The SEAT 124 D Especial 2000 was the bigger-engined, most powerful production version of the 124 series. It therefore represented an unbeatable basis as a rally car in the competitive Group 2 for improved touring cars.

Better known by the chassis code FL 90, the SEAT 124 D Especial 2000 is the direct heir to SEAT Competicion’s famous rally 124s. It was launched in 1979 and was powered by a 2-litre twin-twin engine delivering 114 HP, almost twice as much as the original 124 from 1968. The FL 90 was the ultimate evolution in the saga of the legendary FU and FL twin-cams.

Only 829 examples of the 124 D Special 2000 were produced in a period of three months and all were bright red. Apart from the colour, the car was quite low-key, only distinguished by the black side band with the legend "2000" (also on the boot lid), in addition to the bigger tyres.

The FL 90's direct predecessor, the 124 D Especial 1800 (or FL 80), launched in late 1976, had been the basis for the works Group 4 SEAT rally car with which the Spanish brand won the trophy for the best works team at the 1977 Monte-Carlo rally, after placing third and fourth overall. On the other hand, in 1979 Salvador Cañellas won the Spanish Touring Car Championship with a Group 2 FL 90, SEAT Competicion's last title.

The FL 90 engine had a capacity of 1919 cc (an odd figure chosen for tax reasons), which actually delivered the same power as the FL 80 (114 HP) but with more torque. It was a SEAT-exclusive development, fine-tuned by SEAT’s Martorell Technical Centre (opened in 1975).

Compared to the FL 80, the 124-2000 was fitted with rack-and-pinion steering instead of worm-and-sector, an upgrade already premiered on the FL 82 intermediate evolution in March 1978. Besides, it had 175 mm tyres, much more in line with the car's potential than the 155 mm of the 124-1800.

The FL 80 and FL 82 were suitable for rallying in domestic production Group 1, for series-production touring cars. In 1979, SEAT also homologated the FL 90 in Group 2, improved touring cars, as a homologation extension of the FL 82. These cars were still competing and winning years after the 124 was discontinued in 1980.

As a tribute to their big popularity and racing and rallying successes, both with the works SEAT Competicion team and in the hands of private teams, SEAT HISTÓRICOS completed the construction of this replica of a Group 2 FL 90 in early 2022, making the most of the fact that the FL 90 is already eligible for the Rally Monte-Carlo Historique.

From now on, the car will be entered in historic regularity rallies, starting with the famous Costa Brava Rally, where it was driven by Salvador Servià and his co-driver Xavi Lorza (this crew finished third overall in this same rally in 1994). In the ’70s, Servià was a regular privateer driver of SEAT cars, and years later he was twice Spanish champion.

The SEAT HISTÓRICOS team has carried out a similar preparation process to the one made in 2016-2017, when the team built a replica of the 1977 Group 4 SEAT 124-1800, third and fourth overall in the 1977 Monte-Carlo Rally.

Starting from the bodywork of a production FL, all the modifications allowed by the Group 2 regulations have been carried out. The most striking was the installation of spectacular widened wheel arches, which give the car a very racy look.

The 1919 cc engine, 5-speed gearbox powertrain is standard. The Group 2 FL 90 has a self-locking differential and big brakes fitted with 4-piston callipers, as well as an integral roll bar.

To paint the car, SEAT HISTÓRICOS has used the dark blue and yellow livery of the works 1978 and 1979 cars. A semi-works car on loan from SEAT Competicion was run at the time in this livery by the RACC team, driven by Alfonso Marcos. With this car, Marcos finished third overall in the 1979 Catalunya Rally, co-driven by Antonio Altarriba.

This is the second FL 90 in the Collection. SEAT HISTÓRICOS also keeps a totally original production unit in perfect running order and pristine condition. With this Group 2-prepared 124-2000, SEAT HISTÓRICOS celebrates the long history of SEAT’s 124 in rallying, which, in the hands of privateer drivers, lasted well into the 1980s.