On the Abarth stand the revival of the Scorpion brand's racing heritage is clear to see, and while the new 500 cup racer stands perched on top of a ramp, a special rally inspired version of the Grande Punto Abarth is making it public debut.

On the Abarth stand at the 79th Geneva Motor Show this week the revival of the Scorpion brand's racing heritage is clear to see, and while the new 500 cup racer stands perched on top of a ramp, a special rally inspired version of the Grande Punto Abarth is making it public debut. Finished in Airfield Gray paintwork (the same colour sported by the Scorpion’s historic racecars and, as the story has it, taken from the planes based next to the brand’s original headquarters) enlivened by a racing-inspired livery.

Equipped with a 16-valve 1.4 litre engine pumped up to deliver 180 horsepower, with a wrenching 270 Nm peak torque at speeds as low as 3000 revs, the Abarth Grande Punto “SuperSport” racing version hits a top speed of 215 km/h and accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in only 7.5 seconds. In addition, a variable backpressure dual-mode exhaust system enhances engine sound, producing a distinctive throaty roar over 4000 rpm. With performance features like these, there can be no doubt that this is a car whose whole heart and soul is in racing.

Performance also benefits from a number of changes that the “esseesse” kit makes in ride height and trim attitude, giving the car a more solid stance with firmer, shorter springs, 215/40 R18 tires and specially designed 7.5 J X 18 alloy wheels. The kit puts the car into a real sprinter’s crouch, dropping its roll centre by 20 mm. Just as important, the brake system features cross-drilled discs all round, together with high-performance front brake pads.

On the inside, the showcar boasts Sabelt Abarth Racing leather-upholstered seats – lightweight and track-approved, as befits the car’s sporting spirit – and the Abarth Blue&MeTM MAP satellite navigator with telemetry capabilities developed with Magneti Marelli. This innovative device provides four different functions. The first – Monitoring – displays the main in-car parameters (engine rpm, vehicle speed, engaged gear) acquired and transferred by the Blue&MeTM system to the PND Portable Navigation Device via Bluetooth. The Track function, accessible if the driver is on one of the circuits stored on the device’s SD memory card, displays a set of additional information such as the car’s location on the track (provided by GPS) and lap times. The third function – Configuration – makes it possible to store telemetric data for a route and associate them with a personalised session identified by the driver’s name, circuit and date. Stored information can be easily retrieved and analysed later with the fourth, Analysis, function.