The Scorpion's Sting

Few names in automotive history strike such a balance between passion, precision, and audacity as Abarth. Born from the singular vision of Carlo Abarth-a man who turned mechanical ingenuity into an art form-this is the story of how a small workshop in postwar Turin became a global icon of speed. The Scorpion's Sting: The Abarth Story traces the full arc of Abarth's journey, from its roots in the ashes of Europe's rebuilding years to its rebirth as a modern performance brand. This book brings to life the spirit of Carlo Abarth, an Austrian-born visionary who believed that greatness could be engineered from simplicity. Through small engines and lighter frames, he redefined the limits of possibility, creating cars that conquered circuits, hill climbs, and rally stages across Europe. From the record-breaking endurance runs at Monza in the 1950s to the World Rally Championship triumphs under Fiat and Lancia, Abarth became synonymous with cleverness, craft, and courage. Beyond motorsport, the Abarth story is one of enduring identity. It reveals how a symbol-a scorpion on a yellow-and-red shield-came to represent the essence of Italian ingenuity: compact yet fierce, refined yet rebellious. Through decades of innovation, dormancy, and revival, the Scorpion's sting has never faded. Today, whether through the growl of a turbocharged 595 or the hum of an all-electric 500e, the Abarth legacy continues to remind the world that performance is not measured by size, but by soul. Beautifully written, fact-driven, and richly detailed, The Scorpion's Sting is the definitive chronicle of Abarth's remarkable evolution-from backstreet tuner to world-class performance brand-and the timeless engineering philosophy that changed how the world sees small cars.