Wouter Melissen
01-05-2009, 04:48 AM
Dear Ultimatecarpage.com visitor,
In racing there are few things more exciting than watching a smaller, seemingly underpowered cars take on more potent opposition. These David vs. Goliath match-ups are a rare sight these days but were very common back in the 1950s and 1960s when the grids were much more varied. Today we take a closer look at two very famous 'giant slayers.'
Colin Chapman's design philosophy of 'add more lightness' greatly contributed in the exceptional performance of his Lotus cars on the track. One of the last of his great road racers was the Elan 26R. Based on the road going Elan, it uses the typical Lotus backbone chassis combined with the twin-cam Cosworth/BRM tuned 1.6 litre four cylinder. Between 1964 and 1966 these nimble machines dominated their class and regularly beat much larger engined opposition. It is estimated that nearly a hundred were built all of which were raced by privateers. In our feature gallery we have shots of six examples in action during the 2007 Goodwood Revival and 2008 Monterey Historic Races.
In 1950s Italy many privateer racers sent their machines to Abarth to have the engine tuned or to Zagato for a lightweight and slippery body. It was only logical that the two companies would eventually team up. Taking the very modest Fiat 600 as a base, they created Fiat Abarth 750 Zagato. Abarth enlarged the engine to 747 cc and Zagato provided the bodywork. The result was 43 bhp in a 535 kg and absolute domination in the 750 class of international racing. Among the dozens of victories were class wins in the Mille Miglia and in the Sebring 12 Hours. Needless to say the tiny Abarths were often found ahead of machinery with twice or three times the engine size. Our detailed article is illustrated with pictures of two fine examples.
Enjoy the links:
1956 - 1960 Fiat Abarth 750 Zagato Coupe - Images, Specifications and Information (http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/car/567/Fiat-Abarth-750-Zagato-Coupe.html)
1964 - 1966 Lotus Elan 26R - Images, Specifications and Information (http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/car/3952/Lotus-Elan-26R.html)
Regards,
Wouter Melissen
In racing there are few things more exciting than watching a smaller, seemingly underpowered cars take on more potent opposition. These David vs. Goliath match-ups are a rare sight these days but were very common back in the 1950s and 1960s when the grids were much more varied. Today we take a closer look at two very famous 'giant slayers.'
Colin Chapman's design philosophy of 'add more lightness' greatly contributed in the exceptional performance of his Lotus cars on the track. One of the last of his great road racers was the Elan 26R. Based on the road going Elan, it uses the typical Lotus backbone chassis combined with the twin-cam Cosworth/BRM tuned 1.6 litre four cylinder. Between 1964 and 1966 these nimble machines dominated their class and regularly beat much larger engined opposition. It is estimated that nearly a hundred were built all of which were raced by privateers. In our feature gallery we have shots of six examples in action during the 2007 Goodwood Revival and 2008 Monterey Historic Races.
In 1950s Italy many privateer racers sent their machines to Abarth to have the engine tuned or to Zagato for a lightweight and slippery body. It was only logical that the two companies would eventually team up. Taking the very modest Fiat 600 as a base, they created Fiat Abarth 750 Zagato. Abarth enlarged the engine to 747 cc and Zagato provided the bodywork. The result was 43 bhp in a 535 kg and absolute domination in the 750 class of international racing. Among the dozens of victories were class wins in the Mille Miglia and in the Sebring 12 Hours. Needless to say the tiny Abarths were often found ahead of machinery with twice or three times the engine size. Our detailed article is illustrated with pictures of two fine examples.
Enjoy the links:
1956 - 1960 Fiat Abarth 750 Zagato Coupe - Images, Specifications and Information (http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/car/567/Fiat-Abarth-750-Zagato-Coupe.html)
1964 - 1966 Lotus Elan 26R - Images, Specifications and Information (http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/car/3952/Lotus-Elan-26R.html)
Regards,
Wouter Melissen