Abarth Fiat 124 Rally 1972-1976
The Fiat Abarth 124 Rally is a sport version of the 124 Spider, introduced in November 1972.
Its main purpose was to receive FIA homologation in the special grand touring cars (group 4) racing class, and replace the 1.6-litre Fiat Sport Spider rally cars which were presently being campaigned. At the time 124 had already won the 1972 European Rally Championship at the hands of Raffaele Pinto and Gino Macaluso. The 124 Rally was added to the Sport Spider range, which included the 1600 and 1800 models; the first 500 examples produced were earmarked for the domestic Italian market.
Amongst the most notable modifications over the standard spider there were independent rear suspension, engine upgrades, lightweight body panels, and a fixed hard top. In place of the usual rear solid axle, there is a Chapman-type McPherson strut independent suspension, supplemented by a longitudinal torque arm. At the front a radius rod on each side was added to the standard double wishbones. The Abarth-tuned type 132 AC 4.000 1.8-litre, twin-cam engine was brought from the standard 118 to 128 PS DIN (94 kW; 126 hp) by replacing the standard twin-choke carburettor with double vertical twin-choke Weber 44 IDFs, and by fitting an Abarth exhaust with a dual exit muffler. The 9.8:1 compression ratio was left unchanged. The transmission is the all-synchronised five-speed optional on the other Sport Spider models, and brakes are discs on all four corners. Despite the 20 kg (44 lb) four-point roll bar fitted, kerb weight is 938 kg (2,068 lb), roughly 25 kg (55 lb) less than the regular 1.8-litre Sport Spider.
Engine bonnet, boot lid and the fixed hard top are fibreglass, painted matt black, the rear window is perspex and the doors aluminium. Front and rear bumpers were deleted and replaced by simple rubber bumperettes. A single matte black wing mirror was fitted. Matte black wheel arch extensions house 185/70 VR 13 Pirelli CN 36 tyres on 5.5 J × 13" four-spoke alloy wheels.Inside centre console, rear occasional seats, and glovebox lid were eliminated; while new features were anodised aluminium dashboard trim, a small three-spoke leather-covered Abarth steering wheel, and Recaro corduroy-and-leather bucket seats as an extra-cost option. The car carries Fiat badging front and rear, Abarth badges and "Fiat Abarth" scripts on the front wings, and Abarth wheel centre caps. Only three paint colours were available: Corsa red, white, and light blue.
| Fiat Abarth 124 Rally, specifications and comparison | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fiat Abarth 124 Rally | Fiat 124 Sport Spider 1800 | ||
| Engine | 1,756 cc DOHC inline-four | ||
| Carburettors | 2x twin-choke Weber 44 IDF | 1x twin-choke Weber 34 DMS | |
| Power | 128 PS DIN (94 kW; 126 hp) at 6,200 rpm | 118 PS DIN (87 kW; 116 hp) at 6,000 rpm | |
| Torque | 16.2 kg·m (159 N·m; 117 lb·ft) at 5,200 rpm | 15.6 kg·m (153 N·m; 113 lb·ft) at 4,000 rpm | |
| Wheelbase | 2,280 mm (89.8 in) | 2,280 mm (89.8 in) | |
| Length | 3,914 mm (154.1 in) | 3,971 mm (156.3 in) | |
| Width | 1,630 mm (64.2 in) | 1,613 mm (63.5 in) | |
| Track front–rear |
1,413–1,400 mm (55.6–55.1 in) | 1,346–1,316 mm (53.0–51.8 in) | |
| Kerb weight Incl. 75kg Driver |
938 kg (2,068 lb) | 960 kg (2,116 lb) | |
| Top speed | over 190 km/h (118 mph) | 185 km/h (115 mph) | |
North American model
The coupé and spider were first sold in the US market in 1968. In 1969, the Spider featured four-wheel disc-brakes, double overhead cams, hesitation wipers, steering-column mounted lighting-controls, radial ply tyres and a five-speed manual transmission. An optional three-speed automatic transmission from General Motors was available from 1979 through 1985 for North America as well as Japan. Its convertible top was known for its simplicity of use and can be raised and locked in under a minute. When the engine was upgraded to two litres, the model was renamed as the Fiat 2000 Spider. For the 1980 model year a version with a catalytic converter and Bosch L-Jetronic fuel injection was introduced for California, being optional in the other 49 states. For 1981 this engine, with 102 hp (76 kW), became standard fitment in North America.
Fiat subsequently stopped marketing the spider and the X1/9 — to have their marketing assumed by their respective carozzeria.In Europe, the Ritmo Cabrio was also marketed by Bertone rather than Fiat themselves. In the US, Fiat turned over marketing and support of the spider and the X1/9 to International Automobile Importers, Inc., headed by Malcolm Bricklin.
Rallying
In 1971 the 124 Spider was prepared for the World Rally Championship when Abarth became involved with its production and development. Abarth designer Ing. Colucci was responsible for getting the 124 Spider into group 4 rally trim. Over this period the Abarth Spider had relative success with wins at the 1972 Hessen Rally, Acropolis Rally, 1973 Polish Rally, 19th on the 1973 RAC rally and seventh to mostly the Alpine Renaults on the 1973 Monte Carlo Rally. The Spider continued to perform with first, second and third in the 1974 eighth Portuguese TAP Rally, sixth in the 1974 1000 Lakes, fourth in the 1975 Monte Carlo Rally and also with Markku Alén driving the spider to third place. By 1976 the days of 124 rallying were numbered due to the appearance of the Fiat-Abarth 131.