The new Grande Punto is the star of Fiat's collection in Frankfurt - and the 'Super2000' rallycar prototype is the aggressive, fearsome, headline act.

Created especially to conform to the FIA's proposed new 'Super2000' rally regulations, the new Grande Punto rally car will be the machine that takes Fiat back to the forefront of rallying - in style. And it is where the Italian car manufacturer rightly belongs, with a history of success that includes legendary cars such as the immortal Fiat 131 Abarth, which swept up both drivers' and manufacturers' in the FIA World Rally Championship.

Fiat announced their return to rallying at the beginning of the year, with a triple-pronged progamme that involved the outgoing Super1600 Punto Abarth. Mirco Baldacci was wrested away from Suzuki to pilot a car in the FIA Junior World Rally Championship, while Giandomenico Basso and Paolo Andreucci tackled the FIA European and the CSAI Italian Rally Championships, respectively.

At the same time word started to leak out that Fiat would be developing a new 'Super2000' rally prototype. This proposed new category - currently being evaluated by the FIA - seeks to build on the success of the Super1600 class, but allow increase engine size to two litres, along with other features, while at the same time keeping a very tight reign on costs which have recently escalated in the current WRC format, leading to several manufacturers involved questioning their future participation.

The rally car prototype is based around the new Grande Punto which makes its public world debut here tomorrow, and, with four examples on show, dominates Fiat's line-up at the 61st Frankfurt IAA. The Grande Punto has been highly acclaimed already, the rounded curves of the Giorgetto Giugiaro-styled car striking a chord with onlookers, by in the hands of N.Technology the theme has been taken to the extreme. The car literally bulges at the seams, its huge wheelarches (which are pressed sections not add-ons) sweeping outwards to accommodate the widened track. The wheels - although oversized for the show - have been squeezed into the available space. The Grande Punto's front grille is now complemented by a huge air intake that takes up virtually the entire front spoiler, giving the impression of a car greedy to suck in the maximum air possible, to feed its hungry engine. New air intakes cut into the curves of the front wheelarches and another scoop sitting astride of the roof, together with a large rear roof-mounted spoiler compete the visually aggressive look.

Under the skin it is pure rally car: dedicated suspension, big Brembo brake calipers and grooved discs, stone guards and tiny door-mounted mirrors.
 

These features are complemented by a totally stripped out interior which is fitted with a roll protection cage, bucket seats, safety harnesses and carbon fibre dashboard sections.

Fiat are naturally proud of this car - a flag bearer for the future, and it was heartening for all rally fans to see the car unveiled yesterday by Fiat brand boss Luca De Meo and charismatic Fiat Chairman Luca di Montezemolo, with head of Centro Stile Fiat, Frank Stephenson, the car's designer, Giorgetto Giugiaro, and marketing chief, Lapo Elkann, all in close attendance, happy to firmly link themselves with the project. Stephenson - who is the former head of Ferrari-Maserati design - was delighted by the new rally car's appearance and was quick to point out proudly the 'Centro Stile Fiat' badge mounted on the b-pillar, and stress their design input. In fact he was very swift to show the car to his former teacher at the prestigious Art Center College in Pasadena, who had made the journey to the motor show.

This is a serious rally car, ready to take the fight onto the world's rally tracks, a potent rally machine just waiting to be unleashed on the opposition, and etch its way into rallying legend.

by Edd Ellison in Frankfurt