{"id":1979,"date":"2019-04-01T16:15:45","date_gmt":"2019-04-01T14:15:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/letocar.com\/?p=1979"},"modified":"2019-04-01T17:16:40","modified_gmt":"2019-04-01T15:16:40","slug":"abarth-1100-sport-ghia-coupe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/letocar.com\/en\/abarth-1100-sport-ghia-coupe\/","title":{"rendered":"ABARTH 1100 SPORT GHIA COUPE"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"1100<\/a><\/p>\n

This exclusive coup\u00e9, designed by Giovanni Michelotti, was presented at the 1953 Turin Motor Show under the name Abarth 1100 Sport Ghia Coupe.<\/p>\n

Its body evokes the style of American cars, and the Italian press refers to this as a masterpiece. When it was presented, it attracted a lot of attention, with a clear air to a fighter plane, and was even bought by Bill Vaughn, who was famous for creating some sports cars with fiberglass in the 50s.<\/p>\n

The following year, Vaughn took this car to the New York Auto Show, calling it “Vaughn SS Wildcat,” and claimed he had put a V8 camshaft in it. But, there’s no evidence that this car had that engine, so maybe Vaughn was just faking it.<\/p>\n

After spending a few years in Vaughn’s hands, the car found its home in Peter Sherman’s garage in 1978. Unfortunately, Sherman died in a plane crash that year, and the car remained unowned for the next 4 years. In 1982, it was purchased by Russ Baer and Pat Braden in a real estate sale. After that, nothing was heard of this peculiar model until 2010 when it was purchased by an anonymous restaurateur. At this point, it was nothing more than a simple skeleton, losing many pieces. Fortunately, there are so many photos of his presentation in Turin, that the owner surprised 5 years later in Pebble Beach, winning the Elegance Contest. They return it to its original color, as well as the upholstery in blue leather. The original four-cylinder engine is also installed. <\/p>\n

It was 2015 and this was the first time the car was seen in public after the 1954 New York Show. The new owner took care of it for a while, but then sold it at auction for $891,000. Hopefully, whoever has it now will show it more in public.<\/p>\n

\"ABARTH-1100-SPORT-GHIA-COUPE-(1)\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Image:
\n– Sicnag [CC BY 2.0<\/a>], via Wikimedia Commons<\/a>
\n– Angus McKenzie \u00a92017 Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s<\/p>\n