Abarth 500 - Cabrio Italia : August 30, 2011 - The three specialties on hand in Frankfurt embody the sportiness, heritage and undisputed racing spirit essence of Abarth.
Abarth 500 “Cabrio Italia”Sportiness is interpreted with Abarth elegance and style by the first car on display: the Abarth 500 “Cabrio Italia” in a special Blu Abu Dhabi livery - tribute to Italian design in the year of the 150th anniversary of Italian unity - combined with an electrically operated black top and tinted rear windows.
Born with a strong “Turismo” vocation, it will accompany the 2011 Automotive Giro d’Italia after the world debut in Frankfurt. This is a legendary sporting event that returns after 110 years since the first epic edition to celebrate the 150 year anniversary of Italian Unification, travelling more than 1,500 km, just like the Abarth Limited Edition.
Distinguished by a special chrome “500 Cabrio Italia” plate with satin effect, 150 cars will be produced with a 1.4 Turbo T-Jet engine that delivers an impressive 160 HP (118 kW) and maximum torque of 230 Nm at 3,000 rpm in Sport mode.
The engine is a 1,368 cm3 4 cylinder 16 valve unit (turbocharged with a fixed-geometry IHI turbocharger) that delivers exhilarating performance. Top speed is 211 km/h while acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h takes place in just 7.4 seconds. This is partly achieved by the over boost function, activated by the “Sport” button that modulates control unit mapping and turbo pressure in addition to load on the steering wheel. Yet this typically Abarth performance comes with very frugal fuel consumption: 6.5 l/100 km over a combined cycle. For the first time combined with the 160 HP engine, the Abarth 500 “Cabrio Italia” also offers a 5-speed manual gearbox that exalts personal driving style through a more direct relationship with the car. In terms of safety, the Abarth 500 “Cabrio Italia” follows the Abarth 500C standards.
In addition, as on all the other Abarths, it offers standard the TTC (Torque Transfer Control) device that by improving the transfer of drive torque to the wheels, enhances the car road holding without compromising the fun to drive it. Finally, this new special series is equipped with the "esseesse" brake system – consisting of perforated self-ventilated front brake discs and fixed four-piston caliper - which makes this car even safer, higher performing and more fun than ever before. This special series is equipped with Xenon headlights with dipped and main beam functions for improved light emission and excellent efficiency under all weather conditions. These elements deliver three times the light intensity and duration of standard halogen lamp headlights.
The “Abarth Corsa by Sabelt” seats in natural leather with backrest in carbon fibre embellish the new Abarth 500 “Cabrio Italia”. Thanks to this, these seats offer a perfect blend of racing characteristics – light weight (10 kg less than the standard seat) and the ability to restrain the body against lateral and longitudinal forces, thanks to body support strip elements filled with mono-layer padding – with the ergonomics and comfort of road seats. The interior is embellished by pedals and gear lever knob in Alutex aluminium glass fibre material and running board in carbon fibre with dedicated “Cabrio Italia” graphics. The dashboard is the same Blu Abu Dhabi shade as the body and a chrome plate with the same graphics is housed on the central console with sequential numbering to demonstrate the exclusive Limited Edition version.
Moreover, an Abarth Blue&MeTM MAP satellite navigation unit with a telemetric function developed in conjunction with Magneti Marelli is integrated in the dashboard.
Steering wheel in black leather with double stitching and the mirror covers in the shade of magnesium complete the aesthetic features. The 10-spoke 17" rims with diamond effect, also magnesium in colour, are embellished by the yellow Brembo front callipers.
Abarth Punto - SuperSport“Heritage” is the element that distinguishes the special Abarth Punto “SuperSport” series, typified by a Grigio Campovolo two-tone livery enriched with a special matte black paintwork for the bonnet and roof, which interprets in its design an element in the past used on the racing cars to prevent the light reflections.
The exterior of the car is further enhanced by “supersport” graphics on the side panel and on the tailgate and by matt black mirror covers. The same colour also distinguishes the 18" alloy rims with dedicated Abarth esseesse design with red calipers and hub cap.
Powered by a 1.4 Multiair engine that develops 180 HP (132 kW) at 5,750 rpm and with 270 Nm of maximum torque at 2,500 rpm, the Abarth Punto “SuperSport” reaches a top speed of more than 216 km/h and accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in just 7.5 seconds.
Further contributions to performance come from the modified suspension and safety (some of the features of the “Esseesse Abarth Koni” kit), as well as the adoption of floating, perforated and self-ventilated front disc brakes with oversized four-piston red brake calipers, perforated rear disc brakes, high performance front brake pads, front and rear Koni shock absorbers with FSD (Frequency Selective Dumping) valve and specially lowered springs. The exhaust pipe oversized in the centre segment is also taken from the “Esseesse” kit.
Inside, this special Abarth Punto supersport features “Abarth Corsa by Sabelt” black leather seats, with red and yellow stitchings and gloss black backrest (homologated and lightened in keeping with the car’s racing spirit) and an Abarth Blue&MeTM MAP satellite navigation unit with a telemetric function developed in conjunction with Magneti Marelli. Enriching the interiors are the laser-treated aluminium kick plate with special “supersport” graphics, the stainless steel pedals with Abarth brand, and the leather steering wheel with double red and yellow stitching, just like the seats and the sporty Jaeger driving instruments.
Abarth 695 CompetizioneIn line with the philosophy that has identified Abarth for fifty years - the transfer of racing experience to the on-road car market and making the world of racing accessible - the Abarth 695 Competizione is born, the first “street legal” Scorpion racing car. This double-seat car best expresses a concept used to a great extent in the past, which connoted the Abarths as cars designed for the road but with the goal of being easily used on the track as well. It is for true sports car lovers as it has the track in its DNA and the road in its heart.
Inspired by the Abarth 500 Assetto Corsa, the exterior of the car flaunts an exclusive Grigio Competizione Opaco livery, embellished by a livery of racing appeal that however forgoes strong colour contrasts in favour of a refined tone-on-tone effect. But the main distinguishing element is inside. Like a real racing car, this is a two seater in which the rear seats are replaced by a roll bar the same Grigio Competizione Opaco shade as the bodywork. In this way the car acquires additional sporting character because the roll bar decreases its weight, making it even better performing. The space left empty by the seats sports a trim reminiscent of the almond of the racing cars, which continues into the boot. The Abarth 695 Competizione has “Abarth Corsa by Sabelt” seats in black leather with Alcantara® red inserts and a carbon fibre shell and seat base. Red stitchings, “695” logo and “competizione” graphics respectively embroidered on the headrest and backrest further enrich the seats.
The black leather steering wheel is characterised by a tricolour hub and red inserts, and is fitted with 5-speed “Abarth Competizione” gearshift paddles, while the instrument panel is specially made by Jaeger. The carbon dashboard contains the Abarth Blue&MeTM MAP satellite navigation unit with a telemetric function developed in conjunction with Magneti Marelli and, on the central console, the chrome plate with sequential numbering to demonstrate the exclusivity of the Limited Edition version.
Attention to detail has also been given to the racing pedals, which are personalised with the Scorpion logo. Finally, the interior is also embellished with the carbon running board with “695 Competizione” graphics in a satin aluminium finish.
This special series is also equipped with Xenon headlights with dipped and main beam functions for improved light emission and excellent efficiency under all weather conditions. The 17" rims whose design is borrowed from the “Abarth 695 Tributo Ferrari”, matching the body, and Brembo brake calipers and hub cap, both red, complete the aesthetic features of the exterior.
In keeping with its racing vocation, the Abarth 695 Competizione is equipped with a 1.4 Turbo T-Jet 16v engine – tuned to develop more than 180 HP - combined with the “Abarth Competizione” gearbox, an electromechanical gearbox with race-inspired steering wheel controls that makes full use of the engine’s performance by reducing gearshift times. In detail, this transmission has two operating modes: “Street” with automatic gearbox and “Track” where shifting is instead manual, in line with the car's vocation, "Sunday on the track, Monday at the office".
As on the 695 Tributo Ferrari, the suspension and braking systems have also been further strengthened to cope with the extra power: Brembo 305 mm disc brakes that can be dismantled with fixed four-piston caliper disc and special shock absorbers that guarantee performance in total safety. And of course there is a “Record Monza” variable back-pressure “dual mode” exhaust, designed to improve engine performance and sound over 3,000 rpm.
[Source : FIAT]
