If you were excited about the 2008 Fiat 500 Abarth then wait till the end of this year to get you hands on the Grande Punto Abarth. Could 2007 be the year of the scorpion? Fiat hopes so, as the famous logo of its Abarth in-house tuning division will make a long-awaited comebackPrices for the aggressive-looking model have yet to be confirmed, but expect the Abarth version to undercut its direct rivals.
It will return on a powerful new Grande Punto, inspired by the firm's Rally Super competition car. The most muscular model in the current line-up is the 130bhp Sporting, but its 1.9-litre Multijet diesel motor will be outgunned by the hot hatch.
According to our sources, the Abarth is expected to boast more than 200bhp thanks to a twin-turbo engine. That should guarantee a 0-60mph sprint of around 7.0 seconds - enough to compete with established rivals such as the Renaultsport Clio 197. The look of the newcomer will be heavily influenced by the rally car, which won this year's European Championship.
Competition-style features include a roof-mounted air intake and a wider track for im-proved handling. Smart alloy wheels and a menacing black grille - the same as the one fitted to the 100bhp Panda - are also set to join dark-tinted projector-style headlamps. Along with a discreet rear spoiler and lower side skirts, they will set the sporty newcomer apart from the standard car.
Prices for the aggressive-looking model have yet to be confirmed, but expect the Abarth version to undercut its direct rivals - just like the rest of Fiat's supermini line-up. That should see the hot Grande Punto costing around �15,000 when it finally hits showrooms in late 2007.
A few prototypes have been caught running around parts of Italy wearing plastic wheelarch surrounds etc.
Article has been extracted from Autoexpress UK.
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