2008 Abarth Nuova 500

Abarth The return of the Abarth brand continues to bring new challenges.

The 'Scorpion' philosophy, which is conveyed in all the brand's activities with passion and tradition, continues to excite sports car lovers everywhere. As envisaged by the plans to revive the brand, the Abarth & C. Spa company has set up new premises in the Mirafiori complex in Turin, bringing together the manufacturing, design and management functions for the whole company, as well as the staff of the Racing Team who were formerly housed in the historical plant in the nearby town of Chivasso. This fully-fledged industrial structure was put up in record time, just eight months, and stands in an area of more than 23,000 square metres, where all the brand's activities are concentrated. It employs more than 100 people. The inaugural ceremony is also an excellent opportunity to present the 2008 season of the Abarth Racing Team.

After the brilliant results achieved in last year's rally season, which marked the Scorpion's official return to the racing world, the team will tackle 2008 with the same guts and determination; it will start with the Intercontinental Rally Challenge, which will be contested by two official Grande Punto Abarth S2000s, driven by Giandomenico Basso and Anton Alen, with the support of its main sponsor Selenia and with the collaboration of Sabelt. And the Grande Punto Abarth S2000 will also compete in the Italian Rally Championship, sponsored by Metis and Api-IP, with two cars driven by Andrea Navarra and Renato Travaglia. Finally, Úmberto Scandola is a pilot from the Abarth Team that will carry out development tests as well as several prestigious international competions. An Abarth Trophy will also be contested this year, maintaining a tradition begun in 1977: the Grande Punto API-IP ORO DIESEL Trophy is a championship reserved for the Fiat Grande Punto R3D which is now in its second edition (the pilot Alessio Pisi won the first edition). From racing to our everyday roads, but always with a sporty approach. This is the goal behind the debut of the long-awaited '500 Abarth', announced for the coming Geneva International Motor Show.

The new car was developed by the Fiat Group Automobiles Style Centre in the spirit of the legendary Fiat 500 Abarth of the 1960s, and will be marketed from July through the exclusive Abarth network. With a strong sporty personality, the new car will be powered by a Fire 1.4 16v petrol Turbo engine, which delivers a maximum of 135 bhp (99 kW) at 5,500 rpm and peak torque of 206 Nm at 3,000 rpm in 'Sport' mode (in 'Normal' mode, torque is reduced to 180 Nm at 2,500 rpm). This brilliant, smooth new engine is also a friend of the environment: like the regular Fiat model it is derived from, the new Abarth will respect future Euro 5 legislation. Another interesting feature of the 500 Abarth is the fact that it adopts the new TTC (Torque Transfer Control) system, which improves the transfer of drive torque to the wheels, but, above all, ensures that the car behaves impeccably on bends, making it safer and more entertaining even with a sporty driving style. In other words, it is faithful to the phrase coined for the Abarths of the 1960s 'small but wicked'. While the 500 Abarth represents the brand's future, fans today can already enjoy a sporty drive at the wheel of the Grande Punto Abarth, equipped with the 1.4 Turbo petrol engine that delivers 155 bhp at 5500 rpm combined with a 6-speed mechanical gearbox, which has a top speed of 208 km/h and accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in just 8.2 seconds.

An Open Day in April will mark the Italian launch of two elaboration kits - 'Assetto' and 'esseesse' - which will make the Grande Punto Abarth even more aggressive and powerful.

Source - Fiat

Geneva marks the debut of the 500 Abarth which will be marketed by the exclusive Abarth network in July, to further strengthen the brand's sporting credentials. The car was developed by the Fiat Group Automobiles Style Centre with the spirit of the legendary 500 Abarths of the 1960s, and while it is a small, agile, compact car on the outside, inside it features the best that engineering, safety and technology can offer today.

And for people with an assertive character, who love a challenge, as Carlo Abarth did, in addition to the road version prepared with the conversion kit, the small Abarth will also be offered with a racing outfit, the 500 Abarth SS Assetto Corsa, designed for customers who want to try their hand at circuit racing.

Faithful to the saying coined for Abarth cars in the 1960s (‘small but wicked'), the 500 Abarth promises to be a ‘small' car with generous performance qualities. The car on display at the Geneva show is equipped with a Fire 1.4 16v Turbo petrol engine which delivers a maximum of 135 bhp (99 kW) at 5,000 rpm and peak torque of 206 Nm at 3.000 rpm in ‘Sport' mode (in ‘Normal' mode torque is reduced to 180 Nm at 2,500 rpm). This brilliant, smooth new engine is also a friend of the environment: like the regular Fiat model it is derived from, the new Abarth will respect future Euro 5 legislation.

Another interesting feature of the 500 Abarth is the fact that it adopts the new TTC (Torque Transfer Control) system, which improves the transfer of drive torque to the wheels, but, above all, ensures that the car behaves impeccably on bends, making it safer and more entertaining to drive when you put your foot down.

Respecting Abarth tradition in full, the styling of the 500 Abarth is not a mere exercise in interpretation, because it significantly improves the car's performance. The best proof of this stylistic approach can be found in the attention paid to the aerodynamics and functionality of certain elements. For example, compared to the basic body, the 500 Abarth optimises aerodynamic behaviour both with the roof extension and a large winged spoiler, and with a ‘slide' that links up to the underbody, optimising the airflow output, and involving much of the rear bumper.

We should underline that these two elements – the spoiler and the slide – help to reduce drag and increase grip at high speed. What is more, the front slits on the bumper heighten the sporty styling but also perform a useful function, cooling the two intercoolers positioned at the sides. That is not all. On either side of the ‘slide', there is an exhaust pipe that corresponds to the symmetrical exits of a single silencer positioned transversely (branded with the scorpion logo, like those in the 1960s).

On the side, sideskirts envelop the curves of the car creating a more vertical profile, which improves the Cd. But it is the front that really announces that the 500 Abarth has the equipment of a true GT: the ‘triptych' of air intakes consists of a central inlet, which is larger than on the basic model, with a much broader upper slit (above the number plate); the two ‘nostrils', positioned symmetrically at the sides of the bumper, correspond exactly to the position of the two identical intercoolers, which are just visible through the ‘nostrils', guaranteeing airflow in and out.

The nose with its trim has been ‘pushed forward' to create the space necessary for the turboblower; this makes the side view of the 500 Abarth more pronounced and obvious, in perfect harmony with Abarth tradition, recalling the 850 TC and 1000 TC, on which the externally applied manifolds were immediately visible and recognisable as a characteristic feature of the brand. The trim itself differs from the one on the Fiat 500 because it is in a single piece: the Abarth logo, which appears for the first time without a chrome surround, ‘floats' on a finned surface that serves as an additional air intake. The Abarth shields positioned on the sides are shot through by a tri-colour arrow, like the ones on the Abarth 595 and 695 in the 1960s, a symbol of the brand's racing image. And finally, the 16'' and 17'' wheel rims come in different styles: from multiple spokes to beading of the bore holes (a clear reference to styles adopted for forged wheels in the 1970s).

Inside, the ‘cockpit' of the 500 Abarth features special instrumentation which is derived from the outfit on the Fiat model, with the addition of an analogue pressure gauge to measure turbo pressure. It incorporates a LED telltale that optimises gear changes by lighting up at the appropriate moment. The main instrumental panel, with its sports graphics, is protected from glare by an upper lip, while the three-spoke steering wheel has shaped thumb rests, is ‘flattened' at the bottom to increase roominess, and is adjustable. The aluminium pedals with their rubber trim have a decidedly ‘racing' look, like the gear lever knob (covered with leather with a more anatomical grip for sporty driving). The same approach is evident in the seats – of the ‘one-piece' type, incorporating the head-restraint into the squab – which are upholstered with a choice of materials: fabrics in different combinations of colours and textures, and two versions of leather (black or red). The headlining and the side trims are black, giving the interior a more technical, sporty look.

Source - Fiat S.p.A.

Abarth at the 78th Geneva International Motor Show

Exactly one year after the rebirth of the brand and the company, Abarth returns to the Geneva Motor Show, an ideal setting for the public launch of the new 500 Abarth, the long awaited car that combines the enjoyment of extremely sporty driving with the best technology at the service of safety and engineering.

The Swiss show is also an ideal shop-window for the latest novelties from the Abarth world, starting with the 2008 racing season. The Abarth Racing Team will tackle the 2008 season with the same guts and determination that brought it its brilliant results in last year's rally season, starting with the Intercontinental Rally Challenge, which will be contested by two official Grande Punto Abarth S2000s, driven by Giandomenico Basso and Anton Alen, sponsored by Selenia and Sabelt. And the Grande Punto Abarth S2000 will also compete in the Italian Rally Championship, sponsored by Metis and Api-IP, with two cars driven by Andrea Navarra and Renato Travaglia. Finally, Úmberto Scandola is a pilot from the Abarth Team that will carry out development tests as well as several prestigious international competions.

The brand has also chosen the Swiss show to present its new network of exclusive dealers on this market, the first to be inaugurated in Europe after Italy. An exclusive network also requires a unique manufacturing structure, and the Scorpion has recently inaugurated its new premises within the Mirafiori complex in Turin, drawing the company's manufacturing, design and management activities together in one place. Finally, in line with the Abarth philosophy, the 'Abarth Driving School – Sandro Munari' has also been inaugurated, a driving school proper which will teach young drivers the best techniques for maximum safety, under the supervision of the most famous Italian rally driver of all time, Sandro Munari.

So Abarth has several novelties to present, but the undisputed star of the stand is the 500 Abarth, the car that is destined to revive the glory days of the well-known saying 'small but wicked' that was coined for Carlo Abarth's cars. And this concept and the important racing and marketing past of the car's forebear, the 595 Abarth, have inspired an original and very striking stand. It focuses on the Scorpion philosophy and on the qualities that have always distinguished it, making it unique and popular all over the world: guts, speed and an innate predisposition for winning. The graphic motif of the red and white chequers, so characteristic of Abarth, becomes the starting point for the construction of three-dimensional physical volumes, red and white cubes that define the entire stand and the decorative elements on it.

The stand 'opens up' like an imaginary road that starts from an amazing past to the present and the future – with the 500 Abarth – under the Scorpion symbol, which is evident in the foreground, representing simply the unique, unequivocal central element.

The idea for the striking stage set is inspired directly by the concepts of a number of contemporary artists like Cornelia Parker, Dan Tobin Smith and Damian Ortega. Each, in his own way and through his own works, wants 'to suspend in mid-air, for just an instant, elements of daily life that can tell a story, to stop for a moment the frenzy that envelops us in order to observe what is around us every day, which we are often unable to see'.

The progress of the brand new 500 Abarth has been 'blocked' on this road for an instant, literally 'exploding' the chequered wall of the stand. The large screen on the rear wall projects films from the past of the long history of the Fiat 500 Abarth, in a succession of victories, world titles and great records, but also plenty of entertainment and passion. Halfway between the past and the present, the 500 Abarth is introduced to the general public, surrounded by the red and white cubes of the chequered flag, which have also exploded under the impact of its breathtaking entrance. The 500 Abarth stops, immobile but nonetheless dynamic, at the centre of a diagonal raised area that extends the full length of the stand. On the side of the platform that is inclined towards the public, a large Scorpion is etched in steel that underlines the fact that the car is the product of a brand that is both historical and contemporary.

The setting is completed with distinctive colours and symbols that are absolutely Abarth, identifying the character of the brand: red, the great passion for engines, the red and white chequers used to indicate the finishing line in 'endurance' races (the competitions where Abarth achieved its best results), the red and yellow shield with black scorpion which identifies the stinging birth sign of the engineering genius. And the beautiful polished white floor enhances the dynamism of these elements while the materials and finish tend almost to disappear, drawing the attention to the car and the technology that surrounds the 500 Abarth – the real star of the stand.

A small, powerful car, that can be used in our 'everyday performances' on the road, or in races, exuding guts and competitiveness. 'Everyday performance' is the basic concept of this presentation, the possibility of using a car that embodies a fast, exciting lifestyle, just as the daily life of someone who 'is' Abarth through and through must be fast and challenging. In other words, outstanding everyday performance from a small car that is modern and technological, the natural evolution of a car that was a legend, whose character it has inherited.

The intermingling of historical and contemporary elements conveys the extent to which history, tradition, technology and outstanding performance are part of the brand's genes.

Source - Fiat / Abarth