About tough to crack puzzle #165: Abarth 1100 Sport by Ghia

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Many of you knew the car we praised so much in our car puzzle last week: the 1953 Abarth 1100 Sport with body by Ghia. And many of you liked it, too. From your comments: ‘Delightful!’ ‘Gorgeous’ and ‘Beautiful’. Vincent Mahy wrote: “This picture is from the 1953 Turin salon and actually shows the less impressive side of the car: the front is entirely faithful to the early '50s ‘rocket’ obsession. Also shown at the 1954 salon of New York.” Quite so, and that’s why we have added the car’s front here now. Several of you also pointed out the Dodge Firearrow behind it and we loved Don Siemers recollection, writing: “Can you imagine attending the 1953 Turin Auto Show? The Abarth 1100 250/A Ghia coupe pictured was a teaser for a lot of other incredibly cool cars featured. The Dodge Fire Arrow 1 in the same photo was gorgeous. Other cars at the show were the Alfa BAT, Pegaso Z102B Thrill, Alfa 1900C Astral and even the Iso Isetta along with Ghia's Boano Lancia Aurelia. How about the Fiat Turbina? Curvaceous overload! The sole Abarth survived to appear at Pebble Beach.” That’s how we like them, Don, thank you! 

Others mentioned there were more than just one, with even up to four of them being built, but we don’t think so. The Simca Aronde Sport of 1954 and Ghia’s original Karmann-Ghia are mentioned by you as sister-models. Well… perhaps. There was a closer sister model, though. Luk Martens: “A nearly identical convertible version showed up in Paris a year later, build on Simca underpinnings.” Luk was also one of quite a few of you pointing out the Vaughn Super Sports, that this car was bound to become with V8 power after the American businessman Bill Vaughn showed an interest. Fried Stohl: “Bought by American enthousiast Bill Vaughn and shown at the New York Auto Show in 1954, renamed as the Vaughn Super Sport Wildcat. It disappeared from the radar until 1982 when it was (re)discovered by Russ Baer in a barn in Ashton Maryland. It won the Pebble Beach concours d’elegance in its class in 2015 after a five year’s restoration by Pat Braden”. Some of you further added that the car’s design must have come from Giovanni Michelotti, although this was never made official, so we’d say it’s better to leave this out. Bernard Corrège adds that the body was built by Ghia when it was under the direction of Mario Felice Boano, which is of course absolutely right. Point for you Bernard!

That’s quite a lot of information and question is who mixed all of it in the best possible way. Ted Wilmarth’s answer was very strong and we hope you continue commenting in this vein Ted. But, once again, Ace Zenek’s was our puzzle king. He wrote: “1953 Abarth 1100 Sport with Ghia body, originally displayed at the Turin Salon, purchased by Bill Vaughn he renamed it the Vaughn SS Wildcat, and was supposedly given an OH cam V8, and then displayed at the New York Auto Show. A similar Simca Ghia was produced at the same time (see the duo together here! -ed). Most history is lost between 1954 and 1978, but a window sticker shows “Litton Industries Maryland Division 1958.” Forum Auto shows it in a deplorable state before restoration with missing windows, lights and grille. Auctioned this past weekend by RM-Sotheby’s at Monterey. In front is the Dodge Firearrow.” Pretty dry, but you can’t beat that for sheer info on this one! Congratulations Ace!

(Words editor, pictures courtesy of Milen Milenovich collection via RM Sotheby's)

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