The Fiat 131 Abarth was the car with which Fiat dominated the World Rally Championship in the late 1970s, winning the manufacturers' titles in 1977, 1978 and 1980. Prepared by Abarth on the basis of the 131 Mirafiori, it featured a 2.0-litre 16-valve engine and rear-wheel drive, producing around 230 hp and weighing less than 1,000 kg. During the 1980 Sanremo Rally, Fiat ran into trouble due to a strike at Mirafiori, and unable to enter with the official cars, turned to satellite team cars instead: Röhrl's from Jolly Club, Alén's from the 4 Rombi Corse team, and Bettega's from River Team. Although Alén and Kivimäki were unable to finish the rally due to an engine problem, SCX chose this car as the model for its U10499S300 reference.