Designed to relaunch the Fiat brand in rallies after the 124 Abarth, the 131 Abarth was developed during 1975; an experimental exemplar was entered in the 1975 Giro d'Italia. Homologated in Group 4, the car was based on the road going 131 Abarth, which had very little in the production car. The rally debut took place in a prototype version and from 1976 Fiat's commitment continued, the first win being clinched at the 1976 Elba Rally. After overcoming some problems related to suspension and gearbox, the car became very competitive and capable of playing with the Lancia Stratos and Ford Escorts. In 1977 Fiat clinched the first world rally title, which was followed by two more. The Fiat 131 Abarth Group 4 continued to run until 1982, with the works team and then with privateers, which subsequently switched to the new Lancia 037, homologated in Group B. The 131 Abarth remains an icon of the rally world; it was driven by many champions, such as Alen, Roehrl, Andruet, Verini, Bacchelli and so on.
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