Fans of the World Rally Championships (WRC) know that in the early 70s, the original Arbath-tuned Fiat 124 Sport Spider was a dominant player in the rally scene. The two-door convertible was replaced by the Fiat 131 in 1976 and went on to win 18 events and 3 championship trophies. Wouldn’t you be a happy owner to see all those trophies and awards?
Fast forward to 2015 and the Los Angeles Auto Show where Fiat unveiled the 2016 Fiat 124 Spider. Autoblog.com has reported that insiders from the tuning company say that an Arbath-tuned 2016 Fiat 124 spider is in the works and will debut in the 2017 WRC. We are excited to see this in the future!
The new 124 Spider convertible sports car is based on the fourth-generation Mazda Miata MX-5 roadster. It has a MultiAir turbocharged inline-four engine producing 160bhp and 184 lb-ft of torque. The bodywork has been designed by Fiat as homage to the 124 Sport Spider. There is also talk of producing a rally inspired production model with 200bhp and optional matte black hood and hardtop reminiscent of the original 124. All this talk has definitely got us excited!
While the design and the performance specs may look rally worthy, executives from Fiat have yet to confirm the desire to enter the WRC. It would be interesting to see a convertible sliding around in corners especially in 2017 with the new sports car class in the WRC. For now, we will just have to wait and see for more updates on this.
Here is the full article from Autoblog.com:
“It may sound strange at first, but you might see an Abarth-tuned Fiat 124 Spider caked in dirt and sliding around rally stages in just a few years. The Scorpion-emblazoned company will reportedly enter the World Rally Championship with a version of the recently unveiled, Miata-based convertible, according to PistonHeads citing “a source close to the tuning company.” The racecar will allegedly arrive in 2017 in time for a new sports car class in the WRC.
Spy shots already show a road-going Abarth 124 Spider likely under development. According to PistonHeads, the company would offer the model with multiple tunes of the 1.4-liter turbo four-cylinder, including 160 horsepower (like the US example), 190 hp, and over 200 hp for a special rally-inspired version. In a nod to high-performance 124 convertibles from the ’70s, it would sell the new examples with an optional matte black hood and hardtop.
Maria Conti from Fiat’s press department in Turin told Autoblog that a WRC entry is “just speculation” for now. “There are no plans for Fiat 124 Spider in motorsport,” she said.
We’ll take PistonHeads’ claim with a gargantuan grain of salt for now, but it might not be entirely preposterous. Abarth-branded rally cars already exist for lower competition classes, and rumors from 2009 and 2011 indicate the earlier possibility of a WRC entry from the company. The series also has an influx of new vehicles in 2017 like the Toyota Yaris and an upcoming Citroën model.”
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