE.IT | BERNIMOTORI.ITI | CARSTYLING.RU | STORY-CARS ]

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