For those of you who might be confused, Abarth exists as a performance brand under the Stellantis umbrella.
Its latest project is the Abarth Classiche 1300 OT, a tuned and re-bodied Alfa Romeo 4C, that revives a discontinued sports car but makes it uglier.
I’ll go on record as one of the few people who actually likes the Alfa Romeo 4C.
However, the Abarth 1300 OT attempts to revive the long-defunct 4C with a worse-looking body completely devoid of the original car’s charm.
This new limited-edition Abarth 1300 OT is supposed to pay homage to the iconic 1965 Fiat-Abarth OT 1300, in celebration of the Scorpion brand’s 75th anniversary.
This isn’t the first time Abarth revived the 4C, as it originally made the convertible 1000 SP in 2021, which was better looking than the 1300 OT.
Abarth didn’t provide any mechanical details for the new 1300 OT but it’s expected to have the same 1.7-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine and dual-clutch transmission as the Alfa Romeo 4C.
There’s no word on cost but, considering its extremely low production volume, I imagine it’s going to be far more expensive than a second-hand Alfa Romeo 4C while looking worse.
To clarify, Abarth is a performance brand that falls under the Stellantis corporate family. For example, it creates more aggressive, limited-edition Abarth 500e models based on current Stellantis products. The Abarth Classiche 1300 OT is the company’s most recent endeavor, a modified and redesigned Alfa Romeo 4C that brings back a long-gone sports car while making it look even worse.
As one of the few individuals who genuinely enjoy the Alfa Romeo 4C, let me say this. Yes, it was a major failure that never lived up to its enormous potential. But it was an Italian mid-engine supercar with an exotic appearance that cost the same as a Porsche Cayman base model and had a carbon fiber body and chassis. It was sold in the United States. I’m just glad it existed in spite of all of its many shortcomings, including an awful ride, an unstable dual-clutch transmission, and econobox-like interior quality. But with a less appealing body that lacks all of the original car’s charm, the Abarth 1300 OT makes an attempt to bring the long-gone 4C back to life.
To commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Scorpion brand, this new limited-edition Abarth 1300 OT is meant to pay homage to the legendary 1965 Fiat-Abarth OT 1300. But with its homemade livery and inexpensive body kit, this new one appears to be a bloated 4C. Its tacky “ABARTH” lettering on the back and its “periscope” roof-mounted air intake, a ridiculous nod to the original 1965 OT 1300s, are just a few of its quirky features. Its dual bug-eye headlights are unlike any of the classics. Fortunately, it still has a carbon fiber body, which keeps it incredibly light.
Abarth has brought the 4C back to life before; in 2021, it produced the convertible 1000 SP, which was more attractive than the 1300 OT. Along with the cool hood vents and the absence of the “ABARTH” font at the back, it also had cool vents in its rear haunches and the same crazy headlights. It also helped a great deal that the roof was down.
The new 1300 OT is anticipated to have the same 1.7-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine and dual-clutch transmission as the Alfa Romeo 4C, although Abarth did not disclose any technical specifications. Abarth only has a 1:3 scale model and a few renderings as of yet; no full-scale production example is available. Stellantis is currently taking orders for the five that will be built when production does start. Although a price has not been disclosed, I imagine it will be significantly more costly than a used Alfa Romeo 4C and have a worse appearance due to its extremely low production volume. It should have significantly better handling and more power to justify the expense.
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