After the Bizzarrini 5300 GT Strada, we continue to discover the Guikas Collection sale through RM Sotheby's the 19th November in Le Castellet (France) with this beautiful 1963 Abarth-Simca 1300 GT Coupé with a coachwork by Beccaris :

Very cool car on the basis of the Simca 100, the car owned by my parents when I was very young 😀. Completely different in style and performance... I didn't know it was the same chassis and the coachworker, Beccaris, was also unknown to me. So perfect to make a post and learn a bit more about this model.

Just to remind you, the Guikas Collection is the sale of 75 racing and road cars owned by Jean Guikas, collector and car dealer from Marseille (France) GUIKAS GTC Collection.

If you want to see some of the cars sold during this sale :

Model	Estimated Price	Post
Bizzarrini 5300 GT Strada	Around $US 800,000	More

History of Abarth-Simca 1300 GT

The Abarth-Simca GT is racing cars produced from 1962 and 1966 on the basis of the Simca 1000 chassis in three models : 1300 GT, 1600 GT, 2000 GT.

For information, the Simca 1000 is due to the project Fiat 122 to replace the Fiat 600 but refused by Fiat. In 1957, the president of Simca, Henri Theodore Pigozzi saw the prototype in Turin and launched the project. Penned by Mario Revelli de Beaumont and with engine at the rear, the Simca 1000 was born.

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To strengthen the image of the new car, Henri Theodore Pigozzi wanted to rely on a sport version as Fiat did for years in Italy. An agreement was reached with Abarth to produce this version. It was the first car produced by Abarth, before the company used to prepare or modify existing cars.

In 1962, the Abarth-Simca 1300 GT was launched during the Geneva Motor Show with a body penned by Carozzeria Beccaris, Italian body shop company based in Turin known especially for its collaboration with Abarth between 1960 and 1962. In order to get the homologation for competition, 100 exemples should have been sold. In 1963 the car was at its top with 90 victories all over the world and 2 Wolrd championship in 1964 and 1965 (source : abarth-germany.de).

Specification

The Abarth-Simca 1300 GT was equipped with 1288 cc Fiat engine mated with 4-speed manual powertrain this producing around 125 hp. The car can reach 60 mph in 6 seconds and 100 kmh in 6.4 seconds (source : automobile-catalog.com)

Great coachwork, I like the front, it's look like an happy frog 😀. But I'm not a fan of the color chosen for this example, blue smurf. But only a detail... The interior is georgous with this patina of the seats 👍

What do you think of this car ? I like this car in terms of design and moreover the same base as the Simca 1000, car of my childhood...

Sale

Model :	1963 Abarth-Simca 1300 GT Coupé
Where :	RM Sotheby's The Guikas Collection
When :	19 November 2021
Estimated Price :	Unknown

Sources

RM Sotheby's The Guikas Collection
Lot : Abarth-Simca 1300 GT Coupé

Wikipedia :
Abarth-Simca GT

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Bonus Pic

I love these old pics :

The Abarth-Simca 1300 GT Coupe during its first race with behind the wheel Renato Arfe (6th in class at the 1963 Consuma Hill Climb).