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Abarthig - Generation meeting Fiat Abarth 124 Rally Group 4 and Abarth 124 Spider

Name: Fiat Abarth 124 Rally 1973
Brand: Fiat

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Created on November 16, 2016

Text:

Bruno von Rotz

Photos:

Daniel Reinhard

Balz Schreier

Bruno von Rotz

Rudolf Menzi

Fiat

Fiat / FCA Group / Werk

Wolfgang Simlinger

Antoine Dellenbach

Archiv

Daniel Reinhard

Balz Schreier

Bruno von Rotz

Rudolf Menzi

Fiat

Fiat / FCA Group / Werk

Wolfgang Simlinger

Antoine Dellenbach

Archiv

107 1

Fiat 124 Abarth (1973) - the older one is also 10 cm narrower

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Fiat 124 Abarth (1973) - Generation change

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Fiat 124 Abarth (1973) - left halogen, right xenon headlights

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Fiat 124 Abarth (1973) - on the left everything is decided by man, on the right electronics help

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Fiat 124 Abarth (1973) - 43 years lie between the two cars

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Fiat 124 Abarth (1973) - they have similar names, but they are fundamentally different

Bild von Partner Porsche AMAG Mai Foto-Galerie 2026

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Fiat 124 Abarth (1973) - the fender flares on the 124 Abarth created space for wider wheels

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Fiat 124 Abarth (1973) - a little water can't shock a real rally car

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Fiat 124 Abarth (1973) - only the windshield wipers can no longer keep up with the floods of water

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Fiat 124 Abarth (1973) - Attention - Danger of aquaplaning

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Fiat 124 Abarth (1973) - through deep water

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Abarth 124 Spider (2016) - through deep water

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Fiat 124 Abarth (1973) - Water crossings are common in rally sport

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Fiat 124 Abarth (1973) - the sports car is not afraid of water

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Fiat 124 Abarth (1973) - as it once was at the Safari Rally

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Abarth 124 Spider (2016) - the sports car of modern times also holds its own in deep water

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Fiat Abarth 124 Rally (1973) - this car was upgraded to Group 4

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Abarth 124 Spider (2016) - the modern car paves its way through the water

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Abarth 124 Spider (2016) - the modern car is much easier to drive

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Fiat 124 Abarth (1973) - in two-tone paintwork

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Abarth 124 Spider (2016) - Fiat modified the Mazda MX-5, especially at the front and rear

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Fiat 124 Abarth (1973) - with riveted-on fender flares like the factory cars of the time

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Abarth 124 Spider (2016) - Disc brakes all round

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Fiat 124 Abarth (1973) - Disc brakes all round

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Abarth 124 Spider (2016) - in search of the apex

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Abarth 124 Spider (2016) - the quality of the chassis only becomes apparent when all electronic aids are switched off

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Abarth 124 Spider (2016) - can be driven playfully fast

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Abarth 124 Spider (2016) - you can drive the Spider open even in cool weather

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Abarth 124 Spider (2016) and Fiat 124 Abarth (1973) - they are not quite the same size, but the differences are smaller than expected

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Fiat 124 Abarth (1973) - normally both cars tend to understeer

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Fiat 124 Abarth (1973) - circuits were not the thing for the original 124 Abarth

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Fiat 124 Abarth (1973) - the modern car is designed as a convertible

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Fiat 124 Abarth (1973) - the rally car always drives with a hardtop

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Fiat 124 Abarth (1973) and Abarth 124 Spider (2016) - the true nature of the two cars is only revealed when they're pushed hard

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Fiat 124 Abarth (1973) - the rally car has to do without bumpers completely

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Fiat 124 Abarth (1973) - the 124 Spider was already introduced in 1966

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Fiat 124 Abarth (1973) - the additional oil cooler is clearly visible

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Fiat 124 Abarth (1973) - the two-tone paintwork suits it well

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Fiat 124 Abarth (1973) - the old one looks slimmer, but is hardly smaller than the new one

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Fiat 124 Abarth (1973) - only one exterior mirror, who looks to the rear anyway

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Fiat 124 Abarth (1973) - six headlights draw a lot of power

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Fiat 124 Abarth (1973) - immediately recognizable as a rally car

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Abarth 124 Spider (2016) - you sit further back in the new Spider

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Fiat 124 Abarth (1973) - upside down world

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Abarth 124 Spider (2016) and Fiat Abarth 124 Rally Group 4 (1973) - the matt black hood is not as striking on the new Spider in black

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Fiat 124 Abarth (1973) - are they related or not?

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Abarth 124 Spider (2016) and Fiat 124 Abarth (1973) - interestingly, the competition versions of the old 124 Abarth did not have a matt black hood

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Fiat 124 Abarth (1973) - two exhaust pipes are enough for the seventies rally car, today it has to be four

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Abarth 124 Spider (2016) and Fiat 124 Abarth (1973) - high versus low rear end

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Fiat 124 Abarth (1973) and Abarth 124 Spider (2016) - almost the same length

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Fiat 124 Abarth (1973) and Abarth 124 Spider (2016) - a lot has happened in 43 years

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Abarth 124 Spider (2016) - the new Abarth 124 is well received

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Fiat 124 Abarth (1973) - six lamps for a hallelujah

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Fiat 124 Abarth (1973) - the interior for rally drivers

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Abarth 124 Spider (2016) - cozy and luxurious thanks to Alcantara

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Fiat 124 Abarth (1973) - Rally interior with roll cage

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Abarth 124 Spider (2016) - Standard interior of the modern era

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Fiat 124 Abarth (1973) - 220 km/h is not impossible for a Group 4 Spider

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Fiat 124 Abarth (1973) - easy-grip steering wheel, gearshift right next to it

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Fiat 124 Abarth (1973) - if you want to go fast, you must not shy away from high revs

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Fiat 124 Abarth (1973) - the instruments are left as standard

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Abarth 124 Spider (2016) - the rev counter is reminiscent of Ferrari

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Abarth 124 Spider (2016) - Abarth sign in the steering wheel

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Fiat 124 Abarth (1973) - the factory engines produced over 160 hp

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Abarth 124 Spider (2016) - the engine was already found in the Abarth 595

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Fiat 124 Abarth (1973) - two camshafts for four cylinders and eight valves

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Abarth 124 Spider (2016) - with turbocharger for 170 hp good

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Fiat Abarth 124 Rally (1973) - Chassis badge

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Fiat 124 Abarth (1973) - the old Fiat badge with the wreath

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Abarth 124 Spider (2016) - Abarth sign on the new Spider

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Fiat Abarth 124 Rally (1973) - the wheels are attached to four screws

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Fiat Abarth 124 Rally (1973) - Origin lettering

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Fiat Abarth 124 Rally (1973) - the bumper horns remain at the rear

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Abarth 124 Spider (2016) - chrome-plated type designation

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Fiat 124 Sport Spider (1966) - elegant and with a touch of Ferrari

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Fiat 124 Sport Spider (1966) - the roof provides good all-round visibility

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Fiat 124 Sport Spider (1966) - View into the engine compartment

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Fiat 124 Abarth Rally (1973) - on the road without the hardtop

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Fiat 124 Abarth at the 1972 Geneva Motor Show - Premiere in Geneva - Pininfarina created the basis for rally sport

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Fiat 124 Abarth at the 1972 Geneva Motor Show - rally version of the 124 convertible with fixed hardtop, downsized by 110 kg

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Fiat 124 Abarth (1972) - front view of the sportiest variant

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Fiat 124 Sport Coupé (1974) - together with Abarth 124 Spider and 124 Spider

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Fiat 124 Abarth (1974) - 53 kg were saved compared to the standard Spider, despite the hardtop and safety equipment

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Fiat 124 Abarth (1973) - always two-tone

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Fiat 124 Abarth (1973) - the hoods are made of GRP

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Fiat 124 Abarth (1974) - on a quick test drive

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Fiat 124 Abarth Rally (1973) - Works car for rally use

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Fiat 124 Abarth Rally (1973) - Rear view of the factory car for rally use

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Fiat 124 Abarth Rally (1974) - the version for the East African Safari 1974 with protective grille in front of the windshield

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Fiat 124 Abarth (1974) - Group 4 rally version in action

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Fiat 124 Abarth - Markku Alén finishes third in the 1975 Monte Carlo Rally in the Fiat 124 Abarth

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Abarth 124 Spider (2016) - an Abarth based on a Fiat, which in turn is actually a Mazda MX-5 - at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show

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Fiat 124 Abarth (1974) - Auto e Moto d'Epoca 2016 in Padua

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Fiat 124 Abarth (2016) - Auto e Moto d'Epoca 2016 in Padua

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WRC Classic Rally Germany 2010: Fiat 124 Abarth 1976

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Fiat Abarth 124 Rallye (1973) - Participant in the Lignières Historique 2013

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Fiat-Abarth 124 Rallye Group 4 (1972) - Stoderzinken mountain classification - Ennstal-Classic 2014

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Fiat 124 Abarth (1975) - at the Winter RAID 2015

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Fiat 124 Abarth Gr 4 (1972) at the Ennstal Classic 2010

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Fiat 124 Abarth (1972) - at the Ennstal-Classic 2016

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Fiat 124 Abarth Rally (1974) - Chantilly Arts & Elégance 2016

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Summary

Around 40 years ago, the World Rally Championship was contested with special Gran Turismo sports cars in the style of an Alpine-Renault, Lancia Fulvia or Fiat 124 Abarth. Those who wanted to be at the front of the field ensured the best possible conditions with a small series of at least 500 units. In those years, Fiat had acquired a taste for rallying and commissioned the newly acquired Abarth racing car manufacturer to upgrade the Fiat 124 Spider into a rally-winning vehicle. The result was the road-going version of the Fiat 124 Abarth Rally, an evolutionary vehicle with sporty characteristics. Around four decades later, Fiat once again presented an Abarth 124 Spider. This report will show whether the new model has anything in common with its rally ancestor.

This article contains the following chapters

From the past to modern times
Homologation series
Lighter and more powerful
Neither fish nor fowl?
Mixed results
Rarity
The reinterpretation
Further information

Estimated reading time: 7min

Preview (beginning of the article)

It's raining, wet and cold - the typical weather for a Monte Carlo Rally. And the right car is ready and waiting, a Fiat Abarth 124 Rally in Group 4 trim from 1973. The red and yellow paintwork is reflected in the dark asphalt. The car seems to be crying out to be driven off at last. We sit behind the small leather steering wheel and look at the classic Fiat round instruments. The engine is started with the ignition key and immediately falls into a slightly bumpy and audible idle. First gear engages with an audible click, the gearbox is straight-toothed. Let's go. Second gear is engaged with an intermediate clutch, third follows immediately. The propulsion is impressive despite the slippery road surface - after all, the car is over 40 years old. Quick reactions to steering movements and only slight lateral inclination in bends show that we are dealing with a real sports car, one that has finished on the podium of the historic Swiss Rally Championship several times.

Welcome to Zwischengas!