When Fiat pulled the covers off the spicy Fiat 124 Abarth last year, the cover also dropped on a fabulously retro Abarth 124 Rally concept. At that time, Fiat claimed it was working toward homologating the 124 Rally into the existing FIA R GT class, but we remained skeptical. Thankfully, Fiat appears to be following through, as a rally-spec 124 was just caught on video performing shakedown runs through the Italian countryside.
Unsurprisingly, the 124 R GT sounds as ferocious as it looks. Under the handsome roadster bodywork, a 1.8-liter turbocharged four-cylinder spins out 300 hp, managed by a beefy seven-speed sequential transmission. Unlike the majority of all-wheel-drive uber-hatches that populate most World Rally Championship stages, the Fiat is rear-wheel-drive, a requirement for the small R GT class.
To ensure the 124 is competition-legal, that striking black roof is fixed in place, shielding the extensive rollcage lattice. To keep the driver happy, a roof-mounted scoop channels fresh air into the cramped cabin.
Fiat has yet to announce a schedule detailing when and where the 124 will compete, but we expect to see the Abarth charging through WRC stages in the near future.
See and hear the Abarth 124 Rally R GT slide its way through a test stage in the video below.
The post See and Hear the Fiat 124 Abarth R GT Rally Car Perform Shakedown Runs appeared first on Motor Trend.
from Motor Trend http://ift.tt/2cOpBXq
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