Chassis No. 131AR2045674

Engine No. 909

Unveiled at the 1976 Geneva Salon, the 131 Abarth Rally was based on the standard 131 sedan as a purpose-built competition machine. It sported Bertone-crafted fiberglass and aluminum bodywork with larger wheel arches to hold its wider Cromodora magnesium alloy wheels and more airflow to cool many of its mechanical components. Beneath its squared-off silhouette lay a twin-cam, 1.9-liter four-cylinder producing 225 horsepower, fed by Kugelfischer fuel injection and paired with a five-speed manual transmission with a ZF self-locking differential; an arrangement exclusive to the rally variant.

Fiat crafted 46 Abarth 131 Rally competition cars to compete under the World Rally Championship's Group 4 ruleset. It succeeded the 124 Spider Abarth and, in practice, stepped into the formidable role previously held by the legendary Lancia Stratos as Fiat's official factory rally weapon. Against towering expectations, the 131 delivered spectacularly. The car won two races in the 1976 Italian Rally Championship and its debut race at the 1976 European Rally Championship. It secured the WRC Constructors' Title for Fiat in 1977, 1978, and 1980, and carried Walter Röhrl to one of his two WRC Drivers' Titles.

This 1976 Fiat Abarth Rally Group 4 car, was originally registered in Turin, as all Works Fiat and Lancia cars were. It is classified as TO P35976 and sports the "G22," designation, indicating that it was the 22nd Abarth 131 rally car built out of the 46 works cars. This example was campaigned during the 1977 World Rally Championship, clad in the recognizable Olio Fiat livery used by the factory Fiats from 1975 to 1977. During this season, it was raced by Alén/Kivimäki in the 1977 Sveitsin Rally, Valtaharju/Anttila in the 1977 Rally of 1000 Lakes, and Bacchelli/Rossetti at the 1977 Rally Portugal. The following year, the 131 was retained as a test car by the Fiat Works team, sporting the tricolor Alitalia livery and participating as a reserve car in the 1978 Alitalia Rally di Monte Carlo for Verini/Rossetti. It was also a reserve for Darniche/Mahé during the 1978 Tour de Corse, in which the duo would achieve victory and Abarth 131s locked out the top three finishing places.

The car was officially retired from competition after the 1978 Tour de Corse and was sold to a private owner in Ecuador that year. It raced successfully here for several years piloted by Adolfo Galindo/Hernán Fuenzalida, before being reimported to Italy and undergoing a restoration at the end of the 1990s. It was featured on the cover of the February 2006 edition of Italian sports car magazine Automobilismo d'Epoca. Later that year, the rally car received its Certificate of Authenticity from L'Automotoclub Storico Italiano (ASI). Its current owner purchased the car a few years ago and commissioned a total restoration back to its factory state.

Acclaimed Fiat and Lancia restoration shop Italia Motorsport in Codroipo conducted the thorough and photo-documented restoration of the seasoned rally car, leaving no bolt unturned and no expense spared. Its engine and transmission were removed and received a meticulous rebuild with a thorough evaluation of its electrical components along with the necessary replacements. Additionally, the interior was completely removed and refreshed. Before the painstaking recreation of the Olio Fiat livery as raced by Bacchelli and Rossetti in the 1977 Rally Portugal, the body was first repaired. Only then was the car refinished in its correct satin blue and yellow paint and carefully adorned with the livery's period sponsor stickers as original by renowned rally graphic designer Giacomo Baj.

This painstaking, multi-year restoration was just completed in 2025, and the car is now presented as a concours-level example of Fiat's potent competitor at the beginning of the World Rally Championship. With genuine Works history and fresh from an exceptional restoration in its competition livery, this car represents Fiat and Abarth at their most daring.