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Abarth is celebrating its 70th birthday at a rapid pace
The presents that you give yourself for your birthday are usually particularly popular. If it is even a great day of honor, it can be a little more. The Italian tuning brand Abarth donated not only its own postage stamp with a scorpion emblem and checkered flag, but also a big birthday party with fans from all over Europe on the weekend. An exquisite opportunity to present the new special edition of the Abarth 695 called 70 ° Anniversario. One of the 1949 copies - the number is of course not random, but corresponds to the year the brand was founded - was presented last weekend on the eve of the Abarth Days 2019 in Milan. Europe's largest meeting of Abarth enthusiasts took place this year in the futuristic Milano Innovation District (MIND), the location of the EXPO in 2015.
Abarth equipped lightweight early production vehicles early on
Carlo Abarth, born in 1908, apparently had the often cited gasoline in his blood. In any case, he is said to have wrapped leather belts around the wooden wheels of his scooter as a little boy to improve traction. From such beginnings, a passion developed to disassemble and repair vehicles and improve their performance. In 1949 he founded the company Abarth & C together with the racing driver Guido Scagliarini. "Abarth was the first to recognize the potential of the technical upgrade of lightweight series vehicles and strived for maximum, permanently available performance" emphasizes Luca Napolitano, Head of Fiat and Abarth EMEA, in his birthday speech.
For his birthday, the Abarth 695 gets a grand piano
Then the new Abarth 695 70 ° Anniversario rolls on stage in a new green "Monza 1958" look. A tribute to the color of the first 500 Abarth, who set six international records in Monza before 61. The current versions, equipped with the most powerful engine in the series, have 180 PS for a top speed of 225 km / h. You will get a newly developed spoiler, whose inclination angle can be adjusted manually from 0 degrees to 60 degrees. In the maximum tilt position, the spoiler increases the aerodynamic load by up to 200 kilograms at a speed of 40 km / h. Perfect for long turns where the number of steering corrections can be reduced by almost 40 percent.
From the tailpipes sound the birthday serenade
The logo with the scorpion bear only the most powerful models from Fiat, based on the star sign of company founder Abarth. On the Abarth Days, there are in the majority of the iconic 500er Abarth and 124 Spider Abarth, their revving four-cylinder and sonorous exhaust systems play one birthday after another, while they gather in the central square of the former World Exhibition grounds. Worldwide, the community "The Scorpionship" 74 official clubs and through 110 000 members, today there are hundreds of vehicles, which are admired by the enthusiasts of the brand. Only a few Punto Abarth and a Fiat Ritmo Abarth from the middle of the 80er years can be found in the ranks. Historical models are only available as museum loans, you will not find them among the participants of the Abarth Days.
Once the scorpion has stabbed
“No wonder”, explains Michael Pfefferle, member of the Abarth Club Bavaria, “the older models are real valuables that you would rather not expect to travel long distances across the Alps”. The Fiat Abarth 1300 OT Periscopio from 1967 owned by one of the 400 members in Bavarian Abarth clubs preferred to stay at home. Pfefferle's own 500 Abarth convertible, which he drives in summer and winter, dates back to 2011. “It was supposed to be a normal 500 with a hood for my wife,” says Pfefferle with a grin, “then I saw the Abarth models at the dealership and the scorpion stung ". His wife drives a Freemont. The stroller fits better into it than into the small, potent joker, which he is happy to forgive for Fiat's own inadequacies in processing.
The birthday guests have their driving fun written in their faces
A few rows down, Bob from Yorkshire completes his outfit, which is completely designed for Abarth, with the right sports shoes. He took three days for the 1100 mile journey with his naturally right-hand drive 124 Spider. He even has a matching flag in his hand luggage, which he now waves before he sets off in his own vehicle on the race track specially prepared for the Abarth Days and its participants. With a helmet, of course. The happy faces of the pilots of the first slot show that no matter whether front-wheel drive or rear-wheel drive in the 500 series, the party is a complete success. Happy Birthday Abarth!