Modifying material with the force of passion. This philosophy, which is close to the Yamaha and Scorpion brands, has inspired the creation of a unique Concept Bike, on which ideas of exclusiveness and beauty add value to the standard product.

Yamaha and Abarth are currently examining the possibility of transforming the concept into reality by giving life to the Yamaha FZ1 Abarth Assetto Corse in a special limited series.

The Yamaha FZ1 Abarth Assetto Corse

The FZ1 which, at 150 HP is the most powerful naked 1000 on the market, has been embellished with parts in carbon fibre, aluminium and titanium, fully adjustable suspensions, monobloc brake calipers and a Brembo variable radial master cylinder, aeronautical braided hoses, and two 320-mm, SK profile, floating wave type front discs.

The special edition also boasts Ohlins suspensions, Marchesini gold anodised wheels derived from MotoGP racing and a Two Tone microfibre anatomic seat.

Thanks to materials and technical solutions that have been experimented on circuits all over the world, the FZ1 Abarth Assetto Corse takes the riding experience to a higher level.

Abarth makes its entry into powerboat racing with its first “Powershore” boat, designed in typical Abarth style and with the sort of performance you would expect from the marque of the Scorpion.

Abarth has taken the Strider 12S built by SACS and transformed it into the Powershore Abarth SP (Sport Prototype), a maxi rib inspired by the world of powerboat racing and powered by three special edition Yamaha engines.

The Powershore Abarth SP (Sport Prototype)

Propelled by over 1000 horsepower, and specially prepared for this exclusive version, the boat offers thrilling acceleration and speed and can deliver on the water the same emotions that a racing car or bike can on the land.

The design, by Christian Grande and the Fiat Group’s Centro Stile, is even more aggressive than the already stunning standard version. Special graphics combine with elements in pure racing style to enhance every aspect of the “Powershore”, from the deck to the cabin, driving seats, stowage compartments, controls and instrumentation.

The “Powershore Abarth SP” is a true expression not only of luxury and exclusiveness, but also of performance and power, to be enjoyed in complete safety and with great ease thanks to the boat’s stability and its tubular buoyancy compartments.

The new boat is offered as a “factory” product, prepared with special components in true Abarth style to allow enthusiasts to own a unique and totally uncompromising machine.

Technical specifications

Overall length: 12.30 m
Overall beam: 3.64 m
Draft at screws: 0.7 m
Fuel tank capacity: 900 l
Water tank capacity: 120 l
Sewage tank capacity: 51 l
Displacement with engines: approx. 5.7 t
Sleeps: 2 people

The UK price of the Grande Punto Abarth will be increased on 4th August 2009. The new on-the-road price will be £13,800, an increase of nearly £600.

As well as the price increase, there are a few revisions to the standard spec and the factory options.

The Interscope hi-fi system is no longer standard, nor is the 12v power socket in the boot, although both now become cost options at £250 and £35 respectively. The CD autochanger and the alternative 17″ alloy wheels appear to be missing from the options list, too, although we’re not sure if that means they’ve been deleted.

New options arrive in the shape of the front centre armrest that’s been available elsewhere in Europe since launch (£110), TPMS, the tyre pressure monitoring system (£250), and the Premium Pack which combines Climate Control and Interscope (£410).

The Sabelt seats also appear as a factory option, although in a move that I can only describe as misguided, they’ve been priced at the same level as in the accessory catalogue – an already eye-watering £2,250.

A new zero-cost option – 57X ‘Homologation Code’ – reduces the GPA’s emissions to 159 g/km (down from 162) when specified, and improves economy: 30.1 mpg urban (was 29.4), 54.3 mpg extra-urban (was 53.3), 42.2 mpg combined (was 40.9).

Thousands of motorsport fans were treated to a spectacular weekend of racing as the Abarth 500 European series came to the UK.

British driver Adam Jones took full home advantage to post two wins out of two over the action-packed weekend (18/19 July) at Brands Hatch circuit in Kent. He was one of 11 drivers competing in the fourth round of the Abarth 500 Selenia-European Trophy – one of the main attractions at the race meeting.

Abarth 500 European Trophy at Brands Hatch

The Abarth 500 Assetto Corse’s speed, driveability and balanced power/weight ratio made it ideal for the Kent track and the cars were completing the lap distance at an average of 130 km/h (80 mph), creating an exciting spectacle for the crowds.

“It was good to see the Abarth 500 race cars here in the UK and what better place to showcase them than Brands Hatch?” says Ivan Gibson, head of Abarth in the UK. “Both days’ races were full of drama, great driving and wonderful excitement – which is what the magic of Abarth is all about.”

The fight for overall victory will resume at the next meeting of the Abarth 500 Selenia-European Trophy, which is scheduled for 5-6 September in Germany.

Abarth 500 European Trophy at Brands Hatch

Meanwhile, two more Abarth cars were competing in Britain over the weekend – this time Grande Punto versions, which were entered into the BARC Hillclimb Championship at Gurston Down, near Salisbury.

The event was part of Abarth UK’s media motorsport programme, and allowed four of Britain’s top motoring journalists behind the wheel for an experience of the sport. It was a close thing with less than two seconds separating the drivers – Owen Mildenhall and James Disdale (Auto Express), freelance writer Jesse Crosse and Performance Car’s Chris Knapman.

Grande Punto Abarth at BARC Hillclimb Championship, Gurston Down

Autocar claims to have received insider knowledge to indicate that Abarth are likely to introduce a hot version of the recently launched Fiat 500C convertible.

Abarth 500C © NetCarShow.com

Body rigidity should remain high, as the 500C isn’t a true convertible, instead retaining its roof rails and pillars.

Engine choices are, of course, likely to remain as the 1.4-litre turbo in 135 bhp guise with the option of the ‘esseesse’ kit to bring that to just shy of 160 bhp.

The Fiat 500C is roughly £3,000 more than an equivalent Fiat 500, and that would seem to indicate a £16,500 starting price for an Abarth 500C, rising to £19,250 for the esseesse version.

Link to Autocar story: Fiat 500C Abarth planned.

Abarth has created a limited edition Abarth 500 to celebrate the first year of the company’s return to the Dutch market.

Abarth 500 Competizione

Dubbed the Abarth 500 Competizione, and based on the 155bhp Abarth 500 esseesse, only 10 examples will be produced.  They will be sold at the only franchise in Holland, Nieuwkoop.

Abarth 500 Competizione

The car’s standard features include climate control, Blue&Me Nav satellite navigation, Interscope hi-fi system, Sports leather interior with Competizione logos and Italian stripe, black 17″ Competizione wheels, black roof, and black Abarth door stripes.

Abarth 500 Competizione

Priced at €24,995, the Competizione represents a saving of around €3-4,000 over the standard car once the price of the options are included.

Source: Autocar, Abarthisti

The Abarth 500 European Trophy comes to Brands Hatch in Kent on the weekend of 18-19 July 2009, alongside the WTCC (World Touring Car Championship).

Abarth 500 European Trophy comes to Brands Hatch

Star of the show is the Abarth 500 Assetto Corse, based on the Abarth 500 road car, but with extensive modifications to its 1.4-litre turbocharged engine to produce nearly 200 bhp, as well as a reinforced roll cage, race brakes and suspension, and aerodynamic improvements.

Also competing over the weekend are the FIA Formula Two, Lotus Elise Trophy, Formula Master, and SEAT Eurocup.

Race 1 takes place on Saturday at roughly 5:00pm, while Race 2 gets underway on Sunday at around 4:20pm.

As we head into the fourth round at Brands, Italian Manuel Villa remains in command in the Abarth 500 Selenia-European Trophy standings with a 33 point lead over Frenchman Benoît Perret.

Race Calendar

Timetable is provisional and subject to change.

The new seat “Abarth Corse by Sabelt” is born: a technologically evolved product which is the result of the cooperation between two Italian brands, sharing the same sportsmanship and technological values. In fact, Abarth once more found the ideal partner in Sabelt in order to develop this new product, which confirms the goal of the Scorpion brand to transfer to all its customers the functionality, in terms of performance and safety, of the racing world.

Abarth Corse by Sabelt seats for 500 Abarth

Designed by Sabelt Style Center, under supervision of Abarth Style Center, the new seats stem out of the same philosophy that inspired, in the 60′s, the creation of racing seats for the Abarths 595 and 695. These monococque seats, clearly sports featuring, were designed and produced by Roberto Fusina, with their rounded lines and marked containment bands, suitable either for track racing and road use.

Abarth Corse by Sabelt seats for Grande Punto Abarth

Nowadays, the seats “Abarth Corse by Sabelt” match the typical features of sport seats – such as lightness (10 kilos less than production seats) and the capability of retaining the body under lateral and lengthwise drives, thanks to their mono-layer padding containment bands – with the ergonomy and comfort of the seats conceived for road use.

Abarth Corse by Sabelt seats for Grande Punto Abarth

Equipped with a release and forward-tipping lever, the backrest embodies the headrest and shows the typical slit for the passage of four-point seat belts. In addition, the shell (with its newfangled supporting backrest) and the cushion plate are made out of white compound material, formed by structural polyester resins with 1″ glass fibres, and are moulded using state-of-the-art SMC (Sheet Moulding Compound) technology.

Available in two versions (Frau black leather and fretworked black Alcantara, or black “F1″ technical fabric) the seats “Abarth Corse by Sabelt” are embellished with some details like, for instance, the aesthetic felled seams with red thread and the distinctive Abarth writing, while the silver colour typifies the Scorpion Logo placed on the backrest tilt knob.

After being presented at the recent Geneva show, the first seats “Abarth Corse by Sabelt” have been installed on 200 Abarth 500s used as courtesy cars by European Ferrari dealers. This renewed cooperation with the Maranello firm deepens its roots in many shared values, such as passion for performance, racing soul, care of details and Italian style, and in the certainty that the “little and wicked” will be capable of satisfying even the highly demanding clients of Ferrari. Featuring an exclusive colour and a coat inspired by the Ferrari 430 Scuderia, these special cars show typical sport features such as the seats “Abarth Corse by Sabelt”, the variable back-pressure exhaust “Abarth by Magneti Marelli” and the satellite navigator “Abarth Blue&MeTM MAP” with Telemetry function developed by Magneti Marelli.

Some contents of this special series will be soon included in the official Abarth Cars Accessories catalogue, allowing all clients to customize their cars with racing features. In particular, the seats “Abarth Corse by Sabelt” will be available not only to the cars of the “Scorpion” but also to the Fiat 500 and Fiat Grande Punto 3-door models.

Abarth Corse by Sabelt seats

Abarth Corse by Sabelt seats

Abarth Corse by Sabelt seats

Prices

After an early season shakedown at Harewood Hillclimb in Yorkshire, Abarth UK kicked off its celebrity media motorsport programme with a class win last weekend. This came courtesy of Autocar’s Matt Rigby, during Bognor Regis Motor Club’s well supported Sprint at Goodwood circuit near Chichester.

The Abarth Hillclimb drivers

The team’s two immaculate Abarth Grande Punto esseesse cars formed part of a 94-strong entry, and were driven to great effect by four members of Autocar’s editorial team, led home by Rigby who finally won the standard car class, just 0.4 seconds ahead of team mate Ollie Stallwood in second place.

Rigby’s previous motorsport experience, limited solely to endurance go-karting, provided ample encouragement for his team mates, who nevertheless just failed to eclipse the young road tester, who sportingly attributed his success to the forgiving nature of the Abarth Grande Punto. “It was a joy to drive around Goodwood circuit, and I was able to improve my time by over three seconds on the final run – just enough to stay ahead of Ollie!”

Grande Punto Abarth at Goodwood

A series of hillclimb events now await the team as it prepares for Doune, near Stirling, in Scotland on 20/21 June; Shelsley Walsh (Worcester) 4 July; Gurston Down (Somerset) 19 July, and Harewood (Yorkshire) 2 August. Abarth UK’s motorsport season closes with another Sprint at Thoresby Park, Nottingham, on 12 September.

Ivan Gibson, head of the Abarth brand in the UK, says: “This programme was devised with the basic idea in mind that an enthusiast can enjoy competitive club motorsport with an Abarth road car at the weekends, while using it normally for all domestic duties during the week. We’re delighted that Autocar was able to provide our first team this season, and congratulate Matt Rigby on a great drive.”

Grande Punto Abarth at Goodwood

The Abarth Grande Punto esseesse, which is available through Abarth’s 16-strong UK dealer network, is powered by a 180bhp 1.4-litre turbocharged T-Jet engine which delivers 272Nm of torque at 2750rpm through a six speed gearbox. Top speed is 133mph, with 0-62mph acceleration in 7.5 seconds.

With 27 drivers on the starting grid, the inaugural round of the Abarth 500 Trophy in Monza has been marked by a great show and fierce competition. Both races took place under the rain but, far from putting the drivers in trouble, the conditions emphasised the natural qualities of the Abarth 500 Assetto Corse, with duels to the hundredth of a second but in the most absolute correctness.

Abarth 500 Trophy at Monza

After the first two races, the leader of the Abarth 500 Trophy classification is Manuel Villa, from Liguria, who won the first race and finished third in the second. He is followed by Sicily’s Salvatore Tavano, fifth in the first race and runner-up in the second. Tavano was credited with the fastest lap at an average speed of almost 90 mph (145 kph). Third place is occupied by Venetian Nicola Baldan, who got the satisfaction of winning the second race after having finished seventh in the first one.

The next round of the Abarth 500 Trophy will take place at the Mugello track on May 3rd.

Nicola Baldan, Abarth 500 Trophy at Monza

Classification after Race 1:
1. Manuel Villa 7 laps in 17min18.987s (average speed: 140.505 kph);
2. Andrea Rizzoli + 2.973s;
3. Umberto Scandola + 3.411s;
4. Enrico Fulgenzi + 4.296s;
5. Salvatore Tavano + 5.795s;
6. Raffaele Giammaria + 8.914s;
7. Nicola Baldan + 9.380s;
8. Gianluca Giraudi + 11.142s;
9. Tobias Tauber + 15.062s;
10. Lorenzo Bontempelli + 17.634s.
Fastest lap by Giraudi in 2min26.384s (average speed: 144.934 kph).

Classification after Race 2:
1. Nicola Baldan 7 laps in 17min48.525s (average speed: 136.621 kph);
2. Salvatore Tavano + 2.355s;
3. Manuel Villa + 2.839s;
4. Scandola + 2.937s;
5. Andrea Rizzoli + 3.851s;
6. Raffaele Giammaria + 6.621s;
7. Lorenzo Bontempelli + 9.769s;
8. Gianluca Giraudi + 10.169s;
9. Tobias Tauber + 12.779s;
10. Davide Uboldi + 13.681s.
Fastest lap by Tavano in 2min25.662s (average speed: 144.989 kph).

Classification of the Abarth 500 Trophy:
1. Manuel Villa 37 points;
2. Salvatore Tavano 33;
3. Andrea Rizzoli 32;
4. Nicola Baldan 31;
5. Raffaele Giammaria 24.

Qualifying for the Abarth 500 Trophy at Monza