Abarth Works Lier
- 29 ene 2022
- 2 Min. de lectura
Carlo Abarth was an iconic engineer. Of Austrian origin, he spent much of his career working in Italy. Most enthusiasts know him for the modifications he made to Fiat cars for racing, although he also prepared models from other Italian brands, as well as from Simca and Porsche.
You might think that you need to go to Italy to experience a full Abarth collection, but you can also enjoy the brand's best atmosphere a little further north. During a trip to Rotterdam, I had the opportunity to visit Lier, a small town near Brussels in Belgium, which is home to a true Abarth temple.
The place exudes the brand's atmosphere. Part of the complex is a small museum, where cars are displayed in showcases facing outside. Behind this, there is a huge warehouse housing dozens of sports cars, all lined up by model. I also had the opportunity to visit another large workshop full of spare parts and cars under restoration.
The collection is impressive, featuring numerous sports cars with aerodynamic bodies crafted by renowned Italian coachbuilders such as Viotti, Bertone and Zagato. There are also plenty of customisations to standard bodies, ranging from the Fiat 500 to the 2300 Coupé. An Autobianchi Primula model, the first front-wheel drive car produced by the Fiat group, looked excellent. However, I missed a model that is usually among the most unfairly overlooked in my opinion. Among the hundreds of Fiats on display, there wasn't a single 127, which was the brand's bestseller in the 1970s.
I was struck by the fact that rare models such as the Abarth 1300 Scorpione, the Fiat 2300 Coupé and the 125 Samantha Vignale were present in pairs or trios.
While the Fiat universe dominates, there are also other related brands present. There are plenty of examples from Lada, Polski, and Seat. There was even an Argentine Fiat 125 Coupé, just like the one we saw in Caminito. I was surprised to see a couple of Seat 124 FLs; one of them looked like a replica of the 2100 Gr. 5 — It felt like we were in Nave 122!
There was a couple of Seat 133s to restore. These were not recent imports, but rather units that were originally sold in the area. The 1200 Sport is perhaps the most unique SEAT model, as it has no counterpart in the FIAT range. In Lier, there are two examples of this small coupé.
In short, it's an impressive place for any car enthusiast, Italian or otherwise. A large museum is planned for construction in the future, which is set to open to the public in 2025. This will undoubtedly be an excellent opportunity to visit Lier again.
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