Driving Spirit » Abarth

Abarth Punto Evo Will Get EsseEsse

Chris — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 05:43:14 +0000

The new Abarth Punto Evo was revealed at the recent Geneva Motor Show, adopting the new styling changes from the latest Fiat Punto Evo.

Now Abarth are ready to talk performance, and their Punto Evo will stick to the same 1.4-litre turbocharged format as before. However, the new engine adopts the latest MultiAir technology from the Fiat group so power is up along with torque, while fuel consumption and emissions are reduced. In standard form the Abarth Punto Evo will dish out 163bhp and 250Nm of torque, but Abarth have confirmed there will be an EsseEsse version of the new Punto and it will have 180bhp.

The EsseEsse (or ‘SS’) kit will also include mods to the chassis components, with lower springs and different 18″ Abarth SS alloy wheels painted in white or titanium. The kit will also add perforated, ventilated discs along with high performance brake pads.

The new Abarth Punto Evo also features a new performance mode selection system. Drivers can choose to engage Sport or Normal mode, with Sport getting sharper responses from the engine, braking and steering. There’s also a dual-clutch transmission being developed for the Punto.

Abarth Punto Evo Will Get EsseEsse is a post from Driving Spirit. Are you ready for the release of Gran Turismo 5 on November 2nd?

Hot Italian Action With Abarth

Chris — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 22:18:09 +0000

Abarth UK have announced dates for each round of the new 2010 Trofeo Abarth 500 race series.

The one-make series is the British version of Europe’s highly successful International Trofeo Cup. 2009 was a very successful season for the championship and included some of the continent’s legendary circuits such as Valencia, Brno and Imola. Now the potent new 500 Assetto Corse race cars will feature at some of Britain’s best-known race circuits starting in April.

With 190bhp from the Abarth 500’s 1368cc 16-valve turbocharged engine and a weight of just 970kg the Assetto Corse race cars offer sparkling performance on the track, and because all of the cars are identical the championship promises some very close racing.

The calendar for the 2010 Trofeo Abarth 500 GB series is as follows:

4 April	Oulton Park
18 April	Silverstone
23 May	Cadwell Park
27 June	Snetterton
25 July	Silverstone
5 September	Brands Hatch
24 October	Monza

Hot Italian Action With Abarth is a post from Driving Spirit. Are you ready for the release of Gran Turismo 5 on November 2nd?

Abarth 500 R3T Rally Car

Chris — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 07:36:28 +0000

The Abarth 500 has already appeared on the track in a on-make racing series, but now the Abarth 500 R3T will be going off-road in new rally trophy that starts in 2010.

The new 500 R3T uses a tuned version of the turbocharged 1.4 found in the 500 Abarth that pushes out 180bhp. The 500 R3T also gains adjustable suspension, six-speed sequential transmission, a limited slip diff, upgraded Brembo brakes and a strengthened twin-plate clutch to cope with that extra power and torque.

The calendar for the 2010 500 R3T championship will be announced later in the year.

Abarth 500 R3T technical specifications:

Engine	Turbocharged Otto-cycle, 4 cylinders in line, 4 valves per cylinder, 1368 cm³
	Power: approx. 180 HP (132 kW) at 5500 rpm
	Peak torque: 300 Nm at 3000 rpm
	Garrett GT1446a fixed geometry turbocharger, 29 mm diameter intake restrictor
	Special reinforced water and air sleeves
Transmission	6-speed gearbox, front meshing with sequential control
	Multiplate self-locking differential plate clutch
	Special half-axles
Suspension	Front: MacPherson, special adjustable racing shock absorbers, coaxial spring with wheel
	for adjusting car height. Camber adjustable by means of shims
	Rear: multilink, special adjustable racing shock absorbers, spring with wheel
	for adjusting car height. Camber adjustable by means of shim
Steering system	Electric power steering with racing setting
Brakes	Brembo radial front calliper with four M4X40 pistons
	Ventilated Brembo front brake disc, 295 mm diameter x 28 mm
	Rear calliper with 36 mm piston
	Solid rear brake disc, 240 mm diameter x 11 mm
	Racing brake pads
	Hydraulic handbrake
	Brakeforce distributor and rear load proportioning valve to optimise car behaviour
Body	Car dimensions: length 3657 mm, width 1627 mm, wheelbase 2300mm
Chassis	Special welded roll-bar, integral with body
	Stripped interior, safety outfit.
	FIA type-approved seats with 6 seat belt anchorage points
Wheels	OZ 7“x17“ asphalt rim
	19/62-17 asphalt tyre
Weight	1080 kg minimum regulation weight plus equipment

Abarth 500 R3T Rally Car is a post from Driving Spirit. Are you ready for the release of Gran Turismo 5 on November 2nd?

695 Tributo Ferrari

Chris — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 04:55:41 +0000

While Abarth will be showing off the new Punto SuperSport on their Frankfurt Motor Show stand, over on the Ferrari stand they will be showing off the cutest car to ever bear the Ferrari name – the 695 Tributo Ferrari.

Ferrari and Abarth have worked together to produce this special edition 500. The 695 Tributo’s power plant is reworked to push 180bhp through a set of 17-inch Ferrari-inspired alloy wheels. Power is delivered via a six-speed semi-automatic transmission that features F1-style shift paddles.

Red Brembo brake calipers improve the Abarth’s stopping power while also complementing the Scuderia Red paint, and the uprated suspension improves the handling even further.

The 695 Tributo will be appearing at next week’s Frankfurt Auto Show alongside the stunning 495 Italia supercar.

695 Tributo Ferrari is a post from Driving Spirit. Are you ready for the release of Gran Turismo 5 on November 2nd?

Abarth Grande Punto SuperSport

Chris — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 07:34:55 +0000

Fiat has released some details of the upcoming 177bhp Abarth Grande Punto SuperSport upgrade kit.

The SuperSport upgrade boosts the Punto’s 1.4-litre engine to 177bhp and 199lb ft of torque, increases the top speed to 134mph and decreases the 0-62mph time to just 7.5sec.

The ‘SS’ kit swaps the Punto onto harder springs, and new 18-inch alloy wheels are fitted and wrapped in performance 215/40 R18 tyres. Behind the wheels are upgraded performance brakes with perforated discs at front and rear and uprated pads at the front.

On the inside the SuperSport gets gets leather racing seats, but the biggest attraction is the Magneti Marelli designed sat-nav system that also provides telemetry to show you current engine revs, vehicle speed and the selected gear. It can also be set to ‘Track’ mode, so that if the car is on a circuit that’s programmed into the system’s memory the screen will display its position on the track. It can also record speed and other telemetry data for you to download later.

The Abarth Grande Punto SuperSport will go on sale on 12 September. While prices have yet to be announced we will see more of the car at next week’s Frankfurt motor show.

Source: Abarth

Abarth Grande Punto SuperSport is a post from Driving Spirit. Are you ready for the release of Gran Turismo 5 on November 2nd?

Dutch Celebrate With Abarth 500 Competizione

Chris — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 09:44:25 +0000

The Dutch have decided to celebrate the first anniversary of Abarth’s return with a very limited special edition. The Abarth 500 Competizione is available now, but there will be just ten of these exclusive little hatchbacks available.

So what’s so special about the Competizione edition? For a start you get some very tasteful 17-inch Competizione alloys painted Night Black, a matching roof sprayed black and some Abarth stickers along the sills that are also … you guessed it … black.

On the inside you get climate control, a Blue & Me sat-nav system and an Interscope hi-fi system with subwoofer. To finish things off there is also unique leather upholstery sporting an Abarth Competizione logo.

There are no mechanical changes so power remains at 135bhp, thanks to the 1.4-litre turbocharged engine, although this can be boosted to 160bhp by fitting the Esseesse kit.

So what’s the cost of such exclusivity? A hefty €3000 over the standard Abarth 500, making this limited edition cost a wince-inducing €24,995. That’s about £21,500 at today’s exchange rates, making it more expensive than a Focus ST or Astra VXR and a host of other more powerful hot hatches, although the Dutch market does pay a lot more tax than us on new cars.

With any luck Abarth UK will decide to do something similar, I just hope they’re a bit more generous with the pricing.

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Source: Autoblog.nl

Dutch Celebrate With Abarth 500 Competizione is a post from Driving Spirit. Are you ready for the release of Gran Turismo 5 on November 2nd?

Abarth 500 Voted Best Hot Hatch

Chris — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 07:37:03 +0000

Even though the Abarth 500 doesn’t go on sale in the UK until February 2009, it has just been voted Best Hot Hatch by Top Gear magazine.

The Top Gear judges described the 135bhp supermini as “frisky and fun” and “an irresistible piece of Italian tailoring” while praising it for its acceleration, grip and handling as well as its retro styling and sporty looks.

The eagerly anticipated hot hatch is already proving to be hugely popular in Fiat showrooms. Enquiries and deposits are flooding in, no doubt helped by the recent TV debut of the Abarth 500 on Top Gear, while 200 cars that were released for sale early on the internet were immediately snapped up by keen buyers.

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Abarth 500 Voted Best Hot Hatch is a post from Driving Spirit. Are you ready for the release of Gran Turismo 5 on November 2nd?

Limited Edition Abarth With 160BHP

Chris — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 22:54:27 +0000

To commemorate the centenary of the birth of Karl Abarth, the founder of the Abarth tuning company, Fiat are releasing a limited edition Abarth 500 with 160bhp on tap.

The Abarth 500 ‘DA O A 100′ (0 to 100, for non-Italian speakers) gets an upgraded version of the turbocharged 1.4-litre engine, giving it a top speed of 131mph and 0-60mph in 7.3 seconds.

There’s a unique quad-tip exhaust fitted at the rear and a BMC free-flowing air intake is added to allow the engine to breathe more easily. Shorter gearing improves acceleration, while handling is tweaked by lowered suspension. This allows the 17-inch wheels to fill the arches more effectively, and behind the wheels there are new drilled and ventilated brake rotors.

Only 101 of these models will be made, but don’t expect to see any of them here in the UK as we’ve not even seen the standard Abarth 500 in showrooms yet.

Limited Edition Abarth With 160BHP is a post from Driving Spirit. Are you ready for the release of Gran Turismo 5 on November 2nd?

Abarth Tuned PC For Petrol-Head Videogamers

Chris — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 23:09:04 +0000

Abarth have been hard at work on their latest project – the Abarth Powerplay Extreme, a fantastic PC that’s ideal for videogamers with a hint of petrol in their veins.

It’s a joint project between Fiat and Intel to showcase their new project, developing sophisticated electronic devices. The Powerplay certainly looks fantastic, and with the latest Intel Core i7 Extreme processor it will be more than capable of running the latest driving games.

Sadly there’s no mention yet of pricing or availability, but you can put me down for one if they’re going on sale in the UK!

Abarth Tuned PC For Petrol-Head Videogamers is a post from Driving Spirit. Are you ready for the release of Gran Turismo 5 on November 2nd?

Abarth 500 On Top Gear

Chris — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 22:31:37 +0000

Wow, this makes a pleasant change. This is Jeremy Clarkson reviewing the Abarth 500 on Top Gear, and he actually likes it. Surprising, because usually he’s hooning around the track in some 400bhp+ supercar and you’d think all that power had damaged his brain. Also, a pleasant change because for the first time in ages they’ve got a genuinely affordable performance car on the show.

Abarth 500 On Top Gear is a post from Driving Spirit. Are you ready for the release of Gran Turismo 5 on November 2nd?