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Fiat 131 Abarth Rally - from a spitfire car to a rally icon

Name: Fiat 131 Abarth Rally 1976
Brand: Fiat

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Created on July 28, 2024

Text:

Bruno von Rotz

Photos:

Bruno von Rotz

Archiv

Bruno von Rotz

Archiv

87 1

Fiat 131 Abarth Rally (1976) - various cooling openings for engine and brakes

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Fiat 131 Abarth Rally (1976) - one of the rarest Fiat models of the time

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Fiat 131 Abarth Rally (1976) - 980 kg ready to drive

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Fiat 131 Abarth Rally (1976) - the competition cars were another ten centimeters wider

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Fiat 131 Abarth Rally (1976) - agile despite large wheels

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Fiat 131 Abarth Rally (1976) - looks much sportier than the standard Mirafiori

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Fiat 131 Abarth Rally (1976) - 190 km/h top speed granted to this version by the factory

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Fiat 131 Abarth Rally (1976) - the car cost around CHF 24,000 or DM 21,000 new at the time

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Fiat 131 Abarth Rally (1976) - can be driven very civilly in everyday traffic

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Fiat 131 Abarth Rally (1976) - Power-to-weight ratio 7 kg per hp

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Fiat 131 Abarth Rally (1976) - King of the country roads

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Fiat 131 Abarth Rally (1976) - the wide wheels fill the larger wheel arches well

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Fiat 131 Abarth Rally (1976) - the road versions were delivered without a roll bar

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Fiat 131 Abarth Rally (1976) - you have to imagine the melodious sound

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Fiat 131 Abarth Rally (1976) - the rally genes are immediately recognizable

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Fiat 131 Abarth Rally (1976) - 417 cm long, around five centimeters shorter than the standard Mirafiori

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Fiat 131 Abarth Rally (1976) - trimmed for success on rally tracks

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Fiat 131 Abarth Rally (1976) - hoods and fenders are made of GRP, the doors are clad with aluminum sheets

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Fiat 131 Abarth Rally (1976) - nine centimeters wider than the normal Mirafiori

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Fiat 131 Abarth Rally (1976) - looks much sportier than the normal Mirafiori

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Fiat 131 Abarth Rally (1976) - at 137 cm, a good two centimeters lower than the standard Mirafiori

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Fiat 131 Abarth Rally (1976) - special front spoiler, no bumper

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Fiat 131 Abarth Rally (1976) - looks fast even when stationary

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Fiat 131 Abarth Rally (1976) - View of the interior

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Fiat 131 Abarth Rally (1976) - 3.4 steering wheel turns from stop to stop

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Fiat 131 Abarth Rally (1976) - the cockpit is very similar to that of the standard Mirafiori

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Fiat 131 Abarth Rally (1976) - red area of the rev counter from 6500 rpm

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Fiat 131 Abarth Rally (1976) - the car is easy to steer with the small steering wheel

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Fiat 131 Abarth Rally (1976) - an oil pressure gauge is missing

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Fiat 131 Abarth Rally (1976) - the place for the radio

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Fiat 131 Abarth Rally (1976) - five-speed gearbox with 1st gear at the left rear

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Fiat 131 Abarth Rally (1976) - attractive, but not particularly durable seat covers

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Fiat 131 Abarth Rally (1976) - two fully-fledged seats with rear seat belts

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Fiat 131 Abarth Rally (1976) - two-liter four-cylinder engine with 16-valve head and two overhead camshafts

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Fiat 131 Abarth Rally (1976) - in standard trim, the two-liter engine produces a relatively civilian 140 hp at 6400 rpm

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Fiat 131 Abarth Rally (1976) - longitudinally mounted in-line four-cylinder engine with two overhead camshafts

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Fiat 131 Abarth Rally (1976) - Chassis number

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Fiat 131 Abarth Rally (1976) - the Abarth version is around 60 kg lighter than the standard Mirafiori

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Fiat 131 Abarth Rally (1976) - presented with Pirelli P7 of the dimension 195/50 VR 15

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Fiat 131 Abarth Rally (1976) - Bertone took over the body modifications

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Fiat 131 Abarth Rally (1976) - the wheel arches had to be made significantly wider for the wide tires

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Fiat 131 Abarth Rally (1976) - Tank filler supports in the right C-pillar

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Fiat 131 Abarth Rally (1976) - the pedigree is also documented on the rear end

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Fiat 131 Abarth Rally (1976) - clearly labeled

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Fiat 131 Abarth Rally (1976) - bumpers were dispensed with

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Fiat 131 Abarth Rally (1976) - bold rear spoiler

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Fiat 131 Abarth Rally (1976) - it still looked so stylish in the trunks of the racing version

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Fiat 124 Abarth (1975) - on one of its last outings

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Lancia Stratos HF (1974) - standard version

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Fiat 131 Mirafiori Special (1976) - in the two-door version

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Fiat 131 Mirafiori Special (1976) - four-door version

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Fiat 131 Mirafiori Special (1976) - two-door normal version, which provided the basis for the 131 Abarth

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Fiat 031 Abarth (1975) - winner of the 1975 Giro d'Italia with V6 engine

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Fiat 031 Abarth (1975) - racing version for the Giro d'Italia 1975

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Fiat 031 Abarth (1975) - racing version in Group 5 trim for the 1975 Giro d'Italia on the race track in action

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Fiat 131 Abarth Rally (1976) - road version

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Fiat 131 Abarth Rally (1976) - with striking fender flares

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Fiat 131 Abarth Rally (1976) - Road version on a quick test drive

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Fiat 131 Abarth Rally (1976) - great handling on gravel

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Fiat 131 Abarth Rally (1976) - Interior of the road version

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Fiat 131 Abarth Rally (1976) - road version as a fully-fledged four-seater

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Fiat 131 Abarth Rally (1976) - road version on the Nardo high-speed circuit with other Fiat models

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Fiat 131 Abarth Rally (1976) - McPherson front suspension

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Fiat 131 Abarth Rally (1976) - rear independent suspension with McPherson struts

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Fiat 131 Abarth Rally (1976) - the 16-valve cylinder head

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Fiat 131 Abarth Rally (1976) - Power and torque diagram of the road version

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Fiat 131 Abarth Rally (1976) - Dimensions of the road version

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Fiat 131 Abarth Rally (1976) - view-through drawing of the racing version

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Fiat 131 Abarth Rally (1976) - the racing version with the Oliofiat look

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Fiat 131 Abarth Rally (1976) - racing version with 215 hp and Kugelfischer fuel injection

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Fiat 131 Abarth Rally (1976) - at an early rally event

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Fiat 131 Abarth - Marku Alén with co-driver Kivmaki in the Fiat 131 Abarth at the 1979 Monte Carlo Rally

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Fiat 131 Abarth - Mouton/Arrii in the Fiat 131 Abarth at the 1980 Monte Carlo Rally - Röhrl/Geistdörfer take victory

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Fiat 131 Abarth - The Fiat 131 Abarth did not finish in the front positions at the 1978 Monte Carlo Rally

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Fiat 131 Abarth (1977) - favorite of the 1977 World Rally Championship, in Group 4 version with around 220 hp - Geneva Motor Show 1977

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Fiat 131 Abarth (1979) - part of the special racing car show, behind it BMW 320 Group 5, Porsche 935/78, Porsche 936 - Geneva Motor Show 1979

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Fiat 131 Racing (1979) - the sports version for mere mortals

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Fiat 131 Racing (1980) - the sports version without extensions and 16-valve cylinder head

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Fiat 131 Racing (1981) - the sports version for mere mortals

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Fiat 131 Abarth Volumetrico (1981) - one of only around 190 examples built by Abarth, priced at EUR 25,700 (Retro Classics Bavaria 2017 in Nuremberg)

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Summary

In 1980, Walter Röhrl won the World Rally Championship with the Fiat 131 Abarth Rally, and Fiat won three times in the one-make world championship with the car. The Fiat 131 Mirafiori was by no means born to win rallies. However, this changed with the evolution version 131 Abarth Rally 1976, which was built 400 times. Around 350 of these were "Stradale" versions, one of which was portrayed for this driving report. Many historical photos and illustrations complete the article.

This article contains the following chapters

A new era
Abarth and Bertone
From the 131 Mirafiori to the 131 Abarth Rally
400 units for Italy
A balancing act
Connected to the road
More extreme than the rally version
Successful Stratos competitor and successor
No Group 1 version
New regulations, new cars

Estimated reading time: 12min

Preview (beginning of the article)

Few people who were present at the launch of the new Fiat 131 Mirafiori in 1974 could have imagined that the plain two- or four-door saloon could one day become one of the most successful rally cars of all time. With 55 hp in the basic version or 75 hp in the faster version, combined with a rigid axle at the rear, the design really hardly gave the impression of being a potential competition vehicle. In addition, the Fiat Group already had the Lancia Stratos, which was successful in rallying, and the Fiat 124 Spider Abarth had not yet been written off. But changed circumstances called for new ideas ...

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