Fiat Abarth Returns with New Rally Car

The New Abarth Grande Punto S2000 First New Abarth Since 1984

At the 77th Geneva International Motor Show, we will see firsthand the newest car from the company in 23 years. Fiat will then officially introduce the new Abarth, sporting a new, but very nostalgic logo.

Abarth continues to create racing models built to win. Everything from aluminum trim and carbon fiber are used in the making of the new rally car, the Grande Punto Abarth S2000, a car that has been type-approved for  rally racing and is proving to be highly successful. Geneva is where the stage is set for the grand showing of the Grande Punto Abarth S2000. The Fiat Racing Department will be entering in the 2007 Italian Rally Championship with Giandomenico Basso and his navigator Mitia Dotta. Davide Gatti, winner of the 2006 Fiat Abarth International Trophy, will compete at the wheel of an official Fiat Grande Punto R3D with a diesel engine.

On the international scene, the Grande Punto Abarth S2000 will compete in the IRC (Intercontinental Rally Challenge) with drivers Andrea Navarra, his navigator Guido D'Amore, and young Umberto Scandola and Anton Alen. The Abarth & C. Spa racing team will be managed by Claudio Berro. This is all according to Fiat S.p.A

The Grande Punto Abarth will be powered by a 2000 cc aspirated engine that delivers 270 hp and all-wheel drive and is the successor to the version that took the 2006 Italian Rally Championship title with Paolo Andreucci and Anna Andreussi, winning 7 of the 11 races. Giandomenico Basso and Mitia Dotta won the European title and the International Rally Challenge.

So far of the 15 ordered by different racing companies, all have been very successful in Rally challenges across the globe, and will compete in international and European rallies. The new Grande Punto Abarth S2000 looks to take over both of these rally types with determination that it will be a quality racing vehicle. Expect more details when the car debuts at the 77th Geneva International Motor Show.

To explain Abarth's history briefly is a challenge. Carlo Abarth the Abarth company in 1949 after he worked with the likes of Hruska, Porsche, Nuvolari and Dusio, and many others. A brilliant craftsman with a knowledge of engineering to boot, he bought out the struggling company Cisitalia and began from there, creating racing cars and parts. He then made his own creations.

In the meantime, to keep his company afloat and to support his racing teams, they entered the aftermarket world with new exhausts, manifolds and many other parts including springs, valves, anything to make a car faster.. He went on to become very successful in many different areas, and racked up many different awards, trophies, wins and records all across the worlds racetracks.

In 1971, Fiat bought out the company to have it become its in-house tuner, like AMG to Mercedes, BMW's Motorsport division, Nissan's NISMO division, and so on. The last car was the 1984 Fiat-Abarth Ritmo 130 TC, and has been in hiatus ever since. Details of their future plans are expected to emerge at the Geneva International Motor Show.

By Daniel Lora

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