Abarth Monomille GT Beccaris

Abarth Monomille GT Beccaris was unveiled by Carlo Abarth at 1961 Frankfurt in September 1961. Abarth designed the compact GT in-house at its Corso Marche factory in Turin, and Beccaris built the body. Beccaris was located near the Abarth works and served as the company’s preferred bodybuilder. The car combined a compact form with the high-performance character expected of an Abarth road model in the early 1960s.

The Beccaris-bodied Monomille differed externally from the Abarth Monomille GT Sibona Basano. Its rear end omitted the distinctive ducktail treatment used on the Sibona Basano version. This gave the Beccaris car a separate rear profile within the Monomille range, while retaining the model’s low, sleek proportions. The design was developed at Abarth rather than by an outside styling house, and Beccaris carried the Turin-built design into production.

Abarth positioned the Monomille for motorists seeking a rapid and usable GT rather than for professional racing drivers. Contemporary road tests praised its design and performance, while also drawing attention to its price. The Monomille cost 33 per cent more than a Porsche 1600 C and was priced at approximately the level of five Volkswagen Beetles. That figure placed the car well above the reach of many prospective buyers, despite its compact dimensions and practical road-car role.

The Monomille also altered the familiar comparison between Abarth GTs and Ferrari models. Its price, finish and exclusivity put it in a more elevated market position than the humorous “poor man’s Ferrari” label often attached to earlier Abarth GT cars. On the road, its compact proportions and specialised appearance made it conspicuous in everyday use. Its technical workmanship and limited availability have since made the model sought after by Abarth collectors.

Production was extremely limited. Fewer than 50 Monomilles were built between 1961 and 1965, while other published estimates put the total at fewer than 25 cars. The Beccaris-bodied version remains distinct from the Sibona Basano model through its rear-end treatment and its construction by Beccaris in Turin’s Abarth orbit during that period. The reported production span runs from 1961 to 1965.