Update 1/14/23 – This one has been relisted with a $4,000 price drop! Find it here on eBay for $9,500.
From 12/22/22 – There are rare cars and then there are ultra-rare cars. This is one of the latter. For sale here on eBay in Fort Worth, Texas, it’s a 1971 OTAS Lombardi 820 Grand Prix. It may look like a fiberglass kit car, but it isn’t—it’s an authentic Italian sports car built in Vercelli, Italy between 1968 and 1972. The owner wants $13,500 for this fairly tidy example, and it’s hard to say if that price is fair or foul—these things come up for sale very rarely.
The listing is terse. It’s an original Texas/New Mexico car, and it was in dry storage for more than 38 years. Judging from the dusty engine minus its spark plug wires, it probably hasn’t been run in that long. But maybe it won’t be hard to get the little two-seater running again. The base is the Fiat 850, and parts for those shouldn’t be too hard to find.
The handsome sports car was developed by the Carrozzeria Francis Lombardi, and sketched in-house by Giuseppe Rinaldi. It was marketed variously as the OTAS (Officina Trasformazioni Automobili Sportive) Lombardi Grand Prix 820, as a Giannini and as an Abarth Grand Prix and Scorpione. This is an example of the first one.
Overall, the car looks like an excellent starting point, with just 27,000 miles covered. It seems to have been last registered in 1984. There is rust (remember, it’s steel!) in the rocker panels, lower front fenders and rear wheel wells, but the undercarriage is a big unknown. The 850 was a big ruster—some of them were rusting when their first owners took them home. But this one may have benefited from the long storage and, before that, the Texas climate. The interior is probably the best part of the car, and is intact and unmolested, with many undoubtedly hard-to-find parts present and looking good.
The engine is low-mileage, but after such a long slumber it’s going to need a rebuild or maybe an engine transplant. It would make a good Scorpione clone if you can find the appropriate power plant.
As first shown, the car had the Fiat 850 43-horsepower 843-cc four-cylinder engine, but there were also 903-cc versions (Abarth Grand Prix), 982-cc versions (Giannini) and 1,280-cc versions (Scorpione, with the Fiat 124’s engine). The car—not fiberglass but all-steel—weighed only 1,390 pounds, so it was good for up to 99 miles per hour. Cars with the 850 Special engines had 47 horsepower, but the Abarth Scorpione SS had a whopping 100. The Scorpione SS could reach 115 mph.
The engine, of course, was in the back, which meant there was a little luggage space up front beside the spare tire, and also some behind the two seats. The disappearing headlights were hand-cranked, and the taillights are straight from the Fiat 850 Coupe. There were two series, the Series I had the Fiat 850’s metal engine cover, and the Series II had a louvered design in black.
A sad part of the OTAS story is that a Cypriot casino owner planned to buy 1,000 cars and sell them in Britain, but he was tragically killed in a tank accident in Cyprus, so only 10 cars made it over to Britain. In the U.S., the car was briefly sold, starting in 1970, as the OTAS Grand Prix 820. It had the federalized version of the Fiat 850 engine, with 817cc. The engine was small enough to not need emissions equipment. Some say 65 were imported, others 100. Tune-up kits were offered by importer John Rich of Glendale, California. In any case, it was all over for the OTAS and its variants by 1972.
One of these in excellent condition was sold at the Quail Lodge by Bonhams in 2019 for $26,880. Getting the one for sale now would probably bring the total outlay to something like that, or more. But how often do these come up for sale?
Looking at this car tells me my past is still haunting me. I can’t tell you how many OTAS cars were brought into the US but I can tell you one was in Key West, Florida in August of 1972 when we almost bought it. It was mildly built into a race car. Bright red, black interior, and a larger version of the the 850 engine family. It had a roll bar, wider rims with race tires, and enough rust in the doors that you could hear it rattling around inside the doors while you were driving it. Took it up to the Miami area to run a big autocross to see if we really wanted it. Won our class, had fun, and immediately took ourselves off the buyers list. Lower door jams, both foot wells, and anything flat in the engine compartment had rust dust all over it. Too bad. It was a neat car
THERE WAS AN ABARTH VERSION OF THIS CAR
CALLED THE SCORPIONE .
THESE CAME IN 1000 AND 1300 cc VERSIONS .
MUST HAVE BEEN PRETTY QUICK !
I HAVE ONLY SEEN ONE IN THE WILD .
Given this is made from a Fiat 850 chassis this car is tiny. Parked next to a Miata would show the true scale of this car. Looks like I discovered another car I knew nothing about. Thanks Jim for the write up.
It even looked small next to our MG TD.
I have a 1973 Fiat 850 Spider so when we talk small, small they are. I have more room in my Smart car than I have in my Spider. By the time I shoe horn myself in and my wife joins me we’re elbow to elbow. My first 850 Spider was a 68 and I bought it in 69. I remember that it wasn’t so much of a problem getting in and out. Now that I’m 76 it is definitely a job especially since you’re so low in the car. Like I say once I’m in the work really begins when I want to get out. What we put ourselves through.
It was more likely to be next to the cartoonlike Siata Spring than an MGTD. I used to look at these at the John Rich Fiat store on Victory Blvd in Glendale when I was in high school and needed parts for my Fiat 600.
They are! I saw two of these at Carlisle a few years back, and they were absolutely miniscule. As much as I would love to stick one in a garage, there’s no way I could squeeze behind the wheel.
A friend plopped a 1500-124 TC in 850’s, made an inexpensive ABARTH imitation–went like Hell!
Pal of mine put a 2-litre Fiat motor into his Skoda 120, which made it a rather more entertaining beast. It was entertaining to start with, mind!
There was an outfit named PBS, if I remember correctly, that made a kit to put the twincam engine in.
Sounds like another builder whose ‘run’ ended when he was squished when a tank was left in gear without the parking brake engaged…
As an owner of one of these, beware the motor…original had a roller bearing crank. Not an everyday rebuild. Mine has less rust than this and is red as well. I believe the interiors were only black but maybe Jim S in the NW will know that answer. I am just under 6’2″ and 34″ inseam and although requiring some dexterity, I fit. Once ensconced, the car fits me like a glove and handles amazingly, yes, great thrills making a slow car feel fast. You will not doubt the capability of these which led the year they came to the US of all cars on the skidpad test iirc. I love mine and will get around to my rust repair at some point but just don’t want it off the road that long. It is tiny though and caution out on the road is needed. Mine was originally a bright green-yellow color from poking around, think Miura color (the mirror is actually from a Miura). This one on E-bay will need some repair but there is a lot to work with. I think a bit aggressive on the price but everything is going up! I am always in the market for a good clean one!
I get a lot of SAAB Sonett III vibes from the exterior design, obviously the drivetrain is completely different.
I just viewed e-bay pictures showing incredible amounts of rust along doors, rockers and fenders. The engine is seized in place from sitting so long. Cool little car but price is 2x min. what it should be. I would like to see undercarriage pics also….may be further rusted.
Hello George, Thanks for your call this morning. Sent you images showing no issues with the floor pans and the engine isn’t seized. Rust is minimal and not a big deal for any great body guy with decent restoration experience. The vehicle was bid up to $11,500 including fees on eBay and featured on Barn Finds in 2014, Unique opportunity, and hope you don’t miss it.
Hello George, Thanks for your call this morning. Sent images showing no issues with the floor pans and the engine isn’t seized. Rust is minimal and not a big deal for a great body guy with decent restoration experience. The vehicle was bid up to $11,500 including fees on eBay and featured on Barn Finds in 2014.
Not surprised to hear rust is minimal. It’s not uncommon for one area with poor drainage to be affected and the rest of the vehicle to be just fine. I think the car is a pretty good deal given condition and how damn cool it is. Good luck with sale.
I was getting my Fiat Campagnola 4×4 worked on by a guy that specializes in old, oddball Italian cars and he had TWO of these in his shop. These things are TINY. I don’t think the roof even came up to my hip.
I like it. I think that driving a Saab Sonett or Fiat 850 Spider may be very comparable drivers, at a lesser cost to fix and maintain.
P.S.- no way in h*ll I’d let someone take a car I was selling and autocross it to see if they wanted to buy it…
Good friends in the local sports car club. He ran my Porsche Convertible D while I ran the OTAS. Agree, wouldn’t let just anyone take off with any of our cars to even drive it on the street.
The car was originally Lombardi Grand Prix. Abarth did a later version and the OTAS was a fibal throw of the dice, meant for the US market only. If I remember well, the engine in the OTAS version was destroked by Giannini in order to dodge emissions controls.
Not a bad price for what it is and not difficult to restore if interior and trim parts are extant.
These are so small inside that there isn’t room for an instrument panel in the usual place. Speedo and tach are at the top of the center stack. But yes, I drove one of these—an Abarth Scorpione version—for a magazine story. Yeah? I’d put one in my garage.
Stored for 38 years, engine not running and rust for $13.5?
This seller has high hopes which should be disappointed!
Granted it is an unusual car, but it is still going to be expensive to get this one back on the road again. This should be factored into selling price. $5k would be closer to it’s value in the shape it’s in.
That’s Delusional. Please post the ones you find at $5K.
A basically factory kit car with 850 Fiat running gear? For $13k? If I wanted something this rare I’d buy a steak.
These are cool but very small, non-running.
This won’t get restored to excellent condition for $15k. Far better to buy one in top condition than to restore anything these days.
Let me know when they come available.
I recall ads for these when they were new. Styling has Zagato hints a la Alfa Junior Z, Saab Sonett, even Honda CRX. Definitely worth saving. Call this guy on three months, and if he still has it, make him an offer.
sometime you have to wonder what people are smoking with a price like this,i am fed up at looking at ads were the seller thinks because its rare its worth lots of money,sorry to burst anybodies bubble but sometime you have to look at restoration cost v its price when done,unless its a family heirloom or Elvis Presley once owned it,the reason this was parked up is because did a add up of cost and thought wow not worth the squeeze the another joker picks it up for a song and then tries to screw the hell out of it,me their are a lot nicer cars out there for a lot less grief,time and money,i suppose the market will decide as there as they say one born every minute,
Some of us are fed up with people who haven’t a clue of the current vintage car market ragging on a sellers price. Please post a few of your cars at your very realistic price.
Does anyone buy cars for a hobby anymore, seems like everyone looks at cars as investments,..buy it, fix it ,….then, enjoy it!!!….get your money’s worth in pure joy on the open rural roads, and even more satisfaction knowing YOU did this!
Thank you.
My friends ride on lawn mower has a higher output engine so it must be faster …
Sadly, with the cost of skilled labor these days, this car is just out of reach of a hobby. Rust seen is actually about 3X actual rust unseen. Call it $10k for body work and paint match for a driver quality job. Toss the engine in the dustbin and source a 903, or 998. It would be wise to add a second rad up front. Even a small 3 row rad would keep it cool. Eng cost is going to be $2k. Various chassis fixes for $400 and we’ve gone over the magical $25k invested price. It’s still slow, unsafe, hot, and noisy. Find one of the rare clean X1/9 if one wants cheap Italian.
On the low end of the cost spectrum, even up into the middle, restoration may not make “financial sense.” But then what sense does hopping up a car make? Often that decreases the “value” of a vehicle. But if it increases the owner’s joy, is that bad?
The Right Collector knows the value of Complete and Original and may restore over a couple of years. Others spend those years collecting pieces, wasting time and money with projects that stack up in their backyard/shed with everything else that never gets restored.
or a weekend with a mig welder and a little 20ga sheetmetal to repair door sill. And if lucky another weekend with some carb cleaner, oil and spark plugs (seller states the motor spins free)and you may in fact have a reasonable driver. Not everyone wants a concourse car.
Not to be a wet blanket, but rare doesn’t always mean good. This car is really just a tin can with horrible mechanics, and is a perfect example of why they don’t “make them like this anymore”.
Yes, tiny. With Compomotive 3 piece alloy wheels on mine ( OTAS #75) the overall height of the car is lower than my belly button. I purchased mine in 1980, and have been building it ever since. Now mine has a Fiat X19 radiator up front, coil over front suspension, PBS Engineering reverse rotation 1438cc push-rod Fiat 124 engine, Solex side draft, Abarth tall ratio ring and pinion, and is a dangerous toy in traffic as it easily slides under a semi- trailer to do a lane change. I have a lot of extra parts. Not cheap. Although not a true Abarth Scorpion, pretty close.
Would love to see photos.
I have photos, yet have no idea how to post them here except as for selling the vehicle. Mine is still in primer, but it is currently being set up for paint at a friend’s garage. Happy to share. I am VERY familiar with all aspects of the car for anybody interested. I have MANY extra parts. I believe that this format does not allow Email addresses and web sites. However, you could simply find oddparts fabrication on the net, and make an inquiry.
Rare does not make for valuable….and in this case there probably is a buyer out there, but this car just because its rare makes no sense at this kinda money
Link Motors Milazzo in Italy has a nice example for sale at 22K Sterling.
Roughly 26,800 at todays exchange rate.
I am not finding the example. Please post the link. Thanks
A brief write up on the Abarth Scorpione SS includes info on the Lombardi and OTAS. https://rememberroad.com/how/i-4/abarth-scorpione-ss/
Cool. A rusted out kit car made from a lackluster fiat that used to have lawnmower horsepower…and now has zero horsepower. And all this could be yours for only $15 grand.
Francis Lombardi, born in Genoa, was a distinguished brave flyer during WW1 pioneering the first planes over the skies. Flying and building planes were his main reasons of life after the war too, but eventually he switched to automobile building industry a bit more promising than planes. His main duties were nice upgradings of popular models of small FIat such as 500 and 600. Lombardi premises are still existing in Vercelli.
The crude remarks remain but the car has sold! Good luck to buyer and the future of this collectible!
Sold? That’s great. I hope the new owner maintains it as original as possible. Negative people complaining about dollars for this and that shouldn’t be in the car hobby. Leave the hobby for the true car enthusiasts who actually enjoy cars like this, regardless of how much things cost. Maybe the negative commentors will eventually realize that life isnt all about money.
Have a great Doctor, Lawyer and don’t need a Banker but after the last several years really reiterated what I was told growing up and that is that you might need to get second opinion.
$13,500 was too high and $9,500 was too low. Ive sometimes overpaid knowing my time had value and not worth scouting the planet for something when its available.
Some of the remarks are comical and naive and others disappointing from a few showing how little they really know about cars/motors and objective to beat it down and then try and make a deal. No doubt, if it was their car would be a different story. Great car for Bring A Trailer.
Free would be too much some.
I’m thinking this car is smaller than an MG Midget and bigger than a Berkeley…
It makes a Lotus Europa look big bur yes, bigger than a Berkeley.
John, Well said from seasoned car collector. Enjoy the sale and forget about the negativity from the unschooled!
Buyer from CA was suppose to pay by February 4th. No Show. Re-listing on EBay mid week.
Was just at Barrett-Jackson and Mecum in Las Vegas and someone is going to really appreciate this one.
Poor grammar. Can’t really understand last post. Without re-reading it three times…
TomP,
Probably. Im dyslexic and still working on my English.
These almost never come up for sale. I relisted the item and hope it finds a great home.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/165924748775