Wednesday, March 2, 2016

Abarth 124 Spider and 124 Rally unveiled

The hotly anticipated Abarth 124 Spider has been revealed at this week’s Geneva motor show, alongside the Abarth 124 Rally prototype.
Abarth’s take on the Fiat 124 Spider features a revised version of that car’s 1.4-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine. In the Abarth, the 1.4-litre motor generates 127kW of power and 250Nm of torque.
abarth-124-spider-rear
Drive is sent to the rear wheels via a standard limited-slip differential, and either a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic. The Abarth 124 Spider has a claimed 0-100km/h time of 6.8 seconds and a top speed of 230km/h.
In Europe the regular Fiat 124 Spider has a 1.4-litre rated at 104kW of power and 240Nm of torque, and requires 7.5 seconds for the 0-100km/h dash and has a top speed of just 215km/h.
Meanwhile, the North American Fiat 124 Spider isn’t far off the Abarth’s numbers, with 119kW and 250Nm at its beck and call.
abarth-124-spider-interior
Other changes to the Abarth 124 Spider include new 17-inch alloy wheels, a blacked bonnet and boot lid, more aggressive front and rear bumpers, four exhaust tips, and a Record Monza exhaust system tuned for a “beautiful growling sound”.
The interior has been decked out faux suede highlights, aluminium pedals, and comes with red and black leather seats.
Sales of the Abarth 124 Spider are slated to begin in September across Europe. We’re waiting to hear back from Fiat Australia as to the company’s local launch plans. The regular Fiat 124 Spider is due to arrive down under in the third quarter of 2016.
abarth-124-rally-front
Also on display at the Geneva show is Abarth’s 124 Rally prototype, which in its show-going livery is a less than subtle nod to the original race car, which competed in its last official race, the Monte Carlo Rally, in 1976.
Under the bonnet, the 124 Rally dispenses with the Spider’s 1.4-litre turbo mill, favouring instead a 1.8-litre direct-injection turbo engine that cranks out 224kW (300hp) at 6500rpm.
Drive is sent to the rear wheels via self-locking differential and a six-speed sequential gearbox.
abarth-124-rally-rear
The 124 Rally has been homologated for the FIA’s R-GT category and features a safety roll cage. There’s also a composite hardtop instead of the road-going car’s manually operated soft top.
Freed from road-going concerns, the 124 Rally has had weight stripped out of it. According to Fiat, this has resulted in a slight weight bias toward the rear axle. The 124 Rally is available now for pre-booking.

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