A couple weeks ago, our cohorts across the street at Honest Charley alerted us of a very cool project that we might want to document. So, we did just that and the car is now finished, complete with a brand new set of
Michelin TB5 tires!. It's a 1980 Fiat 131 Abarth tribute car, and it has lots of cool parts on it. The wide fender flares and paint scheme are in-your-face aggressive, and super-wide Michelin TB5 tires are a perfect fit.
"The Michelin TB5 tires really fit this car's rally style tribute."
The owner of the car wanted to replicate the popular "Alitalia" clad Abarth rally car, which was based off the Fiat 131 Abarth. This platform was very successful, winning the World Rally Championship in 1977, 1978 and 1980. For this replica, the owner wanted a set of tarmac tires, as opposed to the dirt tires that are normally seen on rally cars. He opted for a set of our
Michelin TB5 tires, sized at 23/62R15, which equates to 270/45R15 in standard metric sizing. These tires feature a great compound for race cars, but they are still DOT approved for highway use. The owner plans to use these on the street most of the time (so he says, hahaha)
The big fat fender flares really sell this car's look, not to mention make ample room for the big competition Michelins.
Our guys over at Honest Charley had to do some machine work to the hubs to make the Abarth wheels fit correctly, and they also did some great detail work to the Fiat to drive home the rally-inspired flavor. It's now ready for the road, so of course we
borrowed it for a few minutes to take some pictures and videos. Enjoy this classic Alitali-liveried Fiat!
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