Guide: Giro Monster #2 - a Historical & Technical Appraisal of the Abarth SE 031
Background
At the Turin Motor Show in October 1974, Fiat launched the new 131. Available as a two or four-door saloon as well as a five-door estate, the 131 replaced the 124 as Fiat’s mid-range model.
In 1976, Fiat, Abarth and Bertone collaborated to produce a batch of 131 Abarth Rallys, 400 of which were manufactured to qualify for homologation into the Group 4 class of the World Rally Championship. These cars would succeed the Lancia Stratos as the Fiat Group’s primary rally car. They went on to win the World Rally Championship on three separate occasions (1977, 1978 and 1980).
However, the first 131 to actually see competition was a unique Group 5 hot rod known as the Abarth SE 031. Constructed for the 1975 Giro d’Italia, it was a successor to Abarth’s SE 030 that had finished second on the event in 1974. On that occasion, victory had fallen to a works Lancia Stratos Turbo.
Fiat had acquired Abarth in 1971 but their association stretched back to the 1950s.
Abarth became Fiat’s rally division which was ironic as marque founder, Carlo Abarth, had never been terribly interested in this form of competition. Nevertheless, over the next few years, the men at 38 Corso Marche rolled out some of the most successful rally cars ever created.
As had been the case with the SE 030, the SE 031 project was handled by Abarth’s technical director, Mario Collucci.
Chassis
The SE 031 used a strengthened and lightened steel monocoque with fully independent suspension. At the front were inclined arms, longitudinal reaction struts, helical springs and hydraulic dampers. At the back were triangular arms, lower cross tie rods with helical springs and hydraulic telescopic struts.
Disc brakes were fitted all round (the standard 131 had rear drums) and new magnesium wheels were installed. These enormous rims measured 15 x 10-inches at the front, 15 x 15-inches at the back and were shod with Pirelli tyres.
A 100-litre fuel tank was positioned over the rear axle to improve weight distribution.
Engine & Gearbox
Like the SE 030, Abarth opted to use the engine from Fiat’s flagship 130 to power their latest Giro hot rod. A 3.2-litre single overhead camshaft 60° V6, it originally produced 163bhp but a radical overhaul saw that figure almost doubled.
In standard configuration, the 130 engine displaced 3235cc thanks to a bore and stroke of 102mm and 66mm respectively. As they had done with the SE 030, Abarth stroked the 130 motor to 71mm for an extra 246cc. It was also converted to dry-sump lubrication and fitted with three giant Weber 48 IDF carburettors.
Dual overhead camshafts were a new addition and compression was hiked to 10.9:1. Peak output was now 304bhp at 6400rpm compared to 285bhp at 6000rpm for the SE 030.
The engine was front longitudinally mounted with oil coolers located behind the grille and water radiators behind the rear wheelarch intakes.
Transmission was via a ZF 5DS-25 gearbox, triple dry plate Fichtel & Sachs clutch and limited-slip differential.
Bodywork
1975 was the last year that Group 5 remained a pure Prototype class. It had no minimum production requirement and, for the Giro, the international three-litre engine limit did not apply either.
With few technical restrictions, Bertone were able to produce a monster body for the SE 031.
Huge wheelarch extensions were fitted along with a deep front spoiler and the rear wing from an SE 027. Bertone also added a plethora of air intakes and cooling vents plus an extra bridge spoiler along the back of the roof. Body panels were a mixture of fibreglass and aluminium.
Interior
The interior was completely stripped of any superfluous trim and a new transmission tunnel was fabricated to accommodate the ZF gearbox. Bucket seats with competition harnesses were installed along with a full complement of instrumentation and timing equipment. Side and rear windows were switched to Plexiglas.
Weight / Performance
Despite the various weight-saving measures, because of its bigger V6 engine and beefier transmission, the SE 031 tipped the scales at 1120kg which was about the same as a standard Fiat 131.
Top speed was a quoted 170mph.
1975 Giro d’Italia
1975 was the third running of the Giro d’Italia and the event took place between October 12th and 17th. It comprised eight races and four hillclimbs all of which were connected by regularity sections on public roads.
Hot favourites to win were Jean-Claude Andruet / Andrea Cartotto for whom Alfa Romeo’s competition department, Autodelta, had created a one-off V8-powered version of the Tipo 33/TT/12 complete with unique Berlinetta bodywork.
Both the Alfa and SE 031 would run in the Group 5B class for pre-series prototypes. The Abarth would be driven by Giorgio Pianta and navigated by Bruno Scabini.
Lancia were also out in force with a trio of works Stratos: two were Alitalia-backed Group 5 Turbos for Sandro Munari / Mario Mannucci and Raffaele Pinto / Arnaldo Bernacchini and there was a normally aspirated Marlboro-sponsored Group 4 example for Carlo Facetti / Angelo Garzoglio.
Also in the mix were a raft of privateer De Tomaso Panteras and Porsche 911 RSRs.
The first first leg was from Turin to Modena and should have included a run up the Cesana-Sestriere Hillclimb followed by a 20 lap race at Monza. However, owing to bad weather, the hillclimb stage was abandoned. This meant the drivers were given three laps at Monza to decide the starting order.
The much-fancied Alfa should have been the fastest car in the field, but a last minute engine rebuild had not gone according to plan and Andruet routinely suffered a misfiring cylinder during the event.
Pianta started and finished the extremely wet race in sixth. Victory went to Facetti’s Group 4 Stratos with Pinto’s Group 5 example 1.1 seconds behind. Andruet was a further six seconds down the road in third while Munari (Group 5 Stratos), Bozzetto (Group 3 Pantera) and Pianta’s Abarth were all a lap in arrears.
Day two (Monday) saw the field travel from Modena to Misano via Imola. Mechanical problems en route for both the Group 5 Stratos and their consequent late arrival dropped Munari and Pinto outside the top 50 in the overall standings.
Determined to make up the lost time, Pinto won the wet twelve lap race at Imola by 25 seconds from Andruet in the Tipo 33. Munari was a further three seconds behind in third followed by Facetti’s Group 4 Stratos another ten seconds down the road. The rest of the field were well back. Franco Pilone was 56 seconds behind Facetti in the Porsche 911 RSR that he shared with Vittorio Coggiola. The Odoardo Govoni / Vincenzo Angelelli Pantera Gr.4 was another four seconds back. Pianta took seventh spot in the Abarth four seconds behind Govoni.
The appalling weather conditions had not improved by the time the field reached Misano. Andruet’s Alfa seemed to have temporarily solved its engine trouble and chased Facetti’s Group 4 Stratos all the way to the flag. The Frenchman eventually finished one second behind the Marlboro-backed Lancia and these two were well clear of the rest of the field. In the Abarth, Pianta hounded Munari’s turbo Stratos and finished 0.7 of a second behind to take fourth. Clutch problems for Pinto in the second Group 5 Stratos saw him finish sixth behind Pilone’s 911 RSR.
Come the end of day two, the overall standings had Andruet / Cartotto (Tipo 33) at the head of the field with a 1.7 second advantage over Facetti / Garzoglio (Marlboro Group 4 Stratos). Pianta / Scabini were in third with the Abarth one minute and eight seconds behind the Lancia. The turbocharged Alitalia-backed Group 5 Stratos of Munari and Pinto were 49th and 51st respectively.
Day three (Tuesday) saw the field head from Misano to the Pieve Santo Stefano-Passo dello Spino Hillclimb. However, the Pinto / Bernacchini Stratos Turbo failed to show at the day’s starting point. Its troublesome clutch had given up for good and they were out of the event.
Andruet’s Alfa was fastest up the 12.5km route followed by Munari’s turbocharged Alitalia Stratos six seconds back. Then came Facetti’s normally aspirated Marlboro example a further eight seconds behind. Facetti was followed 14 seconds later by Pianta in the Abarth. Fifth spot went to the Jolly Club Ford Escort that Walter Dona shared with Martino Finotto. Pilone’s 911 RSR was 0.7 of a second behind in sixth.
In the 20 lap race at Magione that followed, Andruet got a bad start in his increasingly smokey Alfa. Facetti and Munari ran at the front for the opening stint but Andruet re-took the lead after seven laps and went on to record victory over Facetti by nine seconds. Coggiola’s 911 RSR and Govoni’s Pantera both went past when Munari and Pianta began to struggle with incorrect tyre selection. They eventually finished a lap down in fifth and sixth respectively.
At the end of day three, Andruet / Cartotto had extended their lead in the overall standings to 18 seconds over Facetti / Garzoglio (Group 4 Stratos). Coggiola’s storming performance in the 911 RSR at Magione saw he and Pilone move into third spot. They held a one second lead over the Escort of Finotto / Dona which in turn had a two second lead over Pianta / Scabini. Munari’s Group 5 Stratos Turbo had risen from 49th to 33rd while the sister car of Pinto / Bernacchini had retired at the start of the day.
On Wednesday, the field departed from Misano and headed out for the 7km Rieto-Terminillo Hillclimb.
Despite dire weather predictions, it proved to be a beautiful day. Andruet took it relatively easy up the course and finished second some 3.6 seconds behind Munari’s Group 5 Stratos. Pilone continued his good form to take third in the 911 RSR ten seconds behind Andruet. Fourth was the Pantera of Govoni, fifth was the Escort of Dona and sixth was the 911 RSR driven by Michele di Gioia that he shared with ‘Stoppato’. Pianta’s Abarth was down in seventh spot while Facetti’s Group 4 Stratos was an uncharacteristic eighth after he overcooked it early on.
From Mount Terminillo, the next stop was Vallelunga for a 15 lap race. Three laps after one of his usual slow starts (owing to an engine that had a tendency to flood) Andruet was about to overtake second-placed Facetti when the smoke from his exhaust became even more intense than usual. The connecting rod of the number seven cylinder had come out of the crankcase and Andruet’s Giro was over.
With Facetti’s Group 4 Stratos now holding the general classification lead, he was told to slow down. Facetti eventually finished 28.7 seconds behind the hard-charging turbo Stratos of Munari. Pilone’s 911 RSR rounded out the podium positions a further 21 seconds back. Pilone was followed by Govoni’s Pantera (+17.5 seconds), Di Gioia’s 911 RSR (+ 13 seconds) and Pianta (+6.4 seconds). After the race, the crews headed on to Orvieto.
At the end of day four, the Facetti / Garzoglio Group 4 Stratos led the Coggiola / Pilone 911 RSR by one minute 38.6 seconds. 6.9 seconds back was the Escort of Finotto / Dona in third while Pianta / Scabini were a further 15.6 seconds behind in fourth. Munari / Mannucci had risen to 23rd position and were eight minutes 13 seconds behind the leaders.
The fifth leg (Thursday) began with the 7.6km San Giorgio-Colonnetta Hillclimb. Munari was in his element in the wet and foggy conditions: his Stratos Turbo won by 4.7 seconds over Facetti’s normally aspirated derivative with Pilone’s 911 RSR 0.6 of a second back in third. Pianta was a further 4.9 seconds behind Pilone but 28.8 ahead of Govoni’s fifth-placed Pantera.
Starting order at San Giorgio went in decreasing order with the highest numbers first. This heavily punished the Group 2 cars as the fog began to set in. As a result, Dona’s Escort finished twelfth and lost nearly 20 seconds to Pianta’s Abarth.
By the time the 44 remaining cars reached Mugello for day five’s second event, conditions had become even worse. Coggiola took the 911 RSR’s wheel from Pilone and made an excellent start, but he was soon overcome by Munari and Pianta who had the perfect tyres for the extremely wet circuit. The Stratos Turbo and SE 031 lapped the entire field and made big gains in the overall standings. Facetti was third in the Group 4 Stratos, Di Gioia’s 911 RSR was fourth and Coggiola’s RSR fifth. The Group 4 Pantera of Govoni (fifth in the general standings) stopped out on track and retired from the event when its oil pressure dropped to zero.
The race at Mugello resulted in a big swing in the overall classification. Facetti / Garzoglio were still out in front but Pianta / Scabini had moved in to second with the SE 031 and were now just one minute 39 seconds behind the Group 4 Stratos. The 911 RSR of Coggiola / Pilone was another 15 seconds back in third. Munari / Mannucci were up to eleventh in the Group 5 Stratos Turbo just under seven minutes behind the leaders.
Unfortunately, the transfer to Parma at the end of the day had been extremely foggy and the well placed Escort of Finotto / Dona (third overall the previous night) failed to check in over the Passo della Raticosa and was disqualified.
The final day (Friday) comprised two 20 lap races: one at Varano and the other at Casale. Afterwards the field would head back to the finish in Turin.
At Varano, Munari and Pianta started from the front row. Munari drove flat out and established a substantial lead in the Stratos Turbo while Pilone tried everything to regain his second position overall in the general classification. He fell short of overturning the 15-second deficit by just 1.5 seconds. Pianta was third while Facetti drove conservatively to fourth and finished eight seconds behind the Abarth.
The final race took place at Casale. Munari once again dominated proceedings while Pilone’s RSR got ahead of Pianta at the start only to spin a couple of laps later at the central hairpin. He continued, but gave up any hope of passing the Abarth.
On the sixth lap, the engine in Facetti’s Group 4 Stratos began to splutter and three laps later the outright leader stopped on track with a broken injection pump. A distraught Facetti was out of the event. Munari took the win by one minute and 15 seconds from Pianta while Pilone was lapped in third spot.
Following Facetti’s late retirement, Pianta and Scabini were crowned victors in Turin with a 15 second advantage over the Coggiola / Pilone 911 RSR. Third spot went to the Group 3 Porsche 930 of Bruno Bocconi / Luciano Lovato who were a further 77 seconds behind. Munari / Mannucci eventually got the Group 5 Stratos Turbo into sixth spot.
Text copyright: Supercar Nostalgia
Photo copyright: Fiat - https://www.fiat.com
