From the Maranello Rosso Collection
1968-70 Abarth 2000 Sport SE014/019 'Barchetta Entrobordo' Racing Sports-Prototype
Chassis no. SE014-032 (See text)

Here we offer one of the last remaining sports-prototype cars from the illustrious Maranello Rosso Collection museum in San Marino. This is certainly a most intriguing Abarth, since the minimal paperwork to have accompanied it from the Collection describes it as a 1968 Abarth SE014, which was essentially highly-successful outboard rear-engined design, yet here we have a car with 1970-style bodywork and which – furthermore – boats the inboard-mounted 'Entrobordo' engine installation of what was known in period as the Abarth SE019 design. The car bears an associated SE014 chassis number – individual identity chassis '032' – and on the solitary piece of documentation available from its former long-term owners, there appears a hand-written annotation that appears to read "ex-Ferri"

The original SE014 design featured the startling-looking 'Cuneo' or 'wedge'-shaped Abarth sports-prototype body design. That model emerged in 1969 and was heavily influenced by the demonstrable aerodynamic performance of the Lotus Type 56 gas-turbine engined Indianapolis singe-seater Speedway cars of 1968. Design was by Abarth's long-faithful chief engineer Mario Colucci, a long-time advocate of central engine mounting ahead of the rear axle line in direct conflict with the philosophy of his boss, Carlo Abarth, who always preferred overhung outboard engine mounting, behind the rear axle.

In general, it was yet again the Boss's views that prevailed in the first of the Abarth 'Cuneo' series of sports-prototype cars – the overhung-engined 2000 SE014 introduced early in the 1969 season.

In fact Colucci designed that car as a development of the successful 2000 Sport Spider SE010's multi-tubular spaceframe chassis, and then clothed the end result in the newly-conceived 'Cuneo' or 'wedge'-shaped body form.

Power was provided by Abarth's familiar 1,946cc 4-cylinder 16-valve twin-overhead camshaft racing engine, producing a mighty 250bhp at 8,700rpm. The bodyshell was hand-fashioned in-house at the Abarth Corso Marche factory by resident panel-basher Giuseppe Manera. Overall weight was listed as only 560kg – 1,235lbs – and, driven by hill-climb specialist Edoardo Lualdi Gabardi – the works car challenged former Abarth star Peter Schetty's latest factory Ferrari 212E Montaga flat-12 for the year's European Mountain Championship title.

Into 1970 the SE019 'Entrobordo' model emerged and it won upon its International debut at Ricard-Castellet in France driven by Mario Casoni. The Fiat-Abarth 2000 Sport Spiders of Ed Swart and 'Pogo' followed Casoni home for a marque 1-2-3 finish.

We have had the car inspected by a leading British Abarth specialist who comments: "This mid-engined version may well have a significant history. It appears to have the correct 2000 engine and transmission installed. It appears generally correct although some parts are missing (including the exhaust 'stinger', fuel-injection trumpets and injectors/hoses). Overall, the car's presentation is rather rough - its gear linkage is broken – and the car requires a good deal of work in restoration".

As with any ex-museum display machine offered by Bonhams, we recommend expert technical inspection and preparation before a new owner attempts to run the car, but we would commend it to the market as a potentially front-running Historic 2-litre sports-prototype and – most certainly – as an exotic Abarth offered here only one-stop removed from extremely long-term ownership in one of the world's most prominent of all private, personal Collections. EU taxes have been paid and this Lot is therefore in free EU circulation.