It's not that BMW needs help on the engineering front, but by partnering up, the companies gain economies of scale they'll be able to leverage against their suppliers for a better price. Guess all's fair in love and the battle against rising material costs. [Auto News Europe]

Grande Punto Abarth "essesse" prototype (Super Sport)

The absolute star of the stand is the Grande Punto Abarth "essesse" (Super Sport) prototype. A jewel of assertiveness and elegance, the car is offered with a booster kit that almost doubles its power output with relation to the basic model (up to almost 180 bhp). The '"essesse"' kit also envisages a number of specific elements that accentuate both the sporty look of the Abarth model (for example adhesives with the 'essesse' logo or a chequered flag) and its dynamic behaviour, with a particular low stance for a more powerful braking system. This is a feature that maintains a brand tradition: for example, the Fiat 500 of 1958 delivered 13 bhp at 4000 rpm and a top speed of 85 km/h, while the Fiat 500 Abarth of the same year, produced 26 bhp at 5000 rpm and a top speed of 118 km/h.

The Grande Punto Abarth and the Grande Punto Abarth with the 'essesse' kit aim to revive the thrill of those cars, offering an opportunity, addressed to the young in particular, of entering the racing world in total safety and at an accessible price.

Maybe it's all the stripes and fat tires against the Fiat Grande Punto's hot hatchness, but both the Abarth Rally2000 racer and Punto Grande win our Wish We Had It Here prize for 2007. And by here, we mean the US, where the new Abarth tuners will join other Fiats in being entirely absent. Word is, this lack will continue for the forseeable future. – Mike Spinelli

Related:
The Scorpion Returns: Fiat's Abarth-Tuned Puntos Coming to Geneva [internal]

The return of Abarth is near. If you'll recall, the motorsports firm of Carlo Abarth spent the 1950s and 1960s building race-winning cars sports cars that showed up many a big name. It also built tuning kits for Fiats, and was eventually taken into the bosom of the Agnelli dynasty. Now, Fiat's reviving the name for a new factory tuner and a rally team. The Grande Punto Abarth will appear at the Geneva show with its rally cousin, the Abarth S2000. Both bear the Scorpion logo, but it's the rally car that's the true scion of Carlo. The four-wheel-drive S2000, built for the International Rally Championship, produces 270 hp, while the Punto Abarth creates 150 hp from a 1.4-liter turbo, though an add-on tuning kit will boost power to 180 hp. It'll also get a six-speed, Brembo stoppers, an aero kit and wider meats. Yes, please. – Mike Spinelli

Press Release:

The legendary Abarth "Scorpion" returns

A great project will be launched at the 77th Geneva International Motor Show: the rebirth of one of the most prestigious brands in world motorsports. Its symbol is a scorpion, and its name is Abarth.
Abarth has always been synonymous with assertive cars, competitiveness, passion and excitement, and it now returns with a new range that will appeal to all lovers of motorsports. Abarth's first interpretation of the Grande Punto will be on the "catwalk" at the Geneva Show, the first step in an initiative which will later involve other models.

This new adventure starts in the familiar, uniquely emotional context and exclusive setting of the Geneva Motor Show. A striking stand has been prepared, in line with the philosophy of Abarth's rebirth, an innovative space with a fresh, contemporary, technological language and great attention to every detail. The new elements that will publicise the Abarth brand are displayed with all their strong, original personality: the revamped version of the famous Abarth racing stripe has been rendered with LED tiles, while the new logo, the scorpion and the wording are all large, three-dimensional elements in polished, satin-effect aluminium.

The Abarth values and tradition on the other hand are underlined discreetly and technologically: refined materials and precious finishing details in aluminium, carbon fibre, enamel and lacquer decorate the exhibition area, and draw attention to the true stars of the stand: the Grande Punto Abarth S2000, a car that has been type-approved for racing and is proving to be highly successful, and the Grande Punto Abarth Preview, a concept car making its world debut.

These are the two souls of the Abarth world: racing and standard production.
Visitors to the Geneva Show will also have an opportunity to discover a third field in which the brand operates; a multimedia configurator will illustrate the whole concept of the 'Abarth Kit', and the flexibility and wide range of combinations that the brand will offer customers in its conversion kits. Some of these solid wooden boxes, inlaid with satin-finished aluminium trims, are on display inside glass cubes, with the historic mechanical and stylistic components from the conversion kits.

And finally, by means of exclusive LED technology and plasma screens, the walls of the stand propose historical photographs and films, alternating them with a reproduction of the new Abarth racing stripe, underlining the fine link between the past and the future, as well as the energy and personality that are inherent in the Abarth brand.

The Grande Punto Abarth Preview

The absolute star of the stand is the Grande Punto Abarth Preview, a true jewel of assertiveness and elegance. The car will be marketed in September, to enhance the sporty, youthful positioning of the Grande Punto.

The car on show in Geneva is equipped with a 1.4 Turbo petrol engine that delivers 150 bhp at 5500 rpm, boosted to 155 bhp by the adoption of 98 RON petrol. What is more, thanks to a booster kit, a version with twice as much power as the basic version (180 bhp) will soon be available. This is a revival of a tradition from the past: for example, the Fiat 500 of 1958 delivered 13 bhp at 4000 rpm with a top speed of 85 km/h, while the Fiat 500 Abarth of the same year delivered 26 bhp at 5000 rpm and a top speed of 118 km/h.

The Grande Punto Abarth aims to revive the feats of these entertaining performance cars, offering young drivers in particular an opportunity to enter the racing world in complete safety and at an accessible price.

The Grande Punto Abarth S2000

The public in Geneva will also be able to admire the extraordinary Grande Punto Abarth S2000. This is a racing car designed for racing stables, which the Fiat Racing Department will be entering in the 2007 Italian Rally Championship with Giandomenico Basso and his navigator Mitia Dotta. Davide Gatti, winner of the 2006 Fiat Abarth International Trophy, will compete at the wheel of an official Fiat Grande Punto R3D with a diesel engine. On the international scene, the Grande Punto Abarth S2000 will compete in the IRC (Intercontinental Rally Challenge) with drivers Andrea Navarra, his navigator Guido D'Amore, and young Umberto Scandola and Anton Alen.

The Abarth & C. Spa racing team will be managed by Claudio Berro.

Powered by a 2000 cc aspirated engine that delivers 270 bhp, with 4-wheel drive, the new Grande Punto Abarth S2000 is heir to the version that took the 2006 Italian Rally Championship title with Paolo Andreucci and Anna Andreussi, winning 7 of the 11 races on the programme. Nor must we forget the excellent season of their team-mates Andrea Navarra and Guido D'Amore who took third place. Giandomenico Basso and Mitia Dotta won the European title and the International Rally Challenge.
Since its debut last season, the racing version has proved unbeatable, whatever the type of route or terrain. And we must underline that the 15 cars built so far have been ordered by several racing stables in Europe and elsewhere, to compete in domestic and international rallies. And now, thanks to this technological and competitive superiority, the new Grande Punto Abarth S2000 is ready to compete in these two championships with the same determination and assertiveness.

And finally, as well as a successful car and an outstanding team of drivers, the new Abarth & C. company can also boast a staff with a great deal of experience in motorsports: a total of 113 experts, 26 in the engineering field, 43 on the manufacturing side and 9 dedicated to racing.

Related:
Hotten Up the Hatches: Fiat's Abarth-tuned Punto on the Way [internal]

Just as Bertone and company said it would a few weeks back, the Italian design and tech house is bringing a roadster concept to the Geneva show in a padded lunchbox. The two seater is one of a few prototypes created around Fiat's Punto Grande platform reportedly planned to debut at the design-heavy Geneva forum. This coupelike mini sportster has a retractable hard top and is powered by Fiat's 1.4-liter 16-valve FIRE engine (built by robots) producing 100 hp. – Mike Spinelli

Bertone Is Still Kickin'; Meet Their Latest Fiat Concept For Geneva [Winding Road]

Related:
Bertone Concept Coming to Geneva [internal]

Quick history: Before Fiat bought Abarth in 1971 as an in-house tuning shop, the motorsports firm that bore the name of Viennese car tweaker Karl "Carlo" Abarth, began transforming modest Fiat 600s into racing legends as far back as the 1950s. Now, as we gleaned from Fiat Group's product plan leaked late last year, the company's planning to revive its Abarth tuners, starting with the Grande Punto and extending to the new 500 subcompact. Now, AutoExpress reports the Abarth Punto will be a full-on hot hatch, inspired by the company's rally program, with a twin-turbo mill producing around 200 hp. Expect a Geneva debut. – Mike Spinelli

Punto Abarth warming up [AutoExpress]

Related:
Fiat Group's Product Plan Leaked: New Alfa Romeo Models, Abarth's Return [internal]

Fiat's apparently working up a hotter version of its Giugiaro-designed Punto. According to Carscoop, this slick-black hatchback is a prototype of the 2007 Grande Punto, sporting Fiat's spanky new 1.4 turbo four, a corporate powerplant of the Fiat Group that'll find its way into the Alfa Romeo 147. No word on performance specs yet, but we'd imagine driving dynamics in the range of "perky," though if rumors pan out, this little Fiat may just have quite a lot of "pep." – Mike Spinelli

Scooped: Fiat Grande Punto 1.4 Turbo 120 Hp & 150 Hp [Carscoop]

Related:
Spy Photos: Fiat Punto Sedan [internal]

There's no doubt Fiat's prospects were strengthened by the arrival of its new, prettied-up Punto subcompact. Less than a year after after the suffering Italians' launch of the Giugiaro-designed Punto and Grande Punto, the automaker's profit jumped 56% between the first and second quarters of 2006, mainly owing to the hatch's sales success and tidy margins. Now, the company's preparing a sedan version of its base Punto. A Punto with a trunk? Sure, Europe's not ready for that kind of craziness, but a small, three-box model could give the company a boost in growing auto markets from Brazil to India to Camden, New Jersey (yeah, you're right, Camden's not quite ready) that aren't turned off by non-hatchbacks. A Fiat that makes money? What's the world coming to?

SPY PHOTOS: Fiat Punto Sedan [World Car Fans]

Related:
Fiat Unveils Punto Grande Compact, Hopes for a Win [internal]

First, Fiat Group's fortunes were turned around by the liquidity brought by GM's $1.5 billion contract buyout. Now it's hoping for a big seller to pull the Fiat brand back from the brink. The Giugiaro-designed Punto Grande, which will go on sale in Italy this fall and in the UK early in 2006, is a "supermini," a jumbo-shrimp grade incongruity that's practically unknown in the US market — but could be a serious value player for Europeans who are both cost- and style-conscious. In fact it's a larger version of the Punto II mini, from which it gets its first name. But if it's a relative by birth, it gets its looks from the other side of the family.

Compared to lesser Puntos, the Grande is far more attractively uo-to-date, considering designers appear to have cribbed much-needed frontal attitude from Fiat Group's Pininfarina-deigned Maserati. Still, mini is the name of the game, especially under the hood, with gas-powered 1.2- and 1.4-liter engines churning 65hp and 77hp, respectively. A rumored sporting version, with a 1.6-liter, 180hp engine, while tempting, is just a rumor. Two diesel engines, a 1.3-liter Multijet for economy (90bhp) and a 1.9-liter version getting a more substantial 130bhp, plus six-speed gearbox.

Related:
Regards from Fiat: GM's $2 Billion Diesel; Jalopnik Reviews: 2005 Maserati Quattroporte, Part 1; Fiat May Roll Out New, Nostalgic Cinquecento [internal]