Fiat 128 Rally
(1971 - 1976)
Car articles about Fiat 128 Rally by year
Gone were the days in the seventies when hardly anyone drove small cars, because in the age of parking space shortages and second cars, short, agile cars with as little superfluous sheet metal as possible were in demand like never before. Especially if they were also a bit sporty. The four candidates in the 1974 comparison test - Fiat 128 Rally, Simca 1000 Rallye 2, Autobianchi A 112 Abarth and Mini 1275 GT - had to prove themselves both in everyday traffic and on the Hockenheimring.
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.
Just over 1000 examples of the Fiat Abarth 124 Rallye were built between 1972 and 1974 and they actually served only one purpose, namely to enable Fiat to win rallies. It was only marginally successful in this, but as a "waste product", so to speak, an attractive road version was created for anyone who could afford a car costing around 20,000 francs/mark at the time. This report describes the history of the Fiat Abarth 124 Rally and shows it in historical and current pictures. There is also a sound sample.
In 1971, Fiat presented the new 128 Coupé, intended for everyday use and the not-too-large family, as a competitor to the Ford Capri, the Opel Manta and the Renault 15/17. The significantly larger successor to the 850 Coupé benefited from the modern technology of the 128 saloon, which had already been presented in 1969, and managed to establish itself on the market and with buyers thanks to its low prices and excellent driving performance. Today, the early coupés with a hip swing and no tailgate have become particularly rare, but this report portrays an early example with less than 20,000 km on the clock that looks almost like it did on day one. And of course you can hear it too.
In 1969, Fiat presented an innovative successor to the Fiat 1100. The Fiat 128 had a transverse front engine that drove the front wheels. And this engine was a bravura piece, with a modern design and incredibly high revs. As early as 1971, the 1.1-liter was followed by a 1.3-liter; as the Fiat 128 rallye, the conservatively styled sedan now produced 67 hp and ran at over 150 km/h. This meant that more expensive sports cars could be blown away. This driving report describes the history of the Fiat 128, describes the "rally" version and shows historical and current pictures, including sound samples.
Five mid-range coupés from four countries were compared by the magazine 'hobby' in 1975: Toyota Celica, Ford Capri II, Renault R15, Fiat 128 SL and VW Scirocco. And the question was whether the beauty of the cars would win out over their reduced utility value. This carefully edited original comparison test from 1975 reproduces the text and findings and is illustrated with many additional archive images.
The Berlinetta was Fiat's second attempt to turn the 128 front-wheel drive saloon into an appealing sports model. The attempt - after bodywork tweaks and conversion into an estate coupé - was largely successful. The result was a car with an appealing design that was safe to drive, economical and well equipped for the price. The test report from 1975 summarizes its strengths and weaknesses.
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.
Current market prices for Fiat 128 Rally
2-Door Sedan, 54 PS, 1116 cm3
4-Door Sedan, 54 PS, 1116 cm3
null, 54 PS, 1116 cm3
2-Door Sedan, 54 PS, 1116 cm3
4-Door Sedan, 54 PS, 1116 cm3
2-Door Sedan, 60 PS, 1283 cm3
4-Door Sedan, 60 PS, 1283 cm3
Coupe, 64 PS, 1116 cm3
Coupe, 75 PS, 1283 cm3
Coupe, 64 PS, 1116 cm3
Coupe, 75 PS, 1283 cm3
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Auctioned vehicles of Fiat 128 Rally
| Brand | Model | Year | Status | Auction name | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fiat-Abarth 124 Rally Spider CSA 1974 Conditional Sale Oldtimer Galerie Toffen Swiss Classic World (June 3, 2023) |
124 Rally Spider CSA | 1974 | Conditional Sale | Oldtimer Galerie Toffen Swiss Classic World (June 3, 2023) | |
| Fiat 124 Sport Spider Abarth Rally Stradale 1976 Sold Bonhams Padua (October 27, 2018) |
124 Sport Spider Abarth Rally Stradale | 1976 | Sold | Bonhams Padua (October 27, 2018) | |
| FIAT 131 Abarth Rally Gr. 4 1976 Not Sold Artcurial Le Mans Classic 2016 Sale (July 9, 2016) |
131 Abarth Rally Gr. 4 | 1976 | Not Sold | Artcurial Le Mans Classic 2016 Sale (July 9, 2016) | |
| Fiat 131 Abarth Rally 1976 Sold Artcurial Sur les Champs (October 16, 2022) |
131 Abarth Rally | 1976 | Sold | Artcurial Sur les Champs (October 16, 2022) | |
| Fiat 131 Abarth Rally Stradale 1976 Sold Silverstone Auctions Race Retro Classic & Competition Cars (February 24, 2023) |
131 Abarth Rally Stradale | 1976 | Sold | Silverstone Auctions Race Retro Classic & Competition Cars (February 24, 2023) | |
| Fiat 131 Abarth Rally 1976 Not Sold Artcurial Le Mans Classic (June 30, 2023) |
131 Abarth Rally | 1976 | Not Sold | Artcurial Le Mans Classic (June 30, 2023) | |
| Fiat 124 Abarth Spider Sport Rally 1973 Not Sold Bonhams Les Grandes Marques du Monde au Grand Palais Paris (February 3, 2022) |
124 Abarth Spider Sport Rally | 1973 | Not Sold | Bonhams Les Grandes Marques du Monde au Grand Palais Paris (February 3, 2022) | |
| Fiat 124 Abarth Spider Sport Rally 1973 Sold Bonhams ’Les Grandes Marques à Monaco’ (May 10, 2024) |
124 Abarth Spider Sport Rally | 1973 | Sold | Bonhams ’Les Grandes Marques à Monaco’ (May 10, 2024) | |
| Fiat 124 Abarth Rally Gr. IV 1973 Not Sold Artcurial Le Mans Classic Versteigerung (July 2, 2022) |
124 Abarth Rally Gr. IV | 1973 | Not Sold | Artcurial Le Mans Classic Versteigerung (July 2, 2022) | |
| Fiat 124 CSA Abarth Rally 1973 Not Sold Oldtimer Galerie Toffen Toffen (March 28, 2020) |
124 CSA Abarth Rally | 1973 | Not Sold | Oldtimer Galerie Toffen Toffen (March 28, 2020) |
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