FCA Heritage at the Parco del Valentino 2019
Staring at the Motor Show Valentino Park in 2019 with two rarities: the Lancia D 25 (1954) and the Fiat Abarth 750 Record (1956)
FCA Heritage will participate in the 2019 Valentino Park Motor Show in Turin with two racing cars of great charm and priceless value. In particular, the Lancia D 25 will lead the way in the “Valentino Park Grand Prix” parade scheduled for June 23rd, from Piazza Vittorio Veneto to the Reggia di Venaria. The Fiat Abarth 750 Record will instead be exhibited in the courtyard of the Castello del Valentino on 19 June – the inauguration date of the Salone – on the occasion of the “Parco Valentino Designer Award”, this year assigned to the memory of the unforgettable Franco Scaglione. The record-breaking car, made by the Bertone body shop, was born from the legendary pencil of the Tuscan designer, and it will be his daughter, Giovanna Scaglione, to receive the prestigious award from Roberto Giolito, Head of FCA Heritage.
Lancia D 25 (1954)
The model was born in the wake of the success achieved, with the D 24, in the Carrera Panamericana of November 1953, a success that reinforced the conviction, in particular of Gianni Lancia and Vittorio Jano, to continue the competitive activity. It should be noted that, in fact, the design development of the D 24 went hand in hand with that of the Formula 1 D 50 single-seater. In particular, for the D 25, a great deal was focused primarily on a more powerful and more performing engine , able to offer also good guarantees also on the duration. After some studies and actual tests it was opted for 6 cylinders in V, a displacement of 3750 cm 3and a maximum power of 305 hp. The engine was powered by 3 Weber 46 carburettors. The car also weighed about 40 kg less than the D24. Even the chassis, although derived from that of the D 24, underwent some modifications, in particular the suspensions. In the rear part the De Dion scheme was applied with a longitudinal side connecting rod and a double crossbow able to ensure greater stability to the structure. As for the sporting activity, it should be remembered that a first appearance in a competition dates back to June 1954 when a D 25 engine set up a D24, in the Oporto GP, led by Ascari. Subsequently, in September 1954 three D 25s were entered in the Tourist Trophy.
Fiat Abarth 750 Record (1956)
Born from the inspiration of the famous designer Franco Scaglione for the Bertone body shop, the Fiat Abarth 750 Record (1956) is a single-seater designed to amaze the public and above all to establish new world speed and durability records in class H, which allowed cars with displacement between 500 to 750 cc. Its debut takes place at the Turin Motor Show in 1956. In detail, the single-seater is fitted with the Fiat 600 “Abarth 750” engine, many components such as steering and suspension are taken from the Fiat 600, but the main purpose is to reduce weight to the maximum . It is only 385 kg on the scale. It only applies brakes to the front axle and the gearbox has three gears with a particularly long ratio to the bridge, suitable to maintain a constant top speed of over 190 km / h. On the Monza circuit on 17 June 1956 the car took the record over the 24-hour distance, in the presence of Carlo Abarth and Nuccio Bertone. In the following days the 750 Record collected five other records of speed and duration (5,000 km, 5,000 miles, 10,000 km, 48 hours and 72 hours).
In Turin, the Heritage HUB
The two rarities are part of the precious collection of FCA Heritage, the department born in 2015 for the protection, dissemination and promotion of the historical heritage of the Italian brands of FCA. Last April the Heritage HUB was inaugurated in Turin, the fluid and creative multi-functional space that houses the department. A place of narration, an evocative and evolved building, where interaction and connectivity give a current look at the glorious history of the company and its brands. In fact, the HUB is located in the former Officina 81 in Via Plava, in the industrial area of Mirafiori, a historic mechanical production plant and a sub-alpine reality of inventiveness and engineering that today generates new energy. The 15,000 m 2 of Heritage HUB host over 250 cars, authentic jewels of the FCA Heritage collection – some never shown in public – that make the structure a place of education and emotion: not a traditional museum space, but a real three-dimensional archive in constant enrichment and an incubator of ideas that can be admired through guided tours.
