Abarth 1000 OTR ‘Radiale’

Cars

In the last of this month’s Abarth niceness, we wanted to share what we reckon is perhaps a quintessential Abarth classic – the Abarth 1000 OTR ‘Radiale’.

The car is obviously based on Fiat’s 850 coupé. But this car Abarth came with a trick ‘radiale’ engine that gave the car its attractive moniker.

Apparently in the ‘radiale’ engine (below) the combustion chamber was formed by two intersecting spherical domes, one containing the inlet valve and the other the exhaust.

*Abarth-1000_Engine

The goal of this neat little innovation was to exploit the frugality of power-displacement of the Abarth twin camshaft cylinder head without getting snarled up in the complexity of it all.

Can’t pretend we fully understand the mechanics of it all, but we’d be content to gaze at the little motor lovingly in advance of hacking about in what we are sure would be the most satisfying of miniature supercars.

Bravo Carlo! You certainly achieved your goals with this little beauty.



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