Author Topic: The Ritmo Abarth history  (Read 7570 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline vlasi

  • Moderator
  • 1800 cc
  • *****
  • Posts: 78
  • Ritmo 75 gr.2
The Ritmo Abarth history
« on: March 24, 2006, 11:47:52 am »
History of the Ritmo Abarth,

Fiat was trying to commercialise a car able to compete with the Golf GTI. Therefore at first they decided to make in collaboration wit the Abarth crew a Rally car based on the Ritmo 75. The result was fabulous. In no time the Abarth crew under supervision of the Italian engineer Colucci made out of the serie Ritmo with its 75 HP, a Rallycar with a power of at least 160 HP.  In fact the car was conceived in only 3 months time. In july the design was made. In August the parts where collected or fabricated and in September the car was being built up. A first prototype drove on Fiats testtrack begin october. This 1500 cc injection was immediately a class winner. On its first real appointement Ricardo Patrese drove this wonderfull car to victory in the 1978 Giro d’Italia. A lot of succeses in diffrend competitions, for instance in the Montecarlo Rally by Italian Rallydriver Bettega, made out of this car a real legend for many Abarth enthousiasts. This car was originaly designed for Rally use but turned out to be a trackracer aswell. Only few of these cars where built as Colluci retired in 1980. There must be around 20 cars ever build. Fiat  distributed them to the differend “scuderias” before selling them to private pilots.

So after the succes of the 75, Fiat was ready to commercialise a competitor for the Golf GTI (being the reference for small sportscars). The Ritmo 105 was born. This 105 HP car was infact not at a level that many jounalists and Golf amaturs had expected.

So Fiat revewed this car working together with Abarth to make a Ritmo more viril. Fiat commercialised it under the name Fiat Ritmo 125 TC Abarth for the european market. (note: In Amerika the Ritmo is called “Stradale” meaning “streetversion”). This 125 HP strong car was first introduced end 1981 to be put on the market in the diffrend European markets in de spring of 1982.     
Its Rally debute in the Rally of Costa Esmeralda of 1982 was imediately a succes. First entry and it was already a classvistor. Carlo Capone was the pilot. Capone was collecting victories that year and became Italian champion in group A.
Going further on its succes for the 125 TC a more powerfull car, 130 TC, was build and adapted onlong time to be a lighter car.

Abarth died in 1979 and didn’t whitness the progress that was made after the introduction of the first Ritmo sportscars but I’m sure he would have been proud.

Eric Vlaisloir.

Thanks to Fabrice Morello of CRAC for some references.



Ricardo patrese in first place with behind him jody scheckter at the Giro d'Italia of 1978. Both with what must be one of the first Ritmos 75 gr.2 ever build.

« Last Edit: March 25, 2006, 01:46:21 pm by vlasi »

Offline DONNIE

  • 1000 cc
  • ****
  • Posts: 6
  • 500
Re: The Ritmo Abarth history
« Reply #1 on: March 29, 2006, 06:48:47 pm »
Well done Eric! for your  Abarth story and pic's . Cheer's Donnie.

Offline vlasi

  • Moderator
  • 1800 cc
  • *****
  • Posts: 78
  • Ritmo 75 gr.2
Re: The Ritmo Abarth history
« Reply #2 on: March 29, 2006, 08:00:19 pm »
Well done Eric! for your  Abarth story and pic's . Cheer's Donnie.

Thanks Donnie. Hope to see more pictures and some history  of your car in the future too...

Offline guy moerenhout

  • Administrator
  • 3000 cc
  • *****
  • Posts: 4.492
    • www.abarth-gmr.be
Re: The Ritmo Abarth history
« Reply #3 on: February 08, 2013, 09:25:19 am »
the  group A and group2 now in our place
______abarth  gmr-team ______
___http://www.abarth-gmr.be ___

 

Digital2