The Alfa Romeo 4C would likely have ceased production in 2020, but Stellantis is still releasing new cars based on its carbon-fiber chassis. The newest is the Abarth Classiche 1300 OT, which will pay homage to the Fiat Abarth OT 1300 race car of the 1960s. .
The trendy car was developed through Stellantis’ official heritage branch as the most recent assignment in its Reloaded Through Creators program. The program restores vintage cars and launches special editions such as the Abarth Classiche 1300 OT, even if individual assignments are not commissioned through personal persons. Instead, they are designed through Stellantis’ own staff.
An earlier assignment, the 2021 Fiat Abarth 1000 SP, this car also used the chassis of a 4C and shares much of its design with the Abarth Classiche 1300 OT. Another thing that is not unusual for the two cars to have is an exclusive production of only five units. .
The Abarth Classiche 1300 OT ditches the Fiat Abarth 1000 SP roadster body in favor of a coupe body, and the car even features a small air intake on the roof as a nod to the air intake installed on the original OT 1300 to keep the cabin cool. The trendy car also features a plexiglass split rear window and a giant rear grille that incorporates the letters “Abarth. “
Fiat-Abarth OT 1300 1965
No modifications were made to the mechanical parts of the donor 4C. Behind the cabin is a 1. 8-liter turbo-4 that makes 240 hp and drives the rear wheels by a 6-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.
The original OT 1300 fixed its engine, in this case a 1. 3-liter 4-cylinder that developed 147 hp, its rear wheels, just like the Fiat 850 from which it borrowed the chassis. According to Abarth, the configuration was that of the founder The Favourites of Carlo Abarth.
Production of the OT 1300 began in 1965 and FIA Group 4 approval came a year later, after Abarth had built the required minimum number of 50 cars. However, the OT 1300 was already competing in prototype categories before its approval. He reached a 1,000-kilometer race in Monza, Italy, in early 1966, where three horses placed first, second and third. The OT 1300 continued to win races well into the 1970s, helping to cement Abarth’s reputation as a credible race car manufacturer.