It’s been 70 years since Carlo Abarth founded Abarth & C., following the collapse of Cisitalia where he worked as a sporting director of the factory racing team. From acquiring the assets of Cisitalia, he was able to build some racing cars and then began the business of producing and selling accessories and performance parts for Fiats, Lancias and other Italian cars. In 1951, his company allied itself with Fiat and Abarth cars began to have a presence on racing tracks.
Abarth & C. was sold to Fiat in 1971 and eventually came to be the Fiat Group’s racing department. It prepared well known rallycars like the Fiat 124 Abarth Rally and 131 Abarth, and was also involved in the development of the Lancia Beta Montecarlo Turbo Group 5 racing car which won the 1980 World Championship for Makes and the 1981 World Endurance Championship of Makes.
This month, Abarth (now an independent unit in the Fiat Group) celebrates the 70th anniversary of the original company’s founding with the new Abarth 695 70th Anniversario special edition. Only 1,949 units will be produced, priced at £29,695 (about RM153,300) in the UK.
Manually adjustable rear spoiler
The 70th Anniversario edition is equipped with the new ‘Spoiler ad Assetto Variabile’ for improved grip and stability at high speeds and increases overall performance. The spoiler is manually adjustable, just like in races of old where it was not uncommon to see the pit mechanics make adjustments to allow the driver to change the set-up of the car according to the track. It can be adjusted in 12 different positions between zero and 60 degrees. In the maximum setting, the spoiler increases the aerodynamic load by up to 42 kgs at a speed of 200 km/h, greatly improving vehicle dynamics and stability.
The new ‘Spoiler ad Assetto Variabile’ is a tribute to the founder’s performance focus, which went beyond the quest for pure power, top speed and acceleration, focusing on the search and development of innovative technical solutions. It is precisely this continuous research that made him one of the pioneers and visionaries in the field of tuning.
The new Abarth 695 70th Anniversario was tested in the full-scale wind tunnel located in Orbassano, south of Turin, where Abarth tests all its vehicles. The facility was built in the 1970s and has been continually updated to implement the latest technologies. This is the only wind tunnel in Italy, capable of allowing full-scale testing and high air speeds of up to 210 km/h.
Exclusive features on bodywork
On its bodywork,, the Abarth 695 70th Anniversario features some iconic style cues from the past and present such as the Monza 1958 green livery, a tribute to the colour of the first 500 Abarth that set 6 international records at Monza. Campovolo grey details, an exclusive body kit, mirror caps, scorpion decals on the bonnet and the chequered sticker on the roof complete the look.
The 17-inch SuperSport alloy wheels and red Brembo brake calipers are also standard. The Brembo brakes are fitted with 4-piston aluminium calipers and 305 mm discs at the front and 240 mm discs at the rear, both self-ventilated. The Record Monza exhaust, limited slip differential and Xenon headlights are also standard fitment for every car.
Inside, there are exclusive ‘Sabelt Tricolore’ seats developed specifically for this special edition. Each of the 1,949 units will have a numbered plaque, making the 695 70th Anniversario an authentic collectable.
The 1.4-litre turbocharged petrol engine delivers 180 bhp/250Nm and enables the car to reach a claimed 223 km/h top speed after accelerating from 0 to 100 km/h in 6.7 seconds.
