To Be OFFERED AT AUCTIONEstimate:
£250,000 - £300,000
- Ex-Works fiat 131 Abarth
- Winner of the 1980 Sanremo Rally with Walter R�hrl
- Helped FIAT and Walter R�hrl to clinch the 1980 FIA Group 4
World Rally Championship
- Finished 11th overall at the 1981 Rallye de Monte Carlo
- Accompanied by the Abarth Certificazione Componenti Meccanici
issued in 2016 and previous FIA paperwork
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Please note that this lot will need to be collected from Milan,
Italy.
Whereas it would be fair to describe the standard Fiat 131 as
another one of many genuinely unremarkable family saloons in the
Fiat family tree, the variant that was developed in partnership
with Abarth to be campaigned in the Group 4 Rally Championship was
anything but ordinary; bringing untold publicity and success in the
forms of the 1977, 1978 and 1980 FIA World Rally Constructor's
titles, accompanied by the World Rally Drivers Championships in
1978 and 1980.
The feat of turning a bland family saloon into an all-surface
racing machine fell to Abarth, which FIAT had acquired in 1971 as
its official racing arm, with help from Bertone for the bodywork.
The alterations required were significant and began with the
chassis itself where the rigid rear axle was removed and replaced
with a fully independent setup with Macpherson struts. Under the
bonnet, the Abarth engineers employed a Lampredi designed twin-cam
four-cylinder 1,995 cc unit, with a lightweight alloy sixteen-valve
head, mated to a five-speed gearbox. In road going form, for which
400 examples were built to satisfy the FIA Group 4 homologation
requirements, it produced 140bhp, breathing through the Weber
double barrel carburettor. However, for the rally cars, a
Kugelfischer mechanical injection setup was utilised which
increased power to 240 bhp. The aesthetic upgrade was taken care of
by Bertone and consisted of a fibreglass resin bonnet, aluminium
doors and far larger wheel arches and spoilers to accommodate the
wider track, whilst the highly tuned engine was kept cool by
extra-large dynamic air intakes on the bonnet and rear wings.
Although this car is not one of the iconic Alitalia liveried cars
campaigned by the FIAT factory in 1980, it was the exact car in
which Walter R�hrl won the 1980 Sanremo Rally (confirmed by copies
of the vehicle's entry form to the race), which in turn brought him
the driver's championship and also gave FIAT its last ever
constructor's title. The lack of livery came about because of
strikes that had meant the factory cars were unable to physically
leave the FIAT premises, so in order to get to the Sanremo Rally,
the car was taken out overnight without livery to avoid conflicts
with those on strike. Incredibly, Rorhl managed to still win the
event, despite the fact that the Jolly Club car that he was
assigned was fitted with the short travel suspension that suited
only the asphalt stages. The only other event the car competed in
during the 1980 season was the Tour de Corse with Arnaldo
Bernacchini and Attilio Bettega, where the car failed to
finish.
It is undoubtedly its success at the Sanremo Rally that makes this
car so special and it is suitably presented in the "no-livery" it
wore that day in 1980, despite the fact that it was subsequently
campaigned for the Jolly Club team in 1981 at the hands of Tonino
Tognana. Raced with them throughout the 1981 season (identifiable
by its Turin numberplate, TO V33681, the car managed to finish
third and fourth at the Rally Il Ciocco and the Rally Colline di
Romagna respectively. Prior to that, the car raced at the 1981
Monte Carlo Rally, finishing eleventh. It also participated at the
Rally Internazionale di Sicilia, the Rallye Sardegna, Rally
dell'Isola d'Elba, and the Rally Piancavallo, although each of
these events resulted in retirements.
More recently, the car has been fully restored to its 1980 Rallye
Sanremo appearance. Having also been raced in the famous "OLIO
FIAT" livery in period, the next owner will have the choice to keep
the car in its Sanremo or to switch to the iconic "OLIO FIAT". It
is in a condition befitting of such a significant piece of
motorsport history and is accompanied by a plethora of paperwork,
including period pictures, copy of the entry form of the Sanremo
Rally, a previous FIA Technical Passport, vehicle appraisal which
states that the car is entirely original and conforming to period
regulations, as well as its Abarth Classiche Certificazione
Componenti Meccanici. Importantly, the car is also acocmpanied by a
spares package which includes a set of wheels, used rear bootlid,
and a spare bonnet.
Should you want more information on the condition of this lot and
or discuss the possibility of an in-situ inspection, please contact
our office at
+44 (0) 20 7851 7070 or email Britta Buchmann
at
[email protected]To
view this car and others currently consigned to this auction,
please visit the RM website at
rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/lf20.