Abarth
will be at the Bologna Motor Show next month with four
new niche versions, three 500s and one Punto, which will
demonstrate an extension its customisation programme
options as well as an updated version of its one-make
"Cup" racer.
At the heart of the presentation is a concept very dear
to Karl Abarth: "Sunday on the track, Monday at the
office", which the brand conveys by placing road
vehicles designed for everyday use side-by-side with
racing cars on an imaginary "road to performance". After
all, it is precisely from the world of racing that the
brand draws technologies and values to then transfer
them to the production of road vehicles.
The new Abarth 595 conceptually draws inspiration from the
historic 595 model that Karl Abarth presented in 1963 as
an offshoot of the Fiat 500. The Abarth 595 symbolises
the return to the customisation concept that enhances
the performance of a "standard" car offering the power
upgrade to 160 hp as standard. The new Abarth 595
expands the Abarth 500 product range, and is offered in
two customisations: "turismo" and "competizione". The
first is dedicated to those attentive to fashion trends,
who love a type of sportiness "without going to an
extreme". The latter is designed for true customisation
fans, who love to experience the thrill of sporty
driving every day.
The two cars on display will "race" along a platform coated
with a special resin that evokes the atmosphere of a
road... the ideal road of those who enjoy facing up to
challenges in their everyday lives in a constant search
for "everyday performance". Starting from the road cars,
the culmination is represented by the most complete
expression of the Abarth brand's sportiness. The new 695
"Assetto Corse", the new small super-sports car
designed for racing on the track, is being presented to
the Bologna public. Next year it will debut in the
single-make trophies. The new car will pair up with the
500 "Assetto Corse", the highly successful star of the
track over the past three years.
The fourth car being presented at the Bologna Motor Show
seems a little less relevant; a new limited edition,
dubbed the Abarth Punto Scorpione, although useful
information isn't forthcoming. Abarth will also present
in Bologna the "Abarth
Nitro" winter kit to go along with this new limited
edition Punto. Among other things, the kit contains the "Nitro
Powered by Abarth" snowboard.
The four new cars being presented therefore contribute
to the Abarth revival. More than 9,000 cars have been sold during
2011. The contribution of the Abarth 695 Tributo Ferrari
has also been significant. Between its launch in July
2008 and today approximately 1,500 cars have been
delivered. These figures contribute to confirming the
good results the brand has recorded since its relaunch.
Since 2008 the brand has grown
non-stop, as about 38,000 Abarth Punto and Abarth 500
cars sold, plus more than 9,500 performance kits for the
two models, demonstrate.
These sales successes have been partly made possible by
the network of dealers and official tuning
shops, an organisation that is unique in its field and
has further extended to other international markets such
as Finland, Hong Kong and South Africa in 2011.
The brand is looking forward to this kind of success in
other fields of business as well, with the launch of its
Abarth official merchandising e-commerce website and the
introduction of customer services as part of the
"Abarth24h mobile" Iphone application.
Focus will also be placed on "Make it your race", the
project with which Abarth gave young people aged 18 to
35 the chance to make their lifelong dream come true:
race against professional drivers on the track.
The Bologna Motor Show
will also see the presentation the 2012 Abarth sporting programme,
although the news that most Scorpion enthusiasts want to
see - namely a return to the competitive rallying arena,
sadly won't materialise.
Instead the formula
adopted in conceiving the series of one-make trophies as
well makes the cost of entering the trophy extremely
accessible to everyone, a concrete example of
"democratizing" races in the true Scorpion spirit,
will be the focus for 2012.
This practical approach however will confirm Abarth's
racing spirit and apply one strand of the philosophy that has identified
Abarth for fifty years: the transfer of racing
experience to road cars in order to facilitate access to
the world of racing.
