***Vendor supplied images***

Highlights

Carefully preserved, highly original example of this seminal Formula Italia race car
Formula Italia and the Abarths were instrumental in nurturing future Formula 1 stars
Believed one of 140 SE025 cars built and raced
Designed by Mario Colucci who also engineered the Abarth 1000 SP
Includes its specially designed covered 1970s car trailer

The Appeal

Formula One stars don’t miraculously appear fully formed, they’re honed and developed. In the 1970s the Commissione Sportiva Automobilistica Italiana (CSAI) wanted to nurture more future stars and approached Fiat to form Formula Italia to do just that.

Hugely successful, the series created Michele Alboreto and Riccardo Patrese and they drove cars like this one, the SE025. Just 140 are believed to have been built using a chassis designed by famed Abarth engineer Mario Colucci and using various Fiat and Lancia mechanicals.

This carefully preserved, highly original SE025 is chassis number 85 and comes with its own specially designed 1970s covered car trailer. For historic racers or collectors of legendary Italian race cars this is a rare opportunity to buy a hugely significant car.

The History and Paperwork

Abarth Certificate of Origin provided with car:
- Car is dated 7th February 1973
- Chassis number SE025/085
Specially designed race car trailer unrestored and included
Photographs of the car and trailer in period supplied with car
Engine appears to have been rebuilt
Bodywork and cabin appear to be original and unrestored
Formula Italia raced at Monza, Imola and Vallelunga as well as other iconic Italian circuits

Formula Italia was developed in 1971 by CSAI as a proving ground for future Formula One stars. The organisation enlisted Fiat to develop and manufacture the cars. The resultant SE025 was engineered by Mario Colucci, Abarth’s technical director, and used an Abarth-built chassis and body with engine, mechanics and wheels from Fiat vehicles.

This combination enabled the SE025 to be relatively inexpensive, reliable and easy to repair.

It was developed by Anturo Merzario, the Italian racer, and designed to be slightly tricky to drive so that drivers developed their skills.

The Formula Italia series ran from 1972 to 1979 and around 140 SE025s are believed to have been built. They were raced by future Formula One Stars.

The Interior

Simple single seater interior that appears to be highly original and in great condition
Slim racing bucket seat with roll hoop head pad, both finished in vinyl
Abarth three spoke leather-rimmed racing wheel
Abarth-branded aluminium pedals
Veglia dials for oil temperature, oil pressure and water temperature
Veglia and Abarth branded rev counter

The Formula Italia cars were somewhere similar to Formula Three cars and the slim cabin of this 1973 racer would not have been unfamiliar to drivers in this period. It is inevitably a simple and functional environment, designed to quickly telescope key data to the driver.

The cabin of this car appears to be highly original, from the sloped vinyl bucket seat with its roll hoop headrest to the small array of pretty Veglia dials. There is also an Abarth-branded three spoke wheel and aluminium pedals.

The Exterior

Evocative ‘tricolore’ red, green and white bodystyling is, we understand, original
Pretty Cromodora alloy wheels - 13in on the front, 14in on the back - shod with Firestone tyres
Bodywork in very good condition with good colour
Fibreglass panels over a tubular steel structure
Built by Abarth in Turin, Italy
Very original 1970s aluminium trailer with fibreglass cover included

Weighing just 470kg with distinctive ‘tricolore’ fibreglass bodies, the SE025 were light and nimble to drive and a delight for Italians to see race by.

The tubular steel chassis was engineered by Mario Colucci, Abarth’s technical director who also developed the beautiful Abarth 1000SP. The project was developed by Anturo Merzario, one of the leading lights of 1970s Italian motor-racing. He deliberately set the car up to be tricky to drive so that competitors had to learn about car set up and improve their race craft in order to extract the maximum from these highly capable cars.

We understand that the suitably Italian red, white and green paintwork of this fibreglass race car is original. It is in very good condition, retaining excellent depth of colour and correctly located decals. Photographs of this car in period show that it is identical to its current aesthetic arrangement.

The racer comes with a bespoke covered car trailer, also red and white with period branding. There are photographs of this trailer with the car in period and it appears to be highly original. It is a fitting accompaniment to this remarkable little car.

The Mechanics

Highly original mechanicals but with what appears to be a rebuilt engine
Structure and suspension in excellent condition and readily available to view in the photographs
Fitted with the ‘Lampredi twin cam’ 4cyl DOHV Fiat engine in 1608cc output, as used on various classic Fiat models including the 124 Sport
Twin Weber twin choke carburettors
Engine develops 110-120bhp in standard trim
Lancia Fulvia 5spd gearbox with transaxle supplying power to rear wheels
Steering, brakes and hubs shared with contemporary Fiat models

Nestled at the back and variously attached to the carefully designed Abarth chassis are a variety of more common Fiat components. This unusual combination meant that the SE025 was relatively inexpensive to buy, making the series more popular, and it also made the car more reliable. For modern buyers of these sprightly race cars it also means that part are relatively easy and inexpensive to obtain.

Every SE025 was equipped with a 1,608cc version of the ‘Lampredi twin cam’ engine used throughout Fiat’s sporting models. Once of the firm’s best engines of the 1960s and 1970s it is a DOHV motor and in the SE025 equipped with twin Weber twin choke carburettors.

The photographs with this SE025 indicate that the engine has been carefully stripped and rebuilt. We do not know exactly when this was but it offers reassurance that this remarkable car has been well maintained.

The engine is mated to a 5spd gearbox - as used in the Lancia Fulvia - which works via a transaxle to power the rear wheels. Other components such as the steering, brakes and hubs are also taken from contemporary Fiat models.

Summary

Formula Italia was much more than a nursery for future Formula One stars. The evocatively styled SE025 taught them race craft and wowed crowds at classic circuits such as Imola, Monza and Vallelunga.

Only around 140 SE025s are believed to have been built and this is number 85. Highly original but with rebuilt mechanicals it comes with a beautifully styled covered trailer to complete the retro-themed package. For collectors of notable race cars or historic racers, this is surely a very tempting piece of history.

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