14.02.2011 ABARTH FUSES A WINNING PAST WITH A REBORN PRESENT AT AUTOMOTORETRO

ABARTH - AUTOMOTORETRO, LINGOTTO FIERE, TURIN 2011
ABARTH - AUTOMOTORETRO, LINGOTTO FIERE, TURIN 2011
ABARTH - AUTOMOTORETRO, LINGOTTO FIERE, TURIN 2011

Abarth showed off four cars at Automotoretro over the weekend: the 695 Tributo Ferrari (top), and three Fiat-based machines that have long since entered rallying folk law: the 124 Abarth, Abarth X 1/9 prototipo (middle) and 131 Abarth (bottom).

All the Fiat Group Automobiles brands' have taken part in Automotoretro at the Lingotto Fiere in Turin at the weekend, all making their rich link with the past at what has grown to become one of Europe's leading classic car shows. And at Lingotto, which awash with the unrivalled history of the Fiat Group the setting couldn't have been more appropriate.

First up is Abarth, the reborn sports brand now once again churning out tuned up Fiat models from it's headquarters a few kilometres away from Lingotto in the sprawling Mirafiori factory complex. The Scorpion showed off four cars, its limited edition production range-topping 695 Tributo Ferrari and three Abarth-tuned Fiat machines that have long since entered rallying folk law: the 124 Abarth (1974), Abarth X 1/9 prototipo (1974) and 131 Abarth (1978) along with a wide range of its merchandise and styling accessories.

The Abarth X1/9 prototipo was one of just a half a dozen of these unique machines built in the autumn of 1974 and it went on to contest a number of important rallies and races over the next year. Not to be confused with the Dallara-built X1/9, the Abarth version boasted equally outrageous bodywork enhancements as well as the famous tall 'periscope' air intake perched on the engine cover, and at the Lingotto Fiere it was shown alongside a 124 Abarth, also from 1974, both cars finished in the distinctive red-and-yellow colours of that period. The final historic rally machine on the Scorpion stand was a 131 Abarth finished in the dazzling red-white-and-green colours of Italy's national airline, a sponsorship scheme that became synonymous with the Fiat Group's all-conquering rally cars of that period. This 131 Abarth example was from 1978 (one of the years that the four door sedan won the World Rally Manufacturers' Championship title, the other two being 1977 and 1980) and it was driven by the legendary Markku Alén: the doors bears the name of the flying Finn and his equally illustrious longtime co-driver, Ilkka Kivimäki.

Complementing the three stunning competition machines was the recently reborn Abarth brand's current 'halo' model, the 695 Tributo Ferrari which was first shown at the Frankfurt IAA in the autumn of 2009, and is presently being assembled in strictly limited numbers. It is powered by the Abarth 500's potent 1368cc turbocharged engine, which is uprated to produce 180 HP at 5,500 rpm and 230 Nm torque at 3000 rpm, meaning the tiny car can accelerate from 0-100 km/h in under seven seconds and reach a top speed of 225 km/h. Visually it bears special '695 Tributo Ferrari' badging on the 3/4 panels as well as dedicated over body decals and some new finishes to the door mirrors, air vents and wheels, while inside the cabin the gearshift is now 'paddle' operated and the trims have been upgraded. It also features many parts drawn from the Abarth accessory catalogue, including the exhaust and seats.

The Abarth display was dedicated to Gino Macaluso who unexpectedly passed away last October. An avid car fan and collector he was the President of the "Scuderia Club Italia di Automobilismo Storico" as well as being President of the CSAI, while he is also remembered for buying and reviving the then-ailing watchmaker Girard-Perregaux. Born in 1948 Macaluso started racing motorbikes at the age of 16 and went on to become a test driver for Fiat. In the early 1970s he was an integral part of Fiat's newly-launched factory rally programme and in the co-driver's seat alongside Raffaele Pinto the pair won the 1972 European Rally Drivers Championship as well as the Mitropa Rally Cup in a 124 Sport Spider. His car collection was equally famed, and as well as the 124 Sport Spider that he claimed those title honours for decades ago and a Fiat 131 Abarth Rallye, his garage line-up included a trio of legendary rally Lancias: the Fulvia HF 1600, 037 Rally and Delta S4, as well as their successful track stablemates: the Beta Montecarlo Turbo, LC1 and LC2. He also owned one of the handful of Abarth X1/9 prototipos that were built, he bought the rare car in the early 1990s and had restored.
 

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