--- title: "Abarth Classiche 1300 OT Brings Alfa 4C Back to Life, But Uglier" description: "The Abarth Classiche 1300 OT is a re-bodied Alfa Romeo 4C designed to honor a classic race car but misses the mark." date: "2024-04-14" modified: "2024-04-14" authors: - name: "Nico DeMattia" job_title: "Contributing Writer" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/nico-demattia" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/abarth-classiche-1300-ot-brings-alfa-4c-back-to-life-but-uglier" categories: - "Alfa Romeo News" - "News" - "News by Brand" tags: - "Alfa Romeo" - "sports car" --- # Abarth Classiche 1300 OT Brings Alfa 4C Back to Life, But Uglier ![]() *Stellantis* For those of you who might be confused, [Abarth ]()exists as a performance brand under the Stellantis umbrella. It builds sportier, special edition versions of existing Stellantis products, like the Abarth 500e. Its latest project is the Abarth Classiche 1300 OT, a tuned and re-bodied[ Alfa Romeo ]()4C, that revives a discontinued sports car but makes it uglier. I'll go on record as one of the few people who actually likes the [Alfa Romeo 4C](). Sure, it was a pretty big flop that wasted its immense potential. However, it was an Italian, exotic-looking, mid-engine supercar with a carbon fiber chassis *and* body for the same price as a base-model Porsche Cayman and was sold in the United States. Despite its many flaws—a horrific ride, unreliable dual-clutch transmission, and econobox interior quality—I'm just happy it existed. However, the Abarth 1300 OT attempts to revive the long-defunct 4C with a worse-looking body completely devoid of the original car's charm. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() This new limited-edition Abarth 1300 OT is supposed to pay homage to the iconic 1965 [Fiat]()-Abarth OT 1300, in celebration of the Scorpion brand's 75th anniversary. However, this new one looks like a bloated 4C with a cheap body kit and homemade livery. Its dual bug-eye headlights look nothing like the classic's, it has tacky "ABARTH" lettering at the rear, and its "periscope" roof-mounted air intake is a laughable reference to the original 1965 OT 1300's. Thankfully, its body is still carbon fiber, so it remains extremely light. This isn't the first time Abarth revived the 4C, as it originally made the convertible 1000 SP in 2021, which was better looking than the 1300 OT. It still had the same freaky headlights but it also had cool hood vents, lacked the "ABARTH" font at the rear, and had cool vents in its rear haunches. Having the roof down helped a lot, too. Abarth didn't provide any mechanical details for the new 1300 OT but it's expected to have the same 1.7-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine and dual-clutch transmission as the Alfa Romeo 4C. Abarth doesn't even have a full-scale production example yet, only a 1:3 scale model and some renderings. When production does begin, only five will be built and Stellantis is currently taking orders. There's no word on cost but, considering its extremely low production volume, I imagine it's going to be far more expensive than a second-hand Alfa Romeo 4C while looking worse. Hopefully, it has much improved handling and increased performance to make it worthwhile. *Got tips? Send 'em to tips@thedrive.com* ## Author Nico is a writer and reviewer from New Jersey who probably thinks he’s a lot funnier than he actually is. His love of cars began when he was just a kid playing Gran Turismo 3, grinding out enough race wins with a Mazda Miata to save up for an in-game RUF 911. That passion for small, lightweight sports cars drove his desire to learn more about the industry, get his hands on as many cars as he could, and bring those experiences to life on the page. He cut his teeth writing about BMWs, Volkswagens, and Audis, mostly, and has owned far too many of each. He’s on his fourth 3 Series sedan, but all of his old, cheap German cars have forced him to learn more about car maintenance than his mechanical capability can handle. Too many late nights have been spent scrambling to get a car running by morning so he could get to work. For some reason, he never seems to learn that old Bimmers probably aren’t the best daily drivers. But he loves more than just old German cars. He’ll gladly drive and discuss anything with four (or even three) wheels. Cars aren’t his only passions, though. Nico is also a big nerd and loves movies, video games, comic books, and cares far too much about the New York Giants. So don’t be surprised if you see football references or dumb, obscure movie quotes in any of his car reviews. ### Author social links [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()