NF500 / fiat 500 abarth

According to a report by AM-online, Fiat in the UK will have 12 specialist Abarth dealerships in the UK by July 2008, of a total of 14 planned outlets for the Fiat family’s sporting brand.

Apparently some Abarth dealerships will have their own stand alone sites alongside or near to current Fiat franchises, while others will have an Abarth zone integrated into their current showroom space.

In the AM-online article they also reveal it will cost existing Fiat dealers anything from £40-£80,000 to become an Abarth franchise, which that investment potentially being repaid within a year.

It’s been almost three months since we published the first, full and official 500 Abarth press release on NF500, but today, to coincide with Abarth’s appearance at the Mille Miglia and unveiling of the 500 Abarth Assetto Corse, Abarth have published a further release, many of which is repetition, but does include some previously unpublished details of the new car.

First of all, we have another confirmation that the car will go on sale via the exclusive Abarth dealer network from July 2008, but NO details of where these dealers will be located, and if and how the release will be staggered for different markets.

In terms of styling, the twin exhausts will be embossed with the famous Abarth scorpion logo as a nod to Abarth models of the 1960s. At the front, it’s all about aerodynamics and feeding the engine with cool air. The three part pattern formed by the front air intakes features a larger central intake than on the basic 500, and the slot above the number plate housing is also wider than standard. To the side of the bumper are what Abarth refer to as “nostrils”, which appropriately enough allow two corresponding intercoolers (which can be seen through the openings) to breath. Abarth also claim that the rear roof spoiler and “slide” attached to the base of the body is not only for show, but planned carefully to enhance the aerodynamic characteristics of the Fiat 500.

The Abarth logo also “floats” on a finned surface that acts as an additional air intake. Abarth badges are positioned on the sides, crossed by a three-coloured thunderbolt, exactly as on the Abarth 595 and 695 Abarth of the 1060s, to symbolise the brand’s racing vocation. The wheel rims, available in 16 and 17 inch sizes, come in different styles: from multispoked rims to rims bordered by holes (the reference to the forged wheel motifs of the 1970s is clear).

On the inside the 500 Abarth features specific instruments and an analogue pressure gauge used to measure the turbo pressure. The main gauge, with sporting graphics, is lipped on top to offer further protection against glare while the three-spoke steering wheel incorporates moulded grips for the thumbs and is levelled off at the base to ensure increased passenger room and space for adjustment. The aluminium pedals with rubber inserts also reflect Abarth’s racing heritage and flavour, as does the leather trimmed sports gear knob and unified seats with the head restraints incorporated in the backrest. This is all topped off by a roof trim and side inserts in black, intended to give the passenger compartment a hi-tech, sporty look, and hopefully not too claustrophobic!

Official photographs are still frustratingly thin on the ground for those of us yet to see this car in the metal, but there are some good detail shots of the items mentioned in this latest press release on Flickr, especially this set from the Geneva motorshow.

Technical specifications:
500 Abarth 1.4 16v Turbo T-Jet 135 bhp

1. Engine - 4 cylinders in line, 4 valves per cylinder, 1368 cm3.
2. Power output: 135 bhp ( 99 KW ) at 5500 rpm.
3. Peak torque: 206 Nm at 3000 rpm in SPORT BOOST mode.
4. Supercharging by means of a fixed geometry IHI RHF3-P turbocharger.
5. Transmission - 5-speed gearbox C510
6. Suspension - Front: MacPherson layout and anti-roll bar
7. Rear: inter-connected arms layout on torsion beam with anti-roll bar
8. Lowered sports suspension.
9. Steering - Dualdrive Electric power steering in SPORT mode.
10. Brakes - ZPH 4.1.2 floating front calliper, ø 54mm piston.
11. Self-ventilating front brake discs, ø 284 x 22 mm.
12. CII 34 floating rear calliper, ø 34 mm piston.
13. Rear brake discs, ø 240 mm x 11 mm.
14. Wheels - Standard: 6.5”x16” aluminium wheels
15. Tyres: 195/45 R16”
16. Option: 7”x17” aluminium wheels
17. Tyres: 205/40 R17”
18. Ecology level - Compliance with the Euro 5 CEE-F5 standard
19. CO2 emissions - 155 g/km
20. Fuel consumption - Urban consumption (lt./100km): 8.5 (33 imperial mpg)
21. Mixed consumption (lt./100km): 5.4 (52 imperial mpg)
22. Extra-urban consumption (lt./100km): 6.5 (43 imperial mpg)
23. Performance - Top speed: 205 Km/h (127 mph).
24. Acceleration (0 to 100 km/h (62mph)): 7.9 sec.

We somehow failed to pick up on this first time around, but it seems many outlets have just starting reporting on a small but significant nugget of information revealed at the last weeks unveiling of the Fiat 500 Abarth.

Abarth officially revealed that an Esseesse tuning kit will be available for the 500 come November, which will boost power further still over the Abarth version to 160 hp. The kit will be available either at time of order, or as a retrofit, reportedly to 500s under 20,000 km or one year old.

Should be fun.

As ever, YouTube seems to come up trumps when seeking out some decent video footage yesterday’s Fiat 500 Abarth unveiling in Turin.

Good to see the hot new Abarth 500 in moving pictures.

We probably wont bore you with any more links to sites showing Abarth eye candy in the NF500 news section, but being a long standing source of great Fiat news and concept images we thought it only right to mention that InfoMotori have their own gallery of photos of the 500 Abarth available to browse on their website.

The full gallery can be found on the InfoMotori site, link after the thumbnail image…

Here’s your link to the full gallery… Enjoy!

While we sit here in freezing cold old Blighty, the folk over at AutoBlog.it have been enjoying themselves at the launch of Abarth’s new Turin headquarters.

No surprise that the event was combined with the unveiling of the new 500 Abarth model, and AutoBlog.it have a tonne of good photos on their website, link after the thumbnail image..

See the full set at AutoBlog.it.

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’.

NF500 also brings you all available images of the new Abarth 500 in high resolution, including a cut-away of the interior which reveals some exclusive styling enhancements for the Fiat 500, including front bucket seats. One thing seems for sure, if the Abarth 500 has handling and performance to match its looks, Fiat are into a winner!

The images of the 500 Abarth shown here are available at full, very high, resolution at our Flickr page for the Abarth 500.