Numbers first, because with the Abarth 205 they are the story: 1089 , 65 PS. Abarth built from 1950 to 1953, at the height of the post-war boom. Its designer of record is Giovanni Michelotti (for Ghia).
Where it came from
The Abarth 205A Berlinetta was a coupé sports car, also known as the Abarth 205A Monza built by Austrian born tuning expert Carlo Abarth in 1950. It was a development of the Abarth Cisitalia 204A but with a new platform chassis, still using the engine and other components from the Fiat 1100 B/E.
Only three 205As were finished in 1950; chassis numbers 101, 102, and 103, but an additional car (chassis 104) was built in 1953 with an extravagant Ghia body. Slow sales meant that for the next few years Abarth chose to focus on building his exhaust and tuning business, allowing competition and car manufacturing take a backseat. In 1955, the 205A was succeeded by the 207A Spyder and its derivatives.
Under the skin
Under the skin sits 1089 it is rated at 65 PS; other versions carried different engines, listed in the specification table below. Kerb weight is 818 kg. Power-to-weight lands near 79 horsepower per tonne, which is unhurried — enough for the job, not for the bragging. The gearbox is a 4-speed manual. The layout matters: a front engine drives the rear wheels, the classic proportion — long bonnet, cabin set back — that most people picture when they picture a sports saloon or a grand tourer. The wheelbase is 2210 mm. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
In context
Where it sits in Abarth's history is not in doubt: the Abarth 207A Spyder followed it; it was built at Turin, Italy. Nearby in the Abarth catalogue sit the Abarth 1000 GT Coupé and the Abarth 124 Rally.
The money
MotorJury scores cars on the United States complaint and recall record, and the Abarth 205 has none: too old, too rare, or never sold there. Its value today is a collector's question, decided by provenance and condition rather than by a class average.