Engine No. 100.000 810104

In the aftermath of World War II, Italy's economic recovery unfolded with remarkable speed, with racing emerging as a vivid symbol of the nation's resurgence. While affluent enthusiasts raced their prized Ferraris and Alfa Romeos, a vibrant grassroots motorsport culture flourished among everyday drivers, who turned humble Fiat 500s and 600s into fierce competitors.

Carlo Abarth's mastery of extracting maximum performance from diminutive Fiat engines led to his dominance of this specialized market. His collaboration with Zagato, Milan's renowned lightweight coachbuilder, produced the quintessential Fiat Abarth 750, based on the Fiat 600 platform. The rare "Sestriere" variant offered here used an Abarth-tuned 33-horsepower Fiat 600 engine, and was evocatively named after the Rallye de Sestriere where Abarth took two class wins in 1958 and 1959. This compact warrior featured distinctive fixed headlamps and twin cooling scoops crowning its tail-purpose-built elements that embody the marriage of Abarth's mechanical mastery with Zagato's aerodynamic expertise.

A remarkable Zagato Coupe "Sestriere," chassis number 757464 has benefitted from five decades of single-family, Southern California ownership. Changing hands among family members in the early 1960s, this Italian jewel eventually found its long-term home with Donald E. Thomas of Santa Ana. The car remained with Thomas for the vast majority life, maintaining a very complete condition with numerous original trim pieces, glass, interior components, bumpers, and what is believed to be its original engine based on a 1964 California "pink slip" Certificate of Title listing the engine number as 810104.

In the current owner's care, the car was treated to a careful restoration in silver over a black-upholstered interior while making a concerted effort to preserve its originality wherever possible. Many internal components throughout the car retain their Zagato-numbered production sequence 298, validating this attention to authenticity. The engine, maintaining its stamped number 810104, underwent careful mechanical refurbishment while preserving its essential internal Abarth DNA-a crucial detail, as Abarth restorations too often feature the external badges, but lack internal engineering signatures seen on this example.

This exceptional Sestriere is a representative example of Zagato's purposeful design that made its name in Europe's most demanding Alpine competitions. Wonderfully restored, this small but mighty competitor is ideally suited for participation in any number of vintage rally events.