Ivan Vicario Martin
Before we get down to business and talk about the SEAT 124-2100 Group 5 by Antonio Zanini, it is necessary to put into perspective the trajectory of the Catalan pilot. He is one of our most successful pilots and, of course, the one with the most carat national record. He has been Spanish Rally Champion nine times, eight on asphalt and another one on dirt, a milestone achieved, moreover, with five different cars. To this we must add the European Championship of the specialty achieved in 1980, a competition where he was runner-up twice.
We are not going to gloss here the complete list of winners zanini, nor the list of the dozens of cars that he has driven in competition, but, as we have anticipated, we are going to focus on one of the most special, the SEAT 124-2100 Group 5, a.k.a. "Proto". It is curious that fans remember this car with special fervor, since it was not, by far, among the most used by the Spanish champion. Its popularity has more to do with the fact that it was the last evolution of the famous “taxis” of the SEAT Competition team, the most powerful and developed and, of course, the one with the most striking aesthetics.
Only three copies were built, the first of which did not even make its debut, as it was only used for testing. In the factory, received the nickname of "ballenato" by the bulged widening of the rear wheel arches. The other two units did compete and achieved several victories that rounded off the team's winning streak SEAT Competition with the 124 and 1430, serving to finish off the 1977 titles.
A TRIUMPHAL DECADE
SEAT shot in the 70s su involvement in competitionstarting with the creation of the National Formula in 1971, which would later be renamed F1430. That same year, the Spanish brand created the Special Vehicles department, which would later become SEAT Competition. Facing 1972, it was decided to participate in the Spanish Rally Championship with two cars would be driven by Jorge Babler and Salvador Canellas, who would be proclaimed Champion of Spain.
Antonio Zanini did a couple of rallies with the team, won the 2000 Virajes Rally, which gave him the opportunity to be the third SEAT driver. In 1973, it would be Jorge Babler who would win the championship, Zanini going on to win all the titles consecutively between 1974 and 1978. Meanwhile, SEAT was adding the brand gimpings in an exercise of dominance rarely seen. Suffice it to say that, until 1979, the brand's official team took part in 104 events of the Spanish Rally Championship, in which it achieved 39 wins and 96 podiums.
In addition, they added other five victories in the European contest, where Zanini was runner-up in 1977 with the 1430-1840 and in 1979 with the 131 Abarth. Finally, how can we forget the podium achieved in the Monte Carlo Rally 1977, with Zanini and Petisco in third position. In addition, Cañellas and Ferrater finished fourth and Servià and Sabater, seventh, for which SEAT won the Copa de Marcas.
THE SEAT 124-2100 GROUP 5
To achieve all this series of results, SEAT Competición basically used different versions and evolutions of the 124 and 1430. Only at the end did he switch to using the Fiat 131 Abarth, forced by a regulatory change to which we will return. The yellow and black colors, similar to those of Barcelona taxis, earned them the nickname.
After participating for a few years with Group 2 and Group 4, SEAT decided to take the 1430 and 124 one step further by making them Group 5. Although, by regulation, they could only be used in the national championship, it was the only way to face the Lancia Stratos, Porsche 911 or Ford Escort. First, a Group 5 version of the 1430-1755 and 1430-1840 was made, with which several victories were achieved. Also the 124-1840, known as "Proto" like our protagonist, had Group 5 homologation and was the base for the 2100. In any case, it competed with the Gr.2, Gr.4 and Gr.5 depending on for which championship scored each rally.
Our guest, the SEAT 124-2100 Group 5 It was the last evolution of that saga. It was a model in whose development Zanini actively participated, who worked hard to put it to his liking. The Catalan pilot did it debut in the Rally de Catalunya in 1976, where he abandoned when the gasoline pump broke.
A BEAST OF 210 HP
To improve the first “Proto”, the 1840 engine was replaced by the 2.090 cm3 of Fiat origin, which came to yield a fantastic 210 CV. Some say that it even reached 220 CV, a figure that seems excessively optimistic. We speak, in any case, of 100 CV/liters, eye to the data. Power was entrusted to two double-barrel Weber 45 carburettors, although a Kügelsfischer injection system was tested, which was very complex to fine-tune.
the frame It was improved by squeezing the advantages of the Group 5, which allowed, for example, the rear doors to be welded, which, together with the roll cage, gave it extraordinary rigidity. Another differential element were the rear suspensions, since the rigid rear axle was replaced by a independent McPherson system inherited from the Fiat 124 Spider Abarth. This is the best way to identify replicas of the car, as they usually keep the rigid rear axle.
Externally, it is impossible not to notice the huge front bumper and the oversized wheel archesespecially the rear ones. The set is finished off by the rear spoiler that makes sure to hit the rear to the ground and guarantee maximum traction. In addition, many plastic parts were used in the body, which reduced the weight to less than 1.000 kilos. The wheel arches hid widened tracks that guaranteed phenomenal stability. In fact, Antonio Zanini affirms that it was the "taxi" that he most liked to drive.
SOME PROBLEMS WITH THE 2100 GR. 5
The engine had excellent underbody, but up top it didn't push with the same energy. In addition, there was the matter of the brakes, which were the main problem of the model. The fault lay with the size of the wheels, which were 13 inches and therefore greatly limited the size of the wheels. four brake discs. Although the mounting of 15-inch wheels was planned to alleviate the problem, they did not arrive on time. There was also always talk of the extreme harshness of the leadership.
The end of Group 5 came with the regulations that were approved for the 1978 season. This said that it was necessary to homologate in Group 1 the 16-valve cylinder heads such as those mounted on the 124-2100, which in turn required the manufacture of a minimum of 5.000 copies. In this way, they could not run tests that were not national with the previous Group 4.
This put an end to the trajectory of the 124, which caused SEAT to pull “down the middle path”. The Spanish brand was made with four units of Fiat 131 Abarth to continue playing and winning the championship, against the criteria of Zanini, what I preferred the Stratos. In the midst of the break with Fiat, SEAT would stop its sporting activities at the highest level in 1980, although it continued to support the Fura Cup on circuits and the Panda Cup on rallies.
THE PALMARES OF THE SEAT 124-2100 GROUP 5
Two were the units of the 124 Group 5 with which SEAT participated, the first with registration B-3048-BW. The second, with license plate B-4245-Z, is the one that looks in our article. He ran only in 1977 and won three rallies with Antonio Zanini, Luis de Babiera, Cataluña and Costa del Sol, in addition to finishing second in the Fallas Rally. Cañellas ran with him in the Critérium Guilleries, but broke.
SEAT gave this unit to Antonio Zanini when he left the team as a thank you for the successes achieved together. The Catalan pilot kept it in perfect condition until a few years ago, when it passed into the hands of a private collector. However, Zanini still drives it from time to time, as we see in the photos. The car is just as it ran in his last race, with the patina of time and unrestored, which gives it added value.
The other unit was the first to debut in 1976, with abandon, as we have said before. The next year, would win the 500 Night Km of Alicante with Zanini, adding a 3rd and 2nd with Salvador Cañellas in Cataluña and Costa del Sol respectively. In addition, he had three other retirements, two of them with Zanini.
After many years in the hands of the same owner, this unit was acquired by Teo Martín and restored to the last screw. A few months ago she joined the repertoire of the Motor & Sport Institute, where she looks like new along with the rest of the jewels in the collection.
Photographs by Carlos Villanueva.
TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SEAT 124-2100 GROUP 5 |
|
| Motor | Longitudinal front |
| Displacement | 2.090 cm3 |
| Cylinders | 4 in line |
| Maximum power | 210 CV |
| Maximum torque | 100 Nm to 3.900 rpm |
| Food | Two twin-barrel Weber 45 carburettors |
| Distribution | Four valves per cylinder |
| Fuel | Petrol |
| Traction | Rear |
| Gearbox | ZF 5-speed manual + ma with close ratio and straight teeth |
| Clutch | dry single disc |
| Chassis | self-supporting monocoque |
| Bodywork | Saloon reformed with two doors (two seats) |
| Front suspension | Independent of overlapping wishbones, coil springs, telescopic shock absorbers, anti-roll bar |
| Rear suspension | Independent multi-link with McPherson struts, spring-shock absorber assembly, stabilizer bar |
| Direction | Rack derived from the Fiat 131 |
| Brakes | Solid discs, with Lockheed four-piston calipers, Ferodo DS11 pads |
| length/height | 4.050/1.400 mm |
| Weight : | 990 kg |
| Tires | Targa, 9 x 13” (front) and 10 x 13” (rear) |
| Tires | Michelin, 18/53/13 (front) and 24/53/13 (back) |
| Deposit | 55 liters |
| Weight / power ratio | 4,71 kg / CV |
| year of presentation | 1976 |
| years of production | 1976 – 1977 |
| Units produced | 3 (only two are preserved) |
