Italian Mystery or Misery? 1971 OTAS Lombardi Grand Prix 820cc
Occasionally we find a car that is a unicorn. Something rare, rarely seen, or just strange. Today we’ve got the trifecta of oddness. This is a car commonly known as the Lombardi Grand Prix, but it was also badged as OTAS (Officina Trasformazioni Automobili Sportive, or “Shop of Sports Car Conversion”), Abarth, and Lombardi, depending on the region. It was developed by Carrozzeria Francis Lombardi (which was originally a light aircraft design corp) with an in-house design by Giuseppe Rinaldi, using the Fiat 850 underpinnings. Is it a kit car? Ummmmmm, I’m going to say no, it is its own thing because you could have been one of the 76 people to import a Lombardi GP between 1969-1972, but you couldn’t buy it in kit form. Yes, it used Fiat 850 bits, but it is more of a coachbuilt thing than a kit. The only one I’ve seen is in the collection at the Lane Motor Museum in Nashville, so if you want one, hit the buy-it-now button because you won’t see another for this price anytime soon. Find this 1971 OTAS Lombardi Grand Prix 820cc offered for $13,500 in Ft Worth, TX via eBay.
From the seller:
Incredibly original Texas – New Mexico Car that was in dry storage for 38+ years. Cant find any numbers and sold with a Bill of Sale or possibly Texas Title. Non -running.
See a better way to drive an exotic Italian for the price of a mass market German car? tips@dailyturismo.com
So a Sonnet ate a Fiat 850…
Too bad about the sills on the passenger side. The good thing is the motor can be removed by hand and simple to work on. Nice looking car. The Fiat 850 Sport these are based on were fun cars to drive hard, which they were by necessity.
Definitely the cheapest way to pick up an Italian exotic and an entry to Concorso Italiano. With about an equal amount of headaches to refurbishing a more common Fiat, I’d absolutely choose this route. You’ll never make money on this, but it’s still worth the effort. That center stack of gauges seals the deal for me. It’s got all the right ’70s Italian funkiness.
What a deal