Few rally cars of the late 1970s carry the visual weight of the Fiat 131 Abarth in Alitalia colours. IXO Models reproduces car number 3 exactly as Markku Alen and Ilkka Kivimäki drove it to third overall at the 47th Rallye Automobile Monte-Carlo in January 1979 — a result that sat squarely within Fiat's three WRC Manufacturers' titles in 1977, 1978 and 1980.
A Purpose-Built Group 4 Weapon from Turin
Homologated in 1976, the Fiat 131 Abarth was developed by Fiat and Abarth from the road-going 131 Mirafiori platform. Under Group 4 regulations the car ran a Lampredi-derived twin-cam 1995 cc inline-four, and the version campaigned at Monte Carlo 1979 used the 2-litre twin-cam Abarth unit. The programme delivered three WRC Manufacturers' Championships — 1977, 1978 and 1980 — making the 131 Abarth one of the most successful homologation specials of the rally car era.
Monte Carlo 1979: Alen, Kivimäki and the Alitalia Colours
The 47th Rally Monte Carlo was won by Bernard Darniche and Alain Mahé in a Lancia Stratos. Running as car number 3, Markku Alen and co-driver Ilkka Kivimäki brought their Fiat 131 Abarth home third overall — a solid points contribution to the manufacturers' campaign. The car wore the Team Alitalia livery: white bodywork with the green and red stripe of the Italian airline, arguably the most recognisable rally colour scheme of the entire WRC decade. Alen, a Finnish works driver throughout this period, accumulated multiple WRC rally wins in the 131 Abarth during 1977–1981.
IXO Models and the 1:43 Scale Model
This 1:43 scale model is produced by IXO Models, a specialist in competition car miniatures at this scale. The model is built in diecast metal with plastic components, the standard construction for the IXO 1:43 rally series. Race number 3 is correctly applied, and the Alitalia white, green and red livery is reproduced across the bodywork as carried at the 1979 Monte Carlo event. The 1:43 format is the reference scale for rally model collecting, allowing full grid representation without demanding shelf space.
In the Display Cabinet
This model pairs naturally with other late-1970s WRC machinery: the Lancia Stratos that won Monte Carlo 1979, Alen's 1000 Lakes 1978 131 Abarth, or Walter Röhrl's Fiat 131 Abarth entries from the 1978–1980 season. For collectors focused on the Italian works rally dynasty, it bridges the Alitalia-era Fiat programme and the Lancia Rally 037 period that followed. The Alitalia livery also makes it a natural anchor piece in any WRC 1:43 display, immediately identifiable alongside cars from any manufacturer or era.
