Fiat-Abarth 695 (historic race)
The Abarth 695 is small-capacity historic racing's giant-slayer: Carlo Abarth's hot-rodded Fiat 500 whose esseesse evolutions terrorized 700cc touring classes in the 1960s and still pack Appendix K grids with sideways theatre.
History
Carlo Abarth built an empire converting Fiat's smallest cars into class weapons, and the 695 — the 500's ultimate factory-tuning evolution — crowned the city-car line: the 594cc twin grew to 689cc in esseesse specification with around 38 hp (later corse tune beyond), radiused arches over wider wheels, sump and gearing options from the famous Abarth catalogue, and the rear engine lid propped open for cooling — the silhouette that became the marque's icon.
In period the 695 and its 595 sibling owned European 700cc touring classes: national championship class titles across Italy, Germany and beyond through the 1960s, hillclimb class sweeps, and giant-killing race performances that built Abarth's competition-department legend alongside the bigger 850TC/1000TC.
Historic racing preserves the comedy and the craft: Appendix K touring grids, Italian historic championships and hillclimb classes run strong 695 fields, where the cars' cornering-speed-is-everything driving style delights crowds. The market splits between documented period-competition cars (Abarth's records survive), correct esseesse road examples — themselves serious collectibles — and the broad tribute-build scene the model's charm guarantees.
Palmarès
European and Italian 700cc touring class titles through the 1960s; German and Austrian national class championships; hillclimb class wins across the Alps in period — and six decades of historic Appendix K class silverware since, where 695s remain the small-capacity division's staple winners.
What to check before you buy
Abarth's homologation details are the authenticity test: genuine 695 esseesse specification (correct engine internals, gearbox, arch treatment, catalogue parts) is documented, and 500-based tributes vastly outnumber real cars — period competition history via entry lists multiplies value at the top. Check floor and sill corrosion (Fiat 500 realities), engine build provenance by a recognized Abarth specialist, and HTP papers for Appendix K racing. Road-collector esseesse examples and race-papered cars are parallel markets; both punish 'bitsa' builds sold ambitiously.
Did you know
- The propped-open engine lid began as Abarth's cooling fix and became the brand's visual signature — period rivals claimed it was worth horsepower purely as intimidation.
- Abarth homologated tuning kits as manufacturer specifications — customers could rebuild a grocery 500 into a class-legal racer entirely from the catalogue.
- 695 racing's cornering commitment is legendary: period photographs show three-wheeled apex attitudes that modern Appendix K drivers happily reproduce.
In the marketplace now
View all →No exact Fiat-Abarth 695 (historic race) listed right now — here is closely related machinery on the market.
