Abarth Fiat 124 Abarth Rally History

A prototype of the Fiat 124 Abarth Rally appeared at the 1972 Geneva Motor Show, and the production car debuted at Turin in November 1972. Based on the Fiat 124 Sport Spider, Abarth transformed it for Group 4 competition: the twin-cam engine was enlarged to 1,756 cc and tuned to 128 bhp in road trim (rising to 170 bhp, then 200 bhp with 16-valve conversion, in full rally specification), independent rear suspension replaced the stock live axle, and lightweight fibreglass and aluminium panels reduced weight throughout.

To achieve Group 4 homologation, just over 1,000 road cars were ultimately built. On the stages, the 124 Abarth Rally won the European Rally Championship in 1972 at the hands of Raffaele Pinto and Gino Macaluso, and again in 1975. It also achieved victories at the Hessen Rally, Acropolis Rally, and Polish Rally, among others.

Production of the homologation road car ended in 1975 after approximately 995 units were completed at Abarth's Turin workshops. The 124 Rally directly paved the way for the Fiat 131 Abarth programme that followed.