World rallying
is experiencing something of a resurgence. For the 2017 season there will be more aggressive and faster
WRC cars
, plus the popularity of the R-GT class seems to be increasing. Now we have our first look at the second rear-wheel drive R3 car (alongside the
GT86
Call us old-fashioned if you will, but the sight of a small, rear-driven coupe on a rally stage remains very exciting. It's got a roof scoop too, which always helps rally car kudos. And look at the smoke! Quite what engine this car uses is unknown yet; evidently it's turbocharged, but the class uses 1.6-litre turbos and the road car a 1.4. Hopefully a few more details will be forthcoming from Abarth ahead of the rally car's debut.
When that debut will be is unclear for now though. Given there are only a couple of rounds left for the 2016 season, a competitive appearance this year seems unlikely. But a factory-backed 2017 season effort? In the Kappa livery? That sounds like something to look forward to!