abarths

By Wallace Wyss

One of the most colorful characters I ever met in the classic car circles was Dr. Norbert McNamara.
When I met him I was in the newly formed Iso-Bizzarrini club. Colonel McNamara owned at least two Bizzarrinis at one time. He joined the US Army as a medical doctor in the hopes he would get assigned to Europe and he got his wish. At the time I met him he was based in the Presidio, a base right in San Francisco overlooking the sea. He spent all his free time searching for exotic cars, parking them all over the base.

Owing to the fact that he was an officer, he got away with it.

He had a very devoted wife, Sabra, who fully indulged his hobby, I remember at one point I drove into a racetrack in some little Italian car and she came running up wanting to know what it was in case Norbert would be interested. (I wish I had a wife like that. All my wives hated all my cars.) Anyway I heard the other day that Norbert passed away in 2010 with complications from Altzheimers and that made me sad–he was a car enthusiast who really lived life to its fullest for the longest time.

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Antony Berni with his Fiat Abath 1000 TCR.

Words and photos by Roberto Motta
Italian text at end of photo selection

The idea of creating a gathering dedicated to owners of Abarths stems from the fact that there are not many opportunities to enjoy Abarths. Therefore, about a year ago, a few friends and sympathizers of the marque decided to organize the Historic Abarth track day.

Giorgio Solda in a 1979 Formula Fiat Abarth, Carlo Abarth's last project.

Friends included Tony Berni, Abarth specialist and founder of Berni Motors, Perry (Pierangelo) Passini of Franzoni’s Auto Brescia, and Giuseppe Giuffré, president of the Italian Abarth Historic Register.

This year was the second event and was held on June 30 2011 at the Circuit de Francia Corta ‘Daniel Bonera’, (located in the province of Brescia in Lombardy) with participants from all over Europe, had both a race and show. Abarth owners were able to prove their car on the track, and a show is held for those not eager to race. This year the show turned the paddock of the circuit in a real open air museum.

Horst-Pichler with SE021, a 2000 sports prototype built for the 1971 European Constructor's Championship.

The event drew about 100 participants and over fifty cars registered for the track. The cars were divided into four categories, and each category was allowed to use the track for a test period of 25 minutes each.

Berlina 1000 TC Radiale of Giuseppe Giuffré, president of the Italian Abarth Historic Register.

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