Alfa Romeo’s diminutive carbon-tub two-seater 4C was a delightfully quirky little Italian sports car. It wasn’t perfect, but it was weird and wonderful in a spicy and rowdy way that wasn’t really appreciated in its time. The 4C died off in 2020, but four years later the brand basically built on a foundation of spicy and weird, Abarth, is bringing it back for one last ramble. With all-new carbon bodywork, the 4C will be reborn as the Abarth Classiche 1300 OT, a throwback to the Group 4 sports cars campaigned by Abarth between 1965 and 1968.
The Heritage department, a division of Stellantis dedicated to the heritage of Alfa Romeo, Fiat, Lancia, and Abarth, is building five examples of the rejigged Alfa 4C for the world through its Reloaded by Creators program. The new Abarth body features a roof-mounted intake scoop, tail panel Abarth logo, a revamped nose, and rear window louvers to set it apart from the 4C we all know and conditionally love.
Unfortunately the 1.7-liter turbocharged engine remains unchanged, as output will stay at 237 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque. Perhaps even more unfortunate, the 6-speed dual clutch gearbox also sticks around. Stellantis mentions the car has extensive carbon fiber construction, though the 4C also had a carbon tub, so maybe it’s not much lighter, if at all.
The original OT 1300 from the 1960s was based on the basic Fiat 850, and kept its rear-engine layout, though in a much sleeker coupe body. In 1966, before the car was homologated to Group 4, the Abarth 1300 (then entered as a prototype) grabbed a 1-2-3 finish in class at the 1000KM of Monza. Later that year a now-Omologato Turismo 1300 won the Nürburgring 500KM outright! This was a car that earned its success on the track through light weight and slim aerodynamics, and this new version carries on that weird Abarth tradition. I love it dearly.
