Book Review: Abarth Buyer’s Guide

By Gerald Rothman
This rather gushing review is reprinted and edited from “The Stinger”, September 1991.(ed.)

The “Abarth Buyer’s Guide” arrived in the mail recently and it is the book for which we have all been waiting for. It is Vack’s assessment of each car that makes this book so special.
The book is almost flawless and Peter takes it beyond most similar efforts, explains the mysterious hold these rare cars have on people and he provides a vital new fact: by their very nature Abarths are exciting, and addictive.

Vack’s book tells the unblemished story of all the Abarth cars, including the early Cisitalias, Fiats, Simcas, the Zagatos and Bialberos, Porsche Abarths, Lancias, the formula cars, and record cars. Although the is basically a value guide, Peter takes an analytical look and created a relatively accurate rating system heading each chapter using stars to indicate a cars’ worth.

The book is built upon an impressive archive of historical photographs, many of them rare and original Abarth factory photos. The detailed text chronicles the developmental history of Abarth, including accurate specifications, restoration and authenticity notes. The capsule history of each car is another good feature for the true enthusiast, who needs all these facts at his fingertips.

Long time suffering readers of other Abarth books will greatly appreciate seeing chapters that are arranged logically, with a great graphic layout. Peter has shown us that with a little effort and scholarship one can make sense out of a little understood subject. It is written in a loose but lucid style, where the author doesn’t perform a single lobotomy of the English language and his personality doesn’t intrude. Peter is in full control and cuts through much of the personal trivia so prevalent in some other Abarth books. He tells the story better, more clearly and without the use of the egotistical first person “I”. With Peter, writing is not a career but a lifetime commitment. Peter’s true legacy is his talent; he is as handy with the pen as with the wrench.

Peter has obtained the cooperation of many Abarth Register members, who provided photos from their personal files. Mary Decker Vack, Peter’s wife, deserves tribute as a worthy contributor, wife, homemaker and mother. She has done a craftsman-like job of photographing many of these cars at various Abarth meets and I have personally observed her with camera and tripod at venues from Lime Rock to Sebring.

This is definitely a must book for every Abarth owner and enthusiast, even if you already have the Braden-Schmidt book. If you have some basic knowledge of the Abarth Marque, this book will stretch the scope of your appreciation for Carlo Abarth and his World Championship racing cars. The only thing missing is how these Italian cars provide the essence of romance between you and the open road.

Editor and Author’s Note:

Well, I’m a bit relieved now that that is over!
Gerald was kind, but we must admit he was addressing the original Abarth Buyer’s Guide which was published by Motorbooks International back in 1991. That sold out quickly enough but did not go into a second edition. The rights were returned to me and the book was then scanned and published as an electronic book. Had Rothman been able to compare the two, he would have noted that the photos are not as clear or as crisp as the original. That being said, the results aren’t bad and the book has been selling quite well since 2001 in this format. We offer it through VeloceToday for the first time, and each copy is signed by the author.