Abarth 850 TC: the Giant Killer touring car of the 1960s

The Fiat-Abarth 850 is a family of sport cars built by Abarth on the Fiat 600 and Fiat 850 platforms in the 1960s, best known as the 850 TC touring-competition car. The 850 cars won many races in the 850 cc and 1000 cc classes and were called Giant Killers. This page covers the key facts, the history, the variants and the questions people ask most often.

Abarth 850 at a glance

The sources differ on the exact years of each version, so the table shows the main production period for the 850 TC only.

History

The Fiat-Abarth 850TC Berlina was introduced at the end of 1960 for the Group 2 touring car class and was built between 1961 and 1969. In 1962 the 850TC Nürburgring was introduced, named after the class victory of an Abarth 850TC at the 1961 Nürburgring 500 km race. It was followed by the 850TC/SS.

Between 1962 and 1971 the 850 cc and 1000 cc class cars won hundreds of races around the world. They were called “Giant Killers” because they beat much larger cars. The English article describes a famous dispute about the class results of these cars.

Design and features

• The Tipo 201 engine of the regular saloon, enlarged from 847 cc, with power raised from 34 to 44 hp in the first OT 850 Berlina.
• The Allemano-bodied Spider, first shown in the spring of 1960, with a single-cam Fiat-based 850 engine producing 52 CV.
• The OT series, whose name stands for Omologato Turismo, or touring homologated.

Variants

• Fiat derivazione Abarth 850 Berlina: the first 850 derivative, December 1960 to January 1961.
• Fiat Abarth 850 TC Berlina: the touring-competition car, February 1961 to December 1964.
• Fiat Abarth 850 TC Nürburgring: the 1962 version with 55 CV, November 1961 to December 1964.
• Fiat-Abarth OT 850 Berlina: the OT tuned saloon, introduced in July 1964.

See also: the Abarth 1000, the Abarth 750, the Abarth OT and the Abarth collection.

Abarth 850 questions and answers

What was the 850 TC?

The touring-competition version of the Fiat-Abarth 850, built from 1961 to 1969 for the Group 2 touring car class.

What does Giant Killer mean here?

The 850 and 1000 cc class cars beat much larger cars in races between 1962 and 1971.

What is the Nürburgring version?

The 1962 850 TC variant named after the class victory at the 1961 Nürburgring 500 km race.

Video: Abarth 850 engine sound

Video on YouTube.

Sources

• Fiat 850, English Wikipedia: 850 TC, Nürburgring version, OT 850 Berlina, Giant Killers
• Fiat-Abarth 750, English Wikipedia: 850 Spider by Allemano, 850TC history
• Fiat Abarth 850 TC Corsa, Wikimedia Commons: photo and licence