Fiat 131 Abarth

Feb 28, 2009 - 6:52 AM

Three world championships, 1977/78 & 80, makes the Fiat 131 Abarth Rallye (to use its full title) one of the most successful and versatile world championship rally cars of all time. Capable of winning on tarmac, and on the roughest of dirt roads, the strength of these cars lay in the ease of adaptability, and their immense strength of the chassis.

Almost all the outer panels were either fibreglass or aluminium (except the roof), the windows were Perspex, and there was absolutely nothing of the standard road car, that did not have to be there, yet given all that, the car still weighed close to 1100klgs, in rough road trim, and 975 in Light weight trim. Abarth went to town when they homologated this car – infact they got it so right, that very few amendments were made over the next 4 years. 400 body shells were made on the Fiat production line, 350 were shipped to Bertone (the Italian coach building firm) for assembly as homologation road specials, the other 50... [Read More]