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The Progenitors, Part 1: Works-Sanctioned Aftermarket-Tuned Sedans

In the 1950’s, long before a Mini Cooper, Lotus Cortina, BMW Alpina or AMG Mercedes ever turned a wheel, two cars debuted that introduced the concept of sanctioning outside firms to design and create modified, high-performance versions of standard road-going sedans. These cars, like their successors that would follow, combined the everyday practicality of the family car with a healthy dollop of the performance and driving pleasure of a sports car.

The first was produced in 1956 by Carlo Abarth in the form of the Fiat Derivazione Abarth 750, based on the recently introduced Fiat 600 Berlina. Far from being simply a repository for a collection of bolt-on pieces, the 750 was heavily modified by Abarth in a very thorough and systematic fashion that would set the standard for future vehicles of its type.

Abarth had already been in the business of selling aftermarket exhaust systems and tuning parts for a variety of vehicles; the Fiat Topolino and Nuovo 1100 in particular. They also built a wide variety of prototypes and limited-production sports and racing cars. When the new Fiat 600 was introduced, the decision was made to offer the enthusiast driver a comprehensively modified version of a standard production car for the first time.

Extensive testing was performed to ascertain what changes would be required to maintain drivability and dependability while extracting maximum useable performance. The end result was a raft of modifications that transformed the humble 600 into a tiny sporting conveyance that rewarded the driver with tactile and aural rewards that were previously the exclusive purview of much more exotic machinery. It proved immensely popular both on the strada .