Fiat has announced that it will launch the Abarth performance brand in South Africa. The first two models that South Africans are able to get a glimpse of are the Abarth 695 Tributo Ferrari and the 500 Abarth, which are both currently on display at the Johannesburg International Motor Show (JIMS).
Abarth is an Italian racing carmaker founded by Austrian-Italian Carlo Abarth and Italian Armando Scagliarini in Turin in 1949. Its logo depicts a stylised scorpion on a red and yellow background.
Fiat acquired Abarth in 1971 and used the name on a number of sporting vehicles before the Scorpion faded into obscurity in the 1990s and early 2000s. In 2007, Fiat relaunched the brand with the unveiling of the Grande Punto Abarth and the 500 Abarth.
The Abarth 695 Tributo Ferrari features Maranello’s signature Scuderia Red paint, as well as grey racing stripes and 17-inch wheels, and carbon-fibre mirror caps. However, what lies at the heart of this model is its most distinguishing feature. It’s powered by a turbocharged 1,4-litre T-Jet 16-valve engine that develops 134 kW and 250 N.m. The engine is mated with Fiat’s semi-automatic MTA transmission which can be controlled via steering-wheel-mounted controls.
The claimed performance figures for the Tributo Ferrari is 0-100 km/h in 7,0 seconds and a top speed of 225 km/h.
The 500 Abarth boasts a detuned version of the T-Jet powerplant developing 100 kW and 206 N.m. The interior of this hot little number has been upgraded over the standard 500 with the addition of heavily bolstered bucket seats, a leather-trimmed steering wheel and gear lever, and sporty aluminium-look pedals.
Fiat SA will announce pricing and exact specifications when it officially launches the brand here in