By Pete Vack
Above: This is the Radio Controlled Rally Legends Fiat Abarth 131 on our driveway. It is big; over 17 inches long, almost 6 inches high and 7.5 inches wide. Not full size but you could have almost fooled us. It is fast; right out of the box these electric-powered cars will do at least 32 mph. Merry Christmas?
Let’s get right to the heart of this jewel; four-wheel drive, fully independent suspension, adjustable shocks, CVD joints, two-channel radio, rally or drift tires. Not a toy, to be sure. Be advised, like most RC cars, they need to be understood, maintained, and properly utilized. But you’ll learn!
Rally Legends provides optional livery for most of the styles it offers. Ours is a faithful replica of Markku Alen’s 1981 Portuguese Rally car. It can also be bought in the livery of the 1978 Portuguese Rally car of Alen/Kivimaki.
In addition to the Fiat Abarth 131, the current line-up of bodies available from Rally Legends, the Stratos, HF Integrale, and Lancia 037. A Lancia Fulvia HF would be nice! All the livery markings are officially licensed by Fiat.
The real thing with the Rally Legends RC car on the roof at an Italian launch.
The Fiat Abarth 131 Rally Legend cars come with headlights, taillights and blinkers that work. Light kits are available for other models as well.
This is a PR photo by Rally Legends; It is hard to tell this is the model and not the real thing. Driving it in dirt is great fun…it slides, drifts, spins and yet has great traction. However, don’t do it until you’ve isntalled a chassis cover to protect the drivetrain from the dirt. They’re available from Rally Legends.
Due to the size and speed of these RC cars, it is best to find a lot of room to run them. You’ll find clubs and RC groups usually hanging around the parking lots at HobbyTown USA outlets…and you’ll quickly find the closest store near you. We have a private road and even then almost ran out of it! There is a learning curve to driving one of these too…with plenty of bumps and lumps in the process. Learning to drive in the living room is not recommended.
The Rally Legends cars come ready to race after a charge up. Early on we had a servo (the motor that controls the steering) problem, but that allowed us to get thoroughly involved with these RC cars…never having had any experience with the breed, we had a lot to learn. Help was quickly available from Eric Larson at Rally Legends, who guided us through the process of figuring out what was wrong. Eric has a warehouse full of parts and same day service.
As a present for a son or daughter: All the Rally Legend cars are historically accurate down to the license plate, opening avenues for learning about WRC history (see books, below). They are also complex enough to use as a teaching tool to demonstrate four wheel drive, differentials, shock absorbers, suspension, drivetrain as well as radio and electronics. To avoid arguments about who drives and who watches…order two while you are at it!
The tools supplied with the car are used to detach chassis members as necessary. We were impressed with the extremely strong and resilient body which showed no signs of our klutzy learning curve!
An overall view of the Fiat 131 chassis as delivered. The hi-impact fiberglass body is off to the side; the wires for the lighting system are still attached. The four posts serve to secure the body to the chassis with cotter pins for quick removal. Electric motor is alongside the long and narrow battery pack.
The wheels are secured with a large nut and spanner is provided. The tires as supplied are great for grip in the dirt and the oil-filled shocks are adjustable for road or rally. Note the suspension and differential unit which also supplies power via a driveshaft to the front differential. The technology means that the Fiat Abarth handles a lot like a real car and provides endless hours of fun.
The front suspension with the CVD joints. The steering and front wheel drive work very smoothly and the entire drivetrain is not only impressive but performs extremely well on the street. That’s saying something, considering the car has a fully-articulated suspension with four-wheel-drive and steering.
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What and who are Rally Legends?
Rally Legends RC was started by Francesco Ristori, in a small town near Florence, Italy. Ristori established an RC import and distribution company called ItalTrading. Recently, he decided to start his own line of RC cars with the emphasis on the classic legendary cars of the 70s and 80s and the legendary group B. All the cars are officially licensed by the manufacturer, with whom Francesco has very close ties. He is also a good friend of rally great Miki Biasion, and asked Miki to endorse the product line and help with the development of each new model. Three of the cars, the Lancia S4, Lancia Delta Evo and Lancia 037 were all driven by and won world rally championship events with Miki Biasion behind the wheel.
Eric Larson and Rally Legends RC in the U.S.
“We have been in business with Rally Legends RC in the U.S.A for the last 7 months . We are now starting to branch out and working hard at getting the Rally Legends RC brand into as many hobby shops and retail outlets as possible. At the same time, we have our website with a store, plus we have a warehouse full of products and we ship same day. We are all about service!” Read more about Rally Legends and get prices!
Sneak Preview!
Eric Larson told us that some of his customers love the Rally Legends car for the detail, and collect them as static models which have the option to run as an RC. Those cars spend most of their lives behind glass. We bet they will really go for this new line of RC cars from the same team. More later on the Alfa 8C RC!
Don’t miss these videos to see what these cars can really do!
Finally, books about each one of the Rally cars in the Rally Legends Series:
