The Abarth Works Museum from Lier participates with 4 teams in the Legend Boucles rally @ Bastogne

On Saturday 3rd and Sunday 4th February, the 'Abarth Squadra Storica' team, the rally team of the Abarth Works Museum in Lier, will participate in the 'Legend Boucles @ Bastogne' rally with 4 cars from the museum collection.

The word 'works' in Abarth Works Museum refers to the fact that the cars are still regularly used in rallies, and we proudly carry that name.

The 2024 edition of Les Legends Boucles

The Legend Boucles is a rally that takes place over two days, with tests on tarmac on Saturday and tests in the forests on Sunday. On Friday evening, there are festivities, including a signing session at Place McAuliffe and a parade through the main street of Bastogne.

In 2024, the Abarth Works Museum also celebrates two special anniversaries: the 75th anniversary of 'Abarth', and the 75th birthday of the founder of the museum, Guy Moerenhout. Due to these special occasions, Guy will participate with a 1975 Fiat 131 Abarth.

There are several categories, including 'Classic 50', 'Classic 65', 'Legend', 'Challenger', and 'Youngtimers'. This year, the team will participate in the Classic 50 category. In this category, the goal is to maintain a varying average speed of up to 50 km/h as accurately as possible throughout the rally, with various obstacles along the way. The teams are experienced with very good co-drivers, so if the cars hold up, a podium position is certainly achievable for the Abarth Squadra Storica. Another special feature is that three generations will participate: Guy Moerenhout (founder of AWM), his stepson Jeroen Nys (owner of AWM), and his son Brian.

The participating teams of Abarth Squadra Storica

The teams are as follows:

• Guy Moerenhout - Filip De Munck in a 1975 Fiat Abarth 131 rally
• Jeroen Nys - Brian Nys in a 1986 Lada 2105 Junior
• Eric Vlaisloir - Kristof Vermant in a 1969 Fiat 125S Abarth
• Marc Van Bouwel - Koen Goossens in a 1986 Lada 2101 - 1600 GROUP 2

For the past three years, former Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt was also part of the Squadra, but unfortunately, this year he has to miss out because his latest rally car project has been delayed and will not be ready in time. In addition to drivers and co-drivers, a service team led by Guy Desmet will also travel, along with a catering team to provide food and drink to everyone in time.

The rally cars from the Abarth Works Museum collection

FIAT 131 ABARTH RALLY (Team Moerenhout – De Munck)

In 1975, 400 Fiat Abarth 131 Rally cars were built for homologation purposes. This was done in collaboration between Fiat, Abarth, and Bertone.
The car we are using in the rally is one of the first 25 ever sold. We know this because of the C symbol on the wheel arches. This stands for 'concessionaria'. Every Abarth dealer was required to purchase one for the showroom.
Since then, the car has been fitted with a Group 4 suspension, and two double 48 IDF Weber carburettors, and it has won several rallies.

Lada 2105 Junior (Team Nys – Nys)

The Lada 2105, 2107 (sedan), and 2104 (station wagon) are cars produced by the Russian manufacturer Lada-AvtoVAZ since the early 1980s.
The car we are using in the rally is a special version of the 2105, which Guy Moerenhout designed in collaboration with Scaldia-Volga. They believed there was a market for a more attractive version of the car. Therefore, modifications were made to the bodywork, including a new front and rear bumper, new side skirts, and a special rear spoiler. The car was available with 1300cc, 1600cc, or 1700cc engines and was sold in France, Greece, the Netherlands, and Belgium.
The car we are using in the rally is fully rally-ready, with a 1700cc engine, more than 170 hp, and power steering.
This car has already participated in the Legend Boucles three times.

FIAT 125S ABARTH (Team Vlaisloir – Vermant)

The Fiat 125 Special was introduced in 1968. The engine was modified in several ways compared to the regular 125. The car was equipped with a 5-speed gearbox, and the interior had a more luxurious finish. Externally, the Special was distinguished by more chrome accents and different trim. The Special achieved a top speed of 170 km/h. Acceleration from 0-100 km/h in 11.2 seconds was fast for its time. The car we are using in the rally was previously owned by Paul Frère. He donated it to the museum on the condition that we continue to use it in rallies, and that is exactly what we do.

Paul Frère was one of the best Belgian rally drivers and won Le Mans multiple times. In his book 'My Life Full of Cars', he also mentions this car. The car was gifted to him by Fiat after it underwent a Group 2 transformation at Abarth, with a unique Abarth engine that revs very quickly. The car served as the model for the revised edition from 1971.

LADA 2101 – 1600 GROUP 2 (Team Van Bouwel – Goossens)

The Lada 2101 marked the era of the USSR. Between 1960 and 1988, this sedan, based on the Fiat 124, was the epitome of the Soviet car: simple and efficient. It was an affordable model for our Western societies, where this Lada was quite successful and even became the brand's bestseller.

The car we use for the rally is built to the specifications of the Statsys Brundza cars, according to Group 2 specifications, and homologated with a 1600cc engine and 7" wheels.

It has already participated in the Legends rally five times, even with Guy Verhofstadt behind the wheel.