131 Abarth Stradale
Fiat's purchase of Lancia put paid to the
latter's phenomenal Stratos rally car. While undeniably attractive to the
everyman, expensive exotica may just as well have existed on a different
planet. What the company craved was a rally winner based on a mass-market
model.
Extreme
131 brought rally success
Abarth's Corso Marche factory ditched its
2-litre X1/9 concept and transferred its attentions to the traditional
front-engined/rear-drive set-up of the 131 Mirafiori. Production took place at
Carrozerria Bertone, lasting just one year and with 406 built. The finished
article cost three times the price of a standard car.
The two-door bodies were modified, painted
and trimmed at Bertone 's Grugliasco plant and tipped the scales at a healthy
980kg. Sitting here on the tarmac, the result is brutal. If the 124 provides a
visual link to the preceding decades, the 131 is definitively of its time in
profile. Those massive wheel arches and the various intakes, scoops and
spoilers lend a purposeful air.
If
the 124 provides a visual link to the preceding decades, the 131 is definitively
of its time in profile
On the move, this is heightened by the
car's 'rear-down' stance. The twin-cam engine is an evolution of the final
16-valve 124 unit, but Abarth took the strange decision to strange it with a
single Weber 34ADF carburetor. While it's similarly rev-happy, the torque
available isn't as forceful, but the 138bhp that it produces is enough to
dispatch the 0-60mph sprint in 8.2 secs, and the gearbox is a bulletproof joy.
The suspension is a development of the
124's fully independent set-up but the weight distribution feels much better.
"It's a wonderfully balanced car," says Castle-Miller. When pressed
hard, the 131 remains firmly planted, communicating every nuance through the
rack-and-pinion steering. "It's great fun to drive, all power slides and
opposite lock. They proved an excellent match for the equally sideways Ford
Escort."
Out in the rally world, the Group 4
machines with Kugelfischer fuel injection and up to 230bhp – immediately
excelled, initially on tarmac with its premium on handling, and then on other
surfaces. In 1976, the 131 took victory on the Elba Island Rally and Finland's
1000 Lakes, but this was simply the prelude to three WRC titles in 1977, '78
and '80.
131 Abarth Stradale Specs
·
Sold/number built: 1976/406
·
Engine: all-alloy, dohc 1995cc ‘four’, Weber
34ADF carburetor; 138bhp @ 6400rpm; 133lb ft @ 3800rpm.
·
Transmission: five-speed manual, RWD
·
Suspension: independent, by MacPherson struts,
anti-roll bar f/r
·
Steering: rack and pinion
·
Brakes: discs
·
Weight: 2161lb (980kg)
·
O-60mph: 8.2 secs
·
Top speed: 118mph
·
Price new: $14,250; Now: from 60,000
Strada Abarth 130TC
When Fiat finally joined the
Volkswagen-dominated hot-hatch party in'81, it deliberately chose the Frankfurt
Motor Show for the release of the European market-only Ritmo Abarth 125TC, and
its surprisingly forceful character ensured a rapturous response.
Strada
makes a great choice of hot hatch
The Fiat 128 floor pan provided the basis,
and the standard car's use of plastic for the bumpers was carried over. The
body – designed for relatively gutless 1100cc and 1300cc units – required
comparatively little reinforcement for the power generated by the 2-litre
engine, which was lifted from the Argento. Corso Marche modified the Lampredi
twin-cam by adding sportier valve gear, updated exhaust manifolds, an oil
cooler, aluminum sump and a Goetz-type cylinder-head gasket to withstand heat
stress, and mounted the whole power plant transversely. Buyers had the option
of two twin-choke Weber or Solex carburetors. This resulted in 125bhp and a
0-60mph time of 7.9 secs. The 130TC Strada, launched in 1983 and available in
the UK, had an extra 5bhp and shaved 0.2 secs off the acceleration time.
With
that powerful and Torquey engine in a light body shell, delivered through an
updated ZF gearbox and suspension
The British motoring press enthusiastically
greeted the 130TC, with Autocar stating: "There can be little
argument that it is now the leader in terms of performance." Thanks to the
updated aesthetics with its quad headlights, the 130TC is the most
aggressive-looking of the Stradas. "They're very underrated," says
Castle Miller, "with that powerful and Torquey engine in a light body shell,
delivered through an updated ZF gearbox and suspension."
Out on the track, it's easy to see why it
impressed everybody so much. The cabin specification is high, with aggressively
supportive Recaro buckets seats, a tidy dashboard binnacle and a sports
steering wheel. With 130lb ft of torque at 3600rpm, throttle response is
instant, powering the little Abarth forward with gusto. It has that
gratifyingly fruity Italian exhaust note, and sharp handling responses that
really give you the confidence to chuck it around, even on first acquaintance.
The only thing you'll find difficult is
sourcing one. Like most Stradas, they began rusting at the more thought of
going outside. If you do come across a good example, however, this Scorpion
still packs one hell of a punch.
Strada Abarth 130TC Specs
·
Sold/number built: 1984-‘87/585
·
Engine: all-alloy, dohc 1995cc ‘four’, twin
Weber or Solex carburettors; 130bhp @ 5900rpm; 130lb ft @ 3600rpm
·
Transmission: five-speed ZF manual, driving rear
wheels
·
Suspension: independent, at front by MacPherson
struts, angled tie-rods, anti-roll bar rear transverse leaf spring, lower
wishbones
·
Steering: rack and pinion
·
Brakes: discs front, drums rear
·
Weight: 2094lb (950kg)
·
0-60mph: 7.7 secs
·
Top speed: 118mph
·
Price new: $11,700; Now: from $5250
Summary
With every delicate curve one to be
savored, the 750GT Zagato is the aesthete's Abarth of choice, but period Mille
Miglia success proves that it has the performance to match its beguiling looks.
The 500-, 600-, and 850- based cars – represented here by the sublime 595SS,
distinctive OT 1000 and the awe-inspiring Group 5 1000 Berlina Corsa – are the
embodiment of all that the Abarth name stands for: small, bold and perky.
The cars produced after the Fiat takeover
are sometimes seen as being not quite 'real' Abarths but they are still
products of the company's decades of experience in creating and modifying
competition cars. The 124 and 131 Stradales are exquisite homologation specials
and can bask in the reflective glow of the rally success that eventually came
Fiat's way, while the Strada was a last hurrah for Abarth. Launched into a fiercely
competitive hot-hatch market, it still scared the sauerkraut out of the
opposition.
"Basing competition cars on production
models will always be a compromise in terms of ultimate development and
performance," says Castle-Miller. But, as these cars prove, what a sweet
compromise that was.
