Alfa Romeo 4C Rises Again With Abarth 1300 OT, Production Limited To Five Units

by Carl Malek | April 15, 2024

Stellantis Heritage celebrates 75 years of Abarth tradition with the wild Abarth 1300 OT. The latest iteration of the OT uses the axed Alfa Romeo 4C as a base to help produce an unforgettable tribute to Fiat’s performance sub-brand.

Abarth 1300 OT celebrates brand’s 75th anniversary

Fiat is celebrating 75 years of Abarth with the performance brand being founded in 1949. Fiat took it over in 1971 but the brand has always been known for delivering impressive amounts of performance in delightfully small packages which has helped it get success in multiple forms of road racing.

While the bulk of Abarth models were known for being exclusive to the European market, the brand’s return to the U.S. alongside Fiat saw buyers get access to the Fiat 500 Abarth and the droptop Abarth 124 Spider with the latter being made as part of a partnership with Mazda. To help celebrate Abarth’s 75th birthday, Stellantis Heritage (formerly known as FCA Heritage) has formally unveiled the all-new Abarth 1300 OT coupe.

1300 OT Has Familiar DNA

1300 OT shares its architecture and DNA with the axed Alfa Romeo 4C

While the 1300 OT itself will be a new addition to Abarth’s performance car lineup, its foundations will be very familiar to Alfa Romeo 4C buyers with Stellantis Heritage confirming that the model will be based on the coupe version of that model.

This follows on the heels of the Abarth 1000 SP which used the convertible variant as source material for its creation. As such, the coupe gets bug-eye style front headlights with the body being crafted out of lightweight carbon fiber. Rear louvers and a periscope-mounted roof vent are further reminders of the 1960s-era 1300 OT race car that it’s based on while the large cooling vent in the rear has large ABARTH lettering on it. Scorpion badging also replaces the Alfa logos and the OT even gets a set of blacked-out alloy wheels.

Stellantis Heritage didn’t release any images of the interior but expect it to closely mirror the 4C’s albeit with minor visual differences to make it stand out from the Alfa including Abarth logos and visual changes for the infotainment system.

Raw performance fuels this tribute act

All 1300 OT models will be powered by the 4C’s turbocharged four-cylinder

Performance for the Abarth 1300 OT is also shared with the 4C with all models being powered by a turbocharged 1.7-liter four-cylinder that makes 237 horsepower with the engine being mated to a 6-speed dual dry clutch transmission.

Abarth didn’t release any performance figures for the model but look for the coupe to match the 4C’s 4.2-second 0 to 60 time and its 155 mph top speed. A manual transmission will not be offered but look for the 1300 OT to wow drivers with its handling manners which was a trait that the 4C was always known for.

1300 OT will be rare sight for enthusiasts

1300 OT is a potent example of the 4C’s ability to still generate sales even after it was axed

Stellantis Heritage confirmed that production of the Abarth 1300 OT will be limited to five units with all of them being based on existing low-mileage Alfa Romeo 4Cs that were overhauled by the company. This blueprint was also used to build its droptop predecessor the 1000 SP in 2021.

Pricing information was also not released, but Stellantis revealed that order books for the model are already open though the firm stopped short of revealing whether any are destined for the U.S. market.

If one of these 1300 OTs finds its way to the U.S. market, it would highlight the 4C’s ability to still generate sales with Stellantis confirming in the past that a lone 4C was sold new from a U.S. dealership in 2023. In the meantime, we look forward to hearing more about the 1300 OT including what other surprises it has hidden beneath its bespoke bodywork.