The FIAT 131 Abarth was a 980kg machine that returned a power-to-weight ratio at 143hp per ton, less than a mass production Volkswagen Golf GTI today. It ran from 0-100km.h in about 7.8 seconds. Top speed was only 118 mph which was mostly due to its boxy shape. 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.
The engine was a Lampredi-designed twin-cam unit, 1995cc and for the first time incorporated a 16-valve cylinder head. This raised its output over the showroom family sedan version to 140 horsepower at 6400 rpm. At that time, not many cars in the world had access to 4-valve technology.
