The standard Fiat 131 could be accurately described as just another unremarkable family car, but the variant that was developed in partnership with Abarth and Bertone to be campaigned in the Group 4 Rally Championship was anything but ordinary.

It brought untold publicity and success in the form of the 1977, 1978 and 1980 FIA World Rally Constructor’s titles, as well as the World Rally Drivers Championships in 1978 and 1980.

Much to the delight of enthusiasts, it also brought 400 “Stradale” road-going versions to satisfy FIA Group 4 homologation requirements.

The alterations required to turn a bland sedan into an all-surface racing machine were significant and began with the chassis itself.

Abarth engineers removed the rigid rear axle and replaced it with a fully independent Macpherson strut setup.

They also developed a 2.0-liter twin-cam inline four-cylinder engine with a lightweight alloy 16-valve head, which sent power to the rear wheels through a five-speed manual transmission...