I saw another rare Abarth coupe has come up for sale. So I dropped the owner a note. Here's the car/ad.

Highlight of ad being
"Please only bid for this car if you know what you are bidding for, this car is quite a rare model being the Abarth version"

"Abarth" Coupe on fleabay

And got this response from the seller...

"As regards your comments re Abarth, please look on the Abarth Forum and you will see further Abarth Coupes. The badges on my vehicle have quite obviously not been Stuck on, but look factory fitted . but please note that I do realise that Fiat used this as a marketing tool by just adding a few pieces of Abarth tuning equipment to a car where this lies within the car I do not know it could be in the engine or the foot pedals. Other messages I have received from potential bidders have also hear of the Abarth Coupe. I purchased the car like this and am selling in exactly the same condition and have already had "verbal" offers of over £1000 to finish the auction which I have refused. But I do thank you for your comments and concerns but I was aware of the controvesy around the Abarth Fiat range"



Do I have the heart to reply. And if so, how should I break the news?

I doubt you'll be able to get through to the seller that there is no such as an Abarth coupé and that there is no "controversy" on this forum about this, we fully know that Abarth were never involved with the development of the coupé.

It is saddening that people cling to this belief, but if it helps them sell the car then fair enough, must admit I couldn't sleep at night if I thought for one moment that I'd falsely advertised anything, but there you go....

A couple of stuck on badges does not make, and never has made, a true Abarth model of any variant

In what way are the badges 'factory fitted'. Is there a very special factory badge-stick-on department I do not know about

To be fair though the brown leather is nice.

Looks like a dogs dinner in a broomy. Especially with the black carpet!

Ah well, I responded anyway, for all the good it will do.

Of only to further one persons knowledge, and probably make me sound like a pedantic cantankerous old bugger

I have had this discussion with people before . Out on my motorbike i stopped beside a 20 vt near harrods SW3 and he had the full set of ARBARTH STICKERS on his coupe . I explained to him abarth had nothing to do with the development of the coupe but he was having none of it . There is a guy on ebay who does a abarth sticker set for the coupe . I know it might sound snobbish and trivial but i own an Fiat Abarth 130TC "a real abarth " .

Just to play devil advocate

If you look at one of the European catalogues for the fiat coupe, they do show a wheel with an Abarth logo in the centre. Whether that actually means anything I don't know but it's the only reference I've ever seen.

I have seen loads of Coupe Arbarth's in Europe,so they must be real !!

Top left alloy.

We still need an irony button. ^^

i'm just gonna stick some Pagani badges on mine and sell it as a Zonda. £100,000 should be about the right asking price!

I have just asked if it would damage the paintwork if the falsely represented Abarth badge was taken off.

Yeah, but just because it has Abarth center caps does not make it an Abarth model.

Whats next? An Azev Coupe?

And yeah, +1 for the tan in a broomer, looks bloody awful.

FFS, I'm not saying it's an Abarth model!

All I pointed out there is a reference to an Abarth logo in a Fiat Coupe accessory brochure.

It was more of a point of debate in that there is a very small connection there.

Ha! Steady Duncan I wasnt really aiming that post at you, more at the sellers of these imaginary cars!!

everyone is totally misunderstanding my post on it!

I look down on people covering the coupe in Abarth badges, even more so when I see Ferrari badges on it .. just as much as when I see BMW 318s with M badges stuck on the boot (although that is a bit more subjective when you've got the m-sport editions of 330's etc).

I was under the impression that there was absolutely zero connection to Abarth so was suprised to see those alloys in the brochure.

i'm totally with you when sellers are ignoring the facts and trying to sell it as something it isn't.

But... it has to be said, I wonder why Abarth had nothing to do with the Coupe?

You would have thought FIAT would have let them get there hands on it, and produce a 'hot one' even if it was only in small numbers.

I heard abarth got offered the appointment but turned it down as they thought the coupe was too Fragile (smiley) not really

They were right then!

What are the most well viewed thoughts on what abarth could have done, apart from the pathetic ARB/ etc

Wish abarth could have even addresed some of the maintenance issues, (hard pipe CHOD/ oil cooler pipes, etc

Maybe an Abarth 16NA...

MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

Lol do people never think that buying a 16v is much like buying a skyline, instead of the RB25 or 6!) The RB20 is a good engine is a good engine to swap for the in the silvias, but its a cop out in a skylline

No. Buying a 16 is like buying the car of your dreams and having them all come true.

I emailed the guy to ask him if his abarth was one of those special LE models Here is his reply .


Dear ro7b777,

Hi

I dont know what the difference is I just bought this car because I liked the look and feel of it the fact that it is an Abarth was of no interest to me I do not know if it is LE and some ebayers have mailed me telling me there is no such thing as an Abarth Coupe although they themselves are offering me money to end the auction???. Maybe you would be kind enough to enlighten me regarding the LE details.

I think this guy is simply trying to sell a car he does not know much about. Seems honest enough to me, just a little mislead.

hes added comments to the description, seems an honest enough guy, good luck to him i say.

This is the reply I got from asking wether the paintwork would be damaged by removing stuck on badge at the back

Maybe someone at the early stages of its life bought some abarth tuning parts and added them to this vehicle and maybe added the badges too but you know what they say, what goes on must come off. Whether it would damage the paint I would not like to say. But thank you for your enquirey

If you were to be the wining bidder you would be highly delighted with the way this vehicle drives and performs This is not a worn out old car but honest and genuine.


- karenm2093

Has anyone found the Abarth Fiat Coupe site the seller keeps mentioning where it shows this style of Fiat Coupe?

I think part of the problem with these debates is that at the time the Coupe was launched Abarth as far as Fiat was concerned was just that - a stick on badge a'la GTI........
Obviously they have now finally realised the potential as AMG is to Mercedes and developed the brand. It is not right to adorn a Coupe with a Ferrari badge or an Abarth badge etc. IMO - there was no connection to the Coupe but each to their own I suppose.

The only Abarth 'branded' things that were in the options list were those wheels (Azev 18") and the body kit. Never did a Coupe leave the factory with an Abarth logo on the bodywork or interior.

For fu3k sake

Does not a genuine Abarth vehicle have the letters "AR" in the VIN number thus making it very easy to spot the replica?

Did not the genuine 131 Racing have "AK" in the VIN also? So beware of replicas!!!

I had an arbarth coupe . . . until I took off all the stickers the previous owner put on. . .

Now it's a COSWORTH! lol

Dear lord make it stop

it had.........

just over 2 months ago.......

until you resurected it

Lol

Abarth hasn't existed since the early 70's. Usual crap, FIAT bought it and their team of accountants decided it wasn't a viable investment to race tune road cars. .

Abarth is now the performance "arm" of Fiat with the Abarth 500 being "badged" Abarth and not Fiat.

The last of the X1/9s sold were badged Bertone, not Fiat as Fiat hived off the last cars to Bertone, although they were sold through Fiat dealerships.

Nothing like a bit of "badge engineering".

My 1985½ Pininfarina SpiderEuropa was a "badge engineered" Fiat 124 Spider 2000, with Pininfarina taking over the complete manufacture of the RWD convertible in 1983, in much the same way that Bertone took over the X1/9 for the "finale" version.

The name Azzurra was used in the US, and came from the 1983 Italian entry to the America's Cup http://33rd.americascup.com/en/contexte/que-sont-ils-devenus/1983-azzurra-i-4-25-669 and both the Azzurra and SpiderEuropa featured a boot lid badge in the form of a stylised yacht sail http://www.international-auto.com/images/originals/badges_pinn_azzura.jpg

Many people mis-spell the name as Azzura, including me


But I'm not sure why this thread gets resurrected every 2-3 months?

That is a gorgeous car Dave!

In fact I'm not sure I can ever recall seeing one on the road, how many were imported into the UK?

I see what you mean about the spelling, you've even got it wrong on the number plate......

Was not the 124 Spider designed and built in the Pininfarina factory for Fiat, using Fiat parts? Pininfarina took over further development but always manufactured them.
I have always spelt Azzurra like this, is there 1 or 2 'r's.. you have used both spelling lol
My '84 Azzurra is nearly restored

Put some photos up in the resto section

i have a HF Turbo badge of my lancia delta .... if i fit the badge will it make my coupe a "Fiat Coupe HF Turbo" .... might give it a try and sell my moonie as a one off for £20000
low mileage 79000 might help