Fiat successfully acquired the company in 1971, and Abarth eventually became the racing department of Fiat. The Scorpion emblem appears on all Abarth products and the story goes that Carlo Abarth chose the rather ugly creature for his trademark for two reasons. One, he felt that the strange looks of the scorpion would not only provide great possibilities for artistic expression, and, being ugly, It wasn't apt to be imitated. Secondly Abarth was born under the Zodiac sign of the Scorpion. Today the red and yellow shield with the scorpion on overlay is a familiar sign to all enthusiasts in the motoring world.