Used Cars

Published on October 9th, 2013 | by Daniel Sherman Fernandez

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Fiat 131 Abarth Rare Find

This is the car that won the World Rally Championship 3 times in 4 years, 1977, 1978 and 1980. Fiat’s motorsport division, Abarth, was responsible for engineering this car. To homologate for the series, it needed to build 400 units of road going version. This resulted in the street car we are referring to right here. The 131 Sedan might not be a good starting point for a high performance car. Its boxy body was designed for practicality, its small-capacity pushrod engine emphasized fuel economy, its non-independent rear suspension and 4-speed gearbox excelled only in being basic and simple to use. But it was Fiat’s last and only rear-wheel-drive platform (if you exclude the outdated 124 Spider), and you know, RWD was a must for rallying before the age of 4WD. This was a good enough reason to select the 131 as Fiat’s next generation rally car. 

abarth_fiat-131_1976_1
Of course, a lot of modifications would be necessary. This started from the chassis. The rigid rear axle was replaced by a fully independent suspension with MacPherson struts to improve road holding regardless of bumps and body roll. The engine was replaced by the Lampredi-designed twin-cam unit, now displaced 1995cc and for the first time incorporated a 16-valve cylinder head. This raised its output to 140 horsepower at 6400 rpm. At that time, not many cars in the world had access to 4-valve technology. At the time only the Triumph Dolomite Sprint, Chevrolet Cosworth Vega and Lotus Esprit had that feature. The gearbox was upgraded to 5-speed. Of course, all-wheel disc brakes were employed.

abarth_fiat_131_1976_pictures_1

However, the most obvious changes to us was the bodywork with widened wheel arches, big air dam, rear roof and boot spoilers and extra intakes on the bonnet and the sides. The 131 Abarth looked every bit a rally machine. Bertone had successfully turned the dull-looking 131 into a pulse-raising design. To save weight, all body panels except the roof and doors were made of glass-fiber while the side and rear windows were plexiglass. Bertone was responsible for assembling the body panels to the half finished car and then transferred back to Abarth for final assembly.

On the road, the 131 Abarth street version was not as uncompromising as its look suggested. In fact, its 16V engine was tractable at low rev and linear in its delivery. The ride was surprisingly civilized. After all, it was a rally car. The unassisted steering was quick and communicative. The car felt nimble in the twisty. Unusually for a rear-drive machine of its time, lift off the throttle in mid-corner could trigger oversteering. That said, get used to its character and treat it with respect, it could be great fun to drive.

abarth_fiat_131_1976_13

Now looking back, the 131 Abarth was nowhere as spectacular as the later Group B specials or today’s performance cars. The 980kg machine returned a power-to-weight ratio at 143hp per ton, less than a mass production Volkswagen Golf GTI today. It ran from rest to 60 mph in about 7.8 seconds. Top speed was only 118 mph which was mostly due to its boxy shape. Even the racing version with 230bhp will not be that quick today.

abarth_fiat-131_1976_11


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