This unique open-top classic car is now for sale for nearly $900,000
- This 1955 Abarth 208 A Spyder by Boano is a one-off.
- It has a 1.1 liter engine and only 66 hp.
- The current owner is asking around $870,000 for it.
It’s rare that you get the chance to own a piece of history, but that’s exactly what’s on offer today in the form of the Abarth 208 A Spyder by Boano. It’s a stunning look back in time and the coolest way to possibly burn your leg, or more likely, your passenger’s leg.
Built in response to the growing American trend for tailfins and aeronautical design themes, the 208 A has siblings. Known as the 207 A and 209 A, they formed the trio of cars presented by Abarth at the 1955 Turin Motor Show.
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While Boano gets credit for the nomenclature, Giovanni Michelotti actually designed the bodywork. The fins are clearly a prominent feature, appearing at every corner. Pop-up headlights partially give away the car’s age, and there’s a beltline just below the door on each side.
Beneath the sheet metal lies a car that is almost identical to the Fiat 1100 of the time. It has a 1.1-liter four-cylinder engine that produces just 66 hp (49 kW). This meager power is only sent to the rear wheels via a manual transmission. Of course, it also directs the exhaust from the engine directly under where the passenger gets in and out. Despite its considerable age, it appears to be in excellent condition. During its decades-long life, it was under the care of the Du Pont brothers, Tony Pompao and Bill Hale.
Hale specifically claims to have driven the car himself for several years in Long Island, Maine and New York. Since his ownership, it has changed hands twice more. Now it is for sale through the private sales sector of RM Sotheby’s. The seller is asking €795,000, or about $870,000.
That’s undoubtedly an incredible sum, but the importance of this car is beyond question. It was part of Abarth’s early years, it clearly made a splash, and it’s a one-off that can’t be found anywhere else in the world. Is it really worth nearly a million dollars? That’s for the next buyer to decide when they make a deal on it.
