NF500 / 500 Launch

CarScoop have done it again, and released details (and over 40 high res images) of the forthcoming limited edition Opening Edition Fiat 500 Abarth.

The strictly limited (100 examples) 500 Abarth Opening Edition is fitted with a revised version of the stock 1.4-liter turbo engine that produces 160Hp at 5750 rpm and a maximum torque of 230 Nm at 3000 rpm. Combined with a 5-speed gearbox the Opening Edition can go from 0 to 100km/h (62mph) in just 7.4 sec and on to a top speed of 211 km/h (131mph). That compares very favourably to the standard 500 Abarth’s 7.9 sec & 205 km/h.

Other mechanical upgrades include the adoption of front and rear perforated disc brakes, high performance front brake pads, a special ‘powered by BMC’ air filter, special low springs and 17″ alloys painted white or titanium complete with 205/40 R16 ZR 17 Pirelli Pzero Nero tires.

Buyers can choose between two colours (Campovolo grey or pearlised White) while there’s also the option of special stickers including a red chequered flag on the roof (exclusive to the Campovolo Grey shade) that pays homage to the numerous sporting victories of the Abarth brand. Finally, just to make it a tad more special, Fiat delivers the car with a cover bearing a period Abarth 595 design.

Official full details will likely follow very soon, so keep ‘em peeled.

TV presenter Alex Zane and new pop group the Crane Brothers were among the attractions that had the crowds rocking at the Fiat 500 PicNic in North London at the weekend (Saturday 5 July).

Both Zane and the Crane Brothers headlined the day of entertainment, at Alexandra Park, where lucky Catrina Kennerley, of Battersea, London, won a fabulous Fiat 500.

What a prize! You should have seen Catrina’s face,

said Zane.

She was absolutely delighted. It was a great way to round off a fantastic day.

Crane Brothers’ frontman Tim Arber said:

We were absolutely thrilled to have the chance to perform at the Fiat 500 PicNic. It was an incredible day and a great crowd to perform to. A real honour to have been part of it.

The London event was part of a series of global parties celebrating the hugely successful first year of the Fiat 500. Budapest, Milan, Munich, Paris, Tokyo, and Cape Town were among the chosen cities that welcomed thousands of people – brought together by the new car.

The Fiat 500 PicNic also featured:

• Support band Adelphi Rhode
• Big screen TV coverage of the weekend’s top sporting action
• Beach volleyball and Space Hopper races
• Chill zone with Tai Chi, aromatherapy and head massage
• Kids’ zone with clown, magician and bouncy castle
• Fiat 500 Owners’ Club display

Fiat Group Automobiles UK marketing director Elena Bernardelli said:

We at Fiat were absolutely delighted to see so many people enjoying themselves.

The award-winning Fiat 500, which has received countless honours this year, adds an extra important one this weekend – its first birthday celebrations.

Although it only arrived in the UK in January this year, the popular supermini was first launched in Italy on 4 July 2007, and the Fiat Group is celebrating its anniversary with a series of bold, elaborate parties across the world, including the UK.

The date of this landmark occasion is especially significant as last year’s Italian launch of the car was exactly 50 years after the original introduction of Dante Giacosa’s classic post-war 500.

The UK party, hosted by TV presenter Alex Zane, is called the Fiat 500 PicNic and takes place at Alexandra Park, North London. It’s designed to be a traditional British summer outdoor gathering, but with a special 500 twist.

With invitations extended to more than 5,000 specially-invited Fiat 500 drivers and potential owners, this Saturday’s (5 July) PicNic initiative, which was conceived to share the passion and emotion of the huge Fiat 500 community, will feature live music, delicious Italian food and drink, outdoor games, big-screen sports coverage and special ‘chill-out’ zones for participants.

The London event is part of a series of global parties celebrating the hugely successful first year of Fiat’s iconic city car. Athens, Budapest, Copenhagen, London, Milan, Munich, Palermo, Paris, Rome, Rotterdam, Tokyo, Valencia, Hel, Liège, Zurich, and Cape Town are the chosen cities that, either in parks or on beaches, will welcome thousands of people brought together by the new car.

Music, art, and fun are the ingredients which will guarantee a successful event involving new Fiat 500 owners and those who are still waiting to get one (222,000 have been ordered so far).

This is a global initiative that we in Britain are delighted to be involved in,

says Andrew Humberstone, managing director, Fiat Group Automobiles UK.

It is everything that the new Fiat 500 stands for – fun, excitement, freedom and the knack of bringing people together in a great atmosphere – and I am sure the event will be a great success.

The London party will feature four special themed zones – Energy, Entertainment, Chill and Children. The Energy Zone offers outdoor games, fun races and a volleyball competition, while in Entertainment there will be live music, jugglers, a giant screen and Fiat 500 interactive car configurators to try.

The Chill Zone is designed for relaxation with Tai Chi, head massages and hammocks all available, and the Children’s Zone will feature face painting, street theatre and games.

From 15th to 18th May, Abarth will be taking part in the 26th edition of the ‘Mille Miglia 2008’, a historical re-enactment of the ‘finest race in the world’, to quote Enzo Ferrari.

Abarth will have its own exhibition space at the Mille Miglia Paddock in the Fiera di Brescia, home to the world premiere of the ‘500 Abarth Assetto Corse’: the small yet powerful car due to feature in track races from next year, designed to rekindle the spirit of the ‘595 Abarth’, a car created by Fiat and engineered by the mechanical genius of Karl Abarth. To bring home this point, an historic 595 Abarth will be displayed side by side with the new car, along with a new 135hp 500 Abarth model, which will go on general sale from next July.

Abarth’s participation in this event, so unique and packed with tradition, symbolises its strong relationship with the past and significant link with the origins of the brand. Abarth cars from 1949 (the year when Abarth & C. SpA was set up) to 1957 (last edition of the 1000 Miglia race) were the stars of what has now become one of the most famous races in the world.

Full Abarth press release and technical specifications follow:

Abarth returns to track racing, and it has chosen to do so with its new ‘500 Abarth Assetto Corse’, the baby supersports car from Abarth, due to be produced in a Limited Edition (49 cars).

The new vehicle, designed by the Fiat Group Automobiles Style Centre and produced by a team of Abarth Engineers and Designers will be the star of track races from next year and its creation confirms Abarth’s racing vocation.

The Assetto Corse version of the petite 500 Abarth takes up the baton from its forerunner, the ‘595’ that notched up numerous successes and great victories from 1963 and led to the coining of the description ‘small but deadly’.

The cars sports a full racing outfit: wide track, white 17’ special ultralight racing wheels, low ride, sports racing mirrors and a place for a number on the sides. Available in pastel grey with red Abarth side stripes, the ‘500 Abarth Assetto Corse’ reveals an assertive front end that houses a badge bearing the Abarth logo and, below this, wide bumpers complete with an aerodynamic spoiler and screen-printed grilles to replace the plastic louvres on the standard production version. In addition to the classic bonnet clips, the bonnet houses two carbon air intakes bearing the Abarth scorpion logo.

The rear part of the car features a white winged spoiler, a badge bearing the Abarth logo and a twin exhaust pipe.

The Abarth identity is expressed to the full with a thunderbolt logo on the side representing the brand’s racing image and a red band and four white chequers on the roof, just as on the winning Abarth 850TC version of the 1960s.

Inside, the ‘500 Abarth Assetto Corse’ is equipped with a roll-bar type-approved for racing that is completely hollow to make the car lighter and faster. The car weighs approximately 180 kg less than the road version. The anatomical seats, the steering wheel (special for racing) and the carbon door panels make the 500 Abarth Assetto Corse a real baby sports car with a indomitable character all of its own .

Abarth has also thoughtfully provided a clothing set for the driver, that will be delivered in an original Abarth-branded leather bag. Owners of the ‘500 Abarth Assetto Corse’ will therefore be resplendent in overalls, helmets, gloves and shoes, all meticulously branded with the ultra-new ‘Assetto Corse’ logo produced for the limited edition of the car.

500 Abarth Assetto Corse Technical specifications

500 Abarth 1.4 16V turbo 200 bhp ‘ASSETTO CORSE’

• Engine - 4 cylinders in line, 4 valves per cylinder, 1368 cc.
• Power output: 200 KW (147 KW) at 6500 rpm.
• Peak torque 300 Nm at 3000 rpm.
• Garrett GT 1446 fixed geometry turbocharger.
• Special reinforced water and air sleeves.
• Transmission - M32 6-speed gearbox
• Suspension - Front: McPherson strut, special racing shock absorbers, coaxial spring with nut for adjusting height of car.
• Suspension - Rear : inter-connected arms, special racing shock absorbers, springs with nut for adjusting height of car.
• Steering - Electric power steering with racing tuning.
• Brakes - Brembo radial front calliper with four pistons M4X40.

Unfortunately Abarth have not released official photographs of the vehicle at this time (other than the computer images above), but Italiaspeed have a nice collection on their website.

It’s been confirmed by Fiat’s Chief Technology Officer Harald J. Wester recently that Fiat will bring the new Fiat 500 to the US market. Not that we didn’t know this already.

There’s no deadline, and no details on how the company plan to unleash the brand Stateside, but it’s good to hear another source quoted (this time by Auto Motor und Sport magazine) as confirming Fiat’s ambitions to bring the Fiat 500 to American shores, where the MINI has already proved small cars can sell, if they’re marketed well and have the substance to back up their style.

We previously reported that, according to an interview in the Financial Times, Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne made a vow to “replicate the Mini phenomenon in the US”, saying that the Fiat 500 will be released once the range has expanded further.

After the success of the new Fiat 500 in Turin, Paris, Berlin and London, attention has turned to Tokyo (Japan) where a novel exhibition was dedicated to the car. The event saw more that 500 guests participate, including journalists, entertainers, representatives from Italian institutions (including ambassador Mario Bova) and the managing director of Fiat Automobiles - Lorenzo Sistino.

Through this striking exhibition, the Italian brand paid homage to Japanese culture, underlining the strong ties that unite the two nations. Japan is particularly attuned to the best Made in Italy products – from fashion to design, gastronomy and art. Among these, the Fiat Group has contributed to shaping the “automobile culture” even outside of the national confines.

Alongside the event in Tokyo, the work of artist Giuliano Ghelli was displayed in the exhibition rooms of the Italian Centre for Culture. Among the works of the Tuscan maestro, the “Macchina per Sognatori” (Car for Dreamers) stands out. The work is a tribute to the Fiat 500 – a symbol of Made in Italy and an ambassador for environmental compliance, as already demonstrated today by its “Euro5 Ready” engines.

The new Fiat 500 comes from a true automotive legend and represents a legacy of stories and concepts that relate to all. It is no accident that this is the “people’s car, created by people” - as its commercial debut also showed (from 15 March) alongside Japan’s spectacular event: the “Sakura” - cherry blossom. For about two weeks in spring, “hanami” – picnics - take place (both day and night) under the spectacular trees which are by now in full bloom. The whole population participates in a ritual dedicated to the beauty of nature.

And in merrymaking Italian style, the brand will open the Fiat Café this spring in Aoyama (Tokyo). Here, the public will be able to appreciate the concept of the “Caffè” which will be a meeting place for excellence and synonymous with cosmopolitanism, human warmth and compassion. All new 500s maintain the singularity of Fiat models and will feature right-hand drive in Japan. Initially, they will be the Lounge version which has a 1.2 8v 69bhp engine, combined with the Dualogic robotised gearbox. The Pop and Sport versions will then become available as well as the brilliant 1.4 16v 100 bhp engine with Dualogic gearbox.

Finally, highlighting the strong ties between Fiat and the nippon culture, the new Fiat 500 has been “scripted” into the animation film “Lupin the IIIrd. Green vs. Red” (the DVD will be officially launched in Japan on 2nd April). The film celebrates the 40th anniversary of the famous “ladro gentiluomo” (gentleman thief) designed by Monkey Punch. However, it is certainly not the first time that the eclectic character has driven a Fiat 500: in fact, over the years Lupin III has often been spotted on board a 500 during his incredible adventures.

So, we’re back at base after spending a rather cold evening at the official UK launch of the Fiat 500, and we thought we’d share some of the experience with you. Unfortunately our live-link didn’t even get going, let alone die mid-transmission as we expected, so we couldn’t report from the scene, but here’s a few thoughts after the fact.

We arrived in good time after catching a train in from oop North in Milton Keynes, and found our way to the gleaming beacon that is the London Eye with no fuss at all. Outside the queues seemed busy, and quite confused with people dashing here and there, trying to establish what gate they were supposed to be at, if they were a VIP or not… but we rapidly made our way in and had a good look around.

There were a number of new Fiat 500s on display, some unlocked so you could crawl all over, most locked tight. The display was a little unusual in layout, and appeared a little mishap, but people were finding corners to chat with friends, and a decent crowd gathered at the stage before the Virgin radio DJ and compere for the evening took to the stage around 7 pm.

The gathered posse of people were treated to the usual marketing talk and plenty of videos and commercials for the 500 shown on the enormous screen at the back of the stage, and eventually the evenings audio entertainment got underway. The two bands before the 8 pm unveiling (The Vibrant and The Feeling) did their bit to a pretty small but appreciative audience, as ever the enthusiastic ones huddled at the front of the stage, while the rest of us stood shivering towards the back watching on, sipping on our free hot drinks (thanks Fiat) while taking in the sights and sounds.

The evening was slickly presented, and all the acts went down well, the only complaint in the entertainment department would be the acts didn’t have very long on stage, even Mika, the headline act (alongside the Fiat 500 itself, of course) only managed a handful of tunes before making his way from the stage. Following Mika’s departure a VJ then took over, but by that time the place was almost deserted as most people had seen what they came for, and it was a school night after all!

I’ve been fortunate enough to attend several events of a similar nature to the Fiat 500 launch, and although you can’t complain when things are free, I’m afraid I will have to take issue with a few things I think Fiat could have done better. For a start, one big problem was the rather damp reception the Fiat itself seemed to get at the ‘big’ 8 o’clock unveiling. Part of this, I’m absolutely certain, is because for all the build up and hype leading up the ‘big reveal’, everyone there had already had the opportunity to look at and crawl all over the other Fiat 500s that were already on display. So to the crowd of people watching, there was no big reveal. What would, to us at least, have made more sense would have been to use the rather excellent classic Fiat 500 covers to keep all the Fiat 500s present under wraps until 8 o’clock launch, that way people may have actually been intrigued and a little more excited about seeing the car on stage.

Another problem with the 8 o’clock crescendo was people literally didn’t know where to look. The London Eye itself was apparently supposed to be the focus of attention, but that was adjacent to the stage with the audience in the middle, on the stage various pyrotechnics and flashing lights were all kicking off, and you could sense a little bewilderment in the crowd as they look back and forth between the London Eye and the stage, trying to take everything in at once. It, like a lot of the evening, felt a little messy and even poorly managed to us.

Overall, I would say the entertainers and musicians did a professional job, the radio DJs managed to get through their lines competently, if perhaps a little under enthusiastically.

I’d love to come back from the evening and be buzzing, write a glowing report of the car and the night, but I think it was a bit of a missed opportunity many things could have, and should have been done better. It’s like the ideas where there, at least in part, but the execution was a little half hearted. I’m sure it will look good on TV and sound impressive on the radio, but for us being there, it was fun, the venue fantastic, but could have been so very much better.

If you were at the London Eye event, or indeed at your local dealer’s launch event, we’d love to hear how you enjoyed yourself too.