By the end of the 1960s, Abarth was no longer the scrappy, cigar-smoking tuning house that had once terrified Fiat, Alfa Romeo, and even Ferrari.

Carlo (Karl) Abarth founded his eponymous Bolognese company in 1949 after acquiring the assets of race-car builder Cisitalia. Throughout the 1950s, Abarth & C. produced street, competition, and ...