Business 172
BMW to Cut Costs With AI and Outsourcing
Rare Fiat 131 Racing Volumetrico Abarth Heads to Sale in the UK
One of fewer than 50 Abarth-tuned Fiat 131 Racing models, supercharged and recently imported to Britain, is offered for sale with 57,000 kilometres from new.
By George Kensington · 4 min read
A rare Fiat 131 Racing Volumetrico Abarth, one of fewer than 50 examples built with factory Abarth supercharging, has been offered for sale in the United Kingdom. The car, first registered in June 1984 and originally delivered in Turin, Italy, later spent time in the Netherlands before being imported to Britain, where its odometer now reads 57,000 kilometres, or roughly 36,000 miles.
The 131 Racing Volumetrico Abarth occupies a distinctive place in Fiat's performance history. The second-series Fiat 131 was produced from 1978 through early 1981, and two-door cars in Racing trim carried quad unequal-radius headlamps, a revised grille and aerodynamic bumpers. This example, however, is a late-production machine whose data plate carries engine code 232R10 and type code 131 AK/V1, identifying it as a Series 2 Racing model subsequently outfitted by Abarth with a Volumex-supercharged 1,995cc twin-cam inline-four. Production estimates for such cars put total output at fewer than 50.
Finished in Alluminio Metallica with black aerodynamic accents and trim, the car wears Abarth emblems alongside Volumetrico and 2000/TC badging. It rides on 15-inch Cromodora CD68 wheels fitted with Yokohama tyres, and the removed factory wheels are included in the sale. The 131 Racing left the factory with a lowered, sport-tuned suspension, and the Volumetrico Abarth variant was further equipped with an enlarged anti-roll bar, stiffer shock absorbers and larger ventilated front disc brakes. A brake-system overhaul has been completed recently, along with replacement of the steering rack.
Power comes from the 1,995cc twin-cam inline-four, which breathes through a Volumex positive-displacement Roots-type supercharger coupled to a Weber carburetor. The engine has been converted to a programmable 123ignition setup and is paired with a stainless-steel exhaust system and uprated ignition wires. The timing belt, spark plugs and battery were replaced last year, and the radiator has also been renewed. Drive is sent to the rear wheels through a five-speed manual transmission.
Inside, the cabin is trimmed in black cloth with bolstered bucket seats up front and a contoured bench for rear occupants. Autosonik speakers are fitted in the door panels. An Abarth-branded two-spoke steering wheel frames a 200 km/h speedometer, a tachometer, a clock and auxiliary gauges, while additional Veglia-Abarth instruments for oil pressure, oil temperature and boost pressure are housed in the centre stack. Air conditioning was not available on the Volumetrico Abarth because the supercharger occupies the space in the engine bay where the air-conditioning components would otherwise sit.
The car is offered by a selling dealer in the United Kingdom on its V5C registration, accompanied by a spare set of wheels. For collectors of Italian performance machinery, the combination of limited production, documented Abarth modification and recent maintenance makes this a notable opportunity. Fewer than 50 such cars are thought to have been assembled, and survivors in original specification are rarer still.
8
