280 bhp, 1,986 cc DOHC 16-valve inline four-cylinder engine with Lucas indirect fuel injection, Hewland FG400 five-speed manual transmission, monocoque chassis, front and rear independent suspension with trailing arms, stabiliser bars, and coil springs with hydraulic dampers, and four-wheel hydraulic disc brakes.

Weight: 575 kg.

Wheelbase: 2,300 mm The SE 027 was a wholly new project that had been developed at Corso Marche and was designed by Mario Colucci, with the support of Carlo Abarth himself.

The 2.0-litre sport prototype was clothed in a lightweight fibreglass body that was designed in conjunction with Pininfarina at their newly built wind tunnel facility.

That research and testing led to the more curvilinear shape of the SE 027, compared to the harder-edged, wedge-shaped designs of the past.

The front end of the new Abarth prototype featured a short overhang that sloped dramatically upwards over fared-in rectangular headlamps and led to a broad, flat tail end mounted with ...