{"id":54603,"date":"2026-10-02T10:20:44","date_gmt":"2026-10-02T08:20:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.italpassion.fr\/?p=54603"},"modified":"2026-09-25T11:30:32","modified_gmt":"2026-09-25T09:30:32","slug":"this-rally-fiat-produces-340-ch-and-its-driver-has-a-fan-club-as-large-as-that-of-the-greatest-champions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.italpassion.fr\/en\/fiat\/cette-fiat-de-rallye-developpe-340-ch-et-son-pilote-a-un-fan-club-aussi-grand-que-celui-des-grands-champions\/","title":{"rendered":"This rally Fiat produces 340 HP, and its driver has a fan club as large as that of the great champions"},"content":{"rendered":"
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It has retained the Fiat 131\u201cs boxy and instantly recognizable family sedan silhouette, but beneath its bodywork lies a powertrain that bears little resemblance to that of the 1970s. For more than twenty years, Paolo Diana has been shaping his \u201d131 Racing Proto\u201d into one of the most spectacular machines in European rallying. Yet it cannot claim dozens of victories or titles; still, its popularity is immense because it embodies a certain spirit, where style and spectacle take precedence over the race against the clock and the quest to shave off even the smallest fraction of a second.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A rational choice, at first glance<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Long before the audience at Rallylegend<\/em> As people pulled out their phones as his Fiat 131 approached, Paolo Diana himself was on the other side of the road, among the crowd. Born in 1976 in Rimini, he accompanied his father to the races held around Verucchio and San Marino. There he discovered not only the mechanical fury of the race but also the spectacle of the cars taking corners in a drift, with the front wheels countersteering and the engine roaring to maintain balance until they exited the turn. This image would have a lasting influence on his approach to driving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once he had his license, Diana began experimenting on his own with a Fiat 131 1600 TC. Together with friends, he drove on dirt roads and gradually learned how to induce and then control a slide. A locked differential allowed him to discover the handling characteristics of a rear-wheel-drive car where both rear wheels work together. The approach was DIY, and the learning curve was sometimes bumpy, but the foundations were laid. In 2000, he took the plunge and competed in his first rallies. The Fiat 131 was the obvious choice for a very practical reason. Outdated and somewhat forgotten, its low value allowed him to get started on a limited budget.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Diana\u2019s choice was not a genuine Group 4 Abarth 131\u2014identical to the one that won three consecutive World Constructors\u2019 Championships in 1977, 1978, and 1980, but rather a much more modest model, which he stripped down and prepared with the resources at his disposal. His early days were far from easy. The car was quickly wrecked, but Diana chose to rebuild it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The initial modifications were carried out with limited resources; Diana himself recalls a time filled with angle grinder cuts, welding, and long hours spent in the garage. The bodywork obviously retains the Fiat\u2019s signature styling, but the prototype is the result of serendipity, parts found here and there, and a lot of clever DIY, hence the patchwork appearance of this 131, whose inner workings bear little resemblance to those of a genuine 131 Abarth. As the project progressed, components from a wide variety of manufacturers and specialists found their way into the same car.\u00a0Diana never set out to rebuild a Group 4 131 that complied with a 1970s homologation specification. Her goal was to create a car that suited her driving style. That\u2019s why the term \u201cRacing Proto\u201d is a much better fit for the spirit of this machine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the beginning, there was an Alfa Romeo engine<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The most famous configuration of the 131\u2014the one that lasted for twenty years\u2014was developed around a 2-liter naturally aspirated 4-cylinder engine tuned by Autotecnica Motori. This Alfa Romeo-sourced engine was derived from a D2-type supertouring engine that had been used in an Alfa Romeo 155 TS.\u00a0This 16-valve engine features Magnetti Marelli fuel injection and delivers 300 HP. Given the car\u2019s weight of approximately 1,100 kg, the power-to-weight ratio is particularly favorable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Unlike many modern race cars, the Fiat 131 does not rely on a turbocharger to generate torque. The naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine needs to be kept at high RPMs and delivers its power progressively, with a very direct throttle response. This characteristic is particularly well-suited to Diana\u2019s driving style, as she constantly uses the right pedal to adjust the car\u2019s drift angle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She also explains the now-iconic sound of this version of the 131. As the RPMs rise, the engine takes on an increasingly metallic tone until it produces that characteristic roar that regulars can recognize even before the car comes into view. Such a powertrain is, of course, demanding. Naturally aspirated racing engines are pushed to their limits, and the pursuit of high-rpm power requires substantial maintenance. The spectacle Diana put on was therefore never free\u2014neither in terms of tires nor mechanics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The transmission perfectly illustrates the blend of eras that characterizes the car. The engine remains mounted longitudinally at the front and drives only the rear wheels, in keeping with the 131\u2019s architecture. However, sandwiched between them is a six-speed Gabura sequential transmission\u2014a far cry from the drivetrain of a production Fiat. At the rear, a Drexler mechanical limited-slip differential allows the power to be utilized efficiently and, above all, enables Diana to execute her long drifts. When the driver accelerates, the differential helps the two rear wheels transfer torque, allowing the driver to keep the car sliding and adjust its trajectory using the accelerator.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the configuration unveiled in 2021 at Rallylegend, the front suspension uses a McPherson-type setup with custom tubular arms, while the rear suspension incorporates components derived from the\u2026 BMW M3 E30! It\u2019s worth noting that the BMW is a benchmark in rear-wheel-drive rallying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The car is equipped with Brembo four-piston calipers in the front and AP Racing four-piston calipers in the rear, with front rotors measuring up to 355 mm in the asphalt configuration. The wheels vary depending on the terrain, ranging from 15 inches on dirt to up to 18 inches on asphalt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A new Japanese heart, then an English one<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For the 2022 season, Diana undertook one of the most notable changes to her project by replacing the Alfa engine with a 2.4-liter Honda K24. This \u201cblasphemy\u201d was driven by technical necessities. Maintaining the Alfa D2 remains costly and challenging, as the inverted cylinder head with a cascade of gears requires very frequent overhauls, and machining custom parts is extremely expensive. Its heritage value also makes it a car worth preserving and collecting, rather than risking its destruction\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The K24 retains several key qualities of the previous engine: four cylinders, naturally aspirated, immediate response, and a penchant for high RPMs. In its 2022 configuration, it produces approximately 320 HP at 7,750 rpm, with nearly 300 Nm of torque. The Gabura sequential transmission remains. This engine is a legend in motorsports\u2014made of aluminum, reputed to be indestructible, with thick walls and a forged steel crankshaft of exceptional strength. Its V-TEC system delivers plenty of torque at low RPM and handles high RPM with ease, while being capable of withstanding major turbocharged upgrades. The engine is widely used in engine swaps, hillclimb<\/em>, Time Attack, and Drift. Given the demands placed on the car by Diana\u2019s driving style, the Japanese engine met all her expectations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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