The Abarth Scorpione was the last independent Abarth model built before Abarth was purchased by Fiat. The car was based on the Fiat 850 chassis, with a very low wedge shaped body built in steel by Francis Lombardi. The body was sold under a variety of brands, including Lombardi, OTAS, and Abarth, with a range of engines, including a detuned 819cc engine built specifically to be exempt from US emissions regulations. For the Scorpione, the engine is a reversed rotation Fiat 1300cc pushrod engine from a 124 mated to a Fiat 850 gearbox. The Scorpione itself was available from Abarth with three specifications, the base 1300, the 1300 S, which had upgraded suspension and brakes, and finally the SS, of which some reports indicate as few as 5 may have been built, that also featured significant engine upgrades, generating 26 more horsepower and a similar gain in torque. When Fiat took over Abarth completely in 1971 the Scorpione was immediately discontinued. This Abarth Scorpione 1300 SS is one of the very few SS examples, featuring the more powerful engine, along with 4 wheel disc brakes, Abarth’s redeveloped pendolare rear suspension and coil-over front suspension. The car is remarkably low, with the top of the roof being only 41 inches off the ground. Its compact size also means it has a fairly tight interior, with the driving position tilted towards the center line of the car to allow a little more room for the pedals. Mirroring the pedals, all the gauges are in a cluster in the center of the dash, tilted towards the driver The later OTAS cars actually have a dropped floor which gives more headroom for the driver, to the right of the steering wheel. As is typical for higher end Abarth models performance is excellent and the car certainly is quick with great handling which would be ideal if one were to take it onto the track. The only downside is that the fuel tank is sized for the smaller 850 engine and the high performance twin carburettor 1300 can fairly quickly drain the tank giving the car a range of less than 100 miles on the tank. Still, it is a very enjoyable car to drive, though with how small it is, I’m reluctant to drive it much in the city as it disappears from view in a sea of trucks and SUVs. Still, it has the power and speed to comfortably blast down highways and back country roads and provide a very exhilarating driving experience.