• One of only three Tornado-Fiat 600 series ever built and believed to be the sole survivor in this specification.

• Fitted in period with a Lotus Twin-Cam engine — supplied through David Render’s close friendship with Colin Chapman — transforming the car into a formidable class contender.

• Extensively campaigned by David Render and Tony Castle-Miller, achieving more than 80 competition victories and representing the final evolution of Tornado Cars Ltd — a remarkable blend of British ingenuity, Italian design, and Lotus engineering.

The Tornado name occupies a fascinating corner of Britain’s specialist motoring landscape. Founded in the late 1950s by Bill Woodhouse and Tony Bullen, Tornado Cars Ltd produced a string of lightweight, fibreglass-bodied sports and competition cars that combined British chassis know-how with nimble, continental-inspired handling. Models such as the Typhoon, Tempest and Talisman gained cult recognition for their pace and affordability, and by the mid-1960s, Tornado had earned a small but loyal following among club racers.

In 1966, the company’s fortunes took a new turn when it was acquired by racing driver and engineer John Bekaert — a familiar figure on the 1950s and ’60s British motorsport scene, known for his exploits in cars such as the Lister-Jaguar at Goodwood. Under his ownership, Tornado developed a final series of cars that blended Italian inspiration with British ingenuity: the Tornado-Fiat 600GT.

Only three examples were constructed. Each used a strengthened Fiat 600D platform as its base, re-engineered by Tornado to accept far greater performance than its modest city-car origins suggested. The most powerful of the trio, Bekaert’s own works car, employed a dry-sumped 1850 cc Ford engine with a rare Martin crossflow 12-valve head, reputedly capable of out-accelerating Ferraris and E-types in period sprint events. His regular appearances at Blackbushe and Brighton Speed Trials became the stuff of local legend, with speeds approaching 130 mph thanks to an Abarth-supplied 10/39 final drive.

The example offered here — registered ABW 179C — was originally completed by Tornado in 1966 and delivered with a Ford Cortina 1500GT engine. In that form, it proved lively but struggled to match the pace of Bekaert’s factory car. The solution came courtesy of a long-standing friendship between its first owner, the accomplished racer David Render, and Colin Chapman of Lotus. Through that connection, a Lotus-Cortina twin-cam unit was sourced and fitted, transforming the little Tornado into a true giant-killer.

In this new guise, Render campaigned the car with remarkable success, amassing more than 80 event victories across hill climbs and sprints during the late 1960s and early 1970s. Its combination of featherweight balance and free-revving twin-cam power made it a formidable competitor, frequently troubling far larger and more powerful machinery. In 1972, Render sold the car to Tony Castle-Miller, whose association with Tornado and Bekaert dated back to his earliest experiences in motorsport. Castle-Miller continued to use the 600GT competitively in speed events and later developed it further for Special Saloon Car racing, maintaining its formidable reputation on the British club-racing scene throughout the decade.

After a period off the radar, the car underwent a comprehensive rebuild in 2007–08, returning it to its original specification using all original Tornado mechanical components, a replacement Fiat 600D body shell of the correct year, and a first-series Lotus-Cortina twin-cam engine. The result is a faithful restoration that captures the car’s original purpose and period engineering ethos, carefully preserving its authenticity while ensuring reliability and performance.

Today, ABW 179C is believed to be the sole surviving Tornado-Fiat 600GT in existence — a tangible link to one of Britain’s most imaginative small manufacturers, and to a period when ingenuity and friendship between visionary engineers such as Bekaert and Chapman produced truly unique creations.

Mechanically, the car remains in the same spirit as its competition heyday. Power comes from a 1600 cc Lotus twin-cam engine producing approximately 135 bhp, breathing through twin 40 mm Weber carburettors and fitted with sprint cams, uprated rods and valves, a high-pressure oil pump, lightened flywheel and competition clutch. The strengthened Fiat 600D transaxle employs close-ratio straight-cut gears, an Abarth crown wheel and pinion, and a reinforced differential with bespoke driveshafts. Suspension consists of Abarth-derived front springs with adjustable coil-over dampers, heavy-duty rears and a locating strut for precise geometry. Minilite 5.5×13 wheels with period-correct Dunlop Sport tyres complete the purposeful stance.

Cooling is handled by a Tornado-designed front radiator — originally adapted from a marine speedboat — with alloy plumbing and a rear header tank, while the exterior retains its distinctive period modifications: subtly flared arches, Tornado air and front grilles, and a lightweight rear engine cover supported by the signature Tornado hoop. Inside, the cabin remains largely Fiat 600D in appearance, with a fully upholstered interior, competition driver’s seat, and full Tornado instrumentation.

Accompanied by a well-documented history file detailing its competition record, rebuild, and ownership lineage, ABW 179C represents a truly unique opportunity to acquire one of the rarest British-Italian hybrids ever constructed — a car that captures the best of both worlds: the charm of an Italian chassis, the innovation of a British constructor, and the performance of a Lotus twin-cam heart.

A rare and remarkable survivor from a golden age of creativity in British motoring, offered with fascinating provenance and ready to be enjoyed.