Fiat’s revived sporting Abarth brand races into the UK this month, but you’ll be lucky to see one.

Although bought by Fiat in 1971 they will not be available through every dealer, and what’s more the Fiat name will not be used on the car.

First to arrive is the Grande Punto Abarth and the 500 Abarth will follow very early next year, but initially there will be just 10 dealers.

Ivan Gibson head of the Abarth brand in the UK for Fiat Group Automobiles UK said this week at the press launch of the brand, “Abarth will be a standalone specialist sales and service operation and initially only 10 Fiat dealers in the whole of the UK, out of our 164 strong network, will be able to sell and service the new sports models. A further half dozen dealers will be added and up to 20 is the long-term optimum number”.

He added further service dealers might be added to their network to reduce the distance customers have to travel to have their Abarth cars serviced after purchase. Customers cannot take them into any Fiat dealership. 

The kits arrive in wooden crates,  stamped Abarth, a theme which goes back to the 50’s and 60’s when the Italian company supplied tuning and motorsports kits to customers worldwide.
Each bespoke kit is stamped with the chassis number of the Abarth car it is intended for to ensure the provenance of the vehicle.

Ivan Gibson said in the UK he expected to sell 550 to 600 Grande Punto Abarth models this year and around 800 units in a full year with 30 per cent of customers opting for the tuning kits. He added that the 500 Abarth would sell around 1,500 units in the UK next year.

Abarth was founded in 1949 by the Austrian Carlo Abarth and made its debut in the racing world with the 204 A Roadster based on the Fiat 1100 and the partnership with Fiat products was formed.

From then on and the ‘Scorpion’ legend – his birth sign was formed and Fiat eventually became outright owner of Abarth in 1971. The last Fiat Abarth model to be sold in the UK was the 2.4-litre Stilo which finished four years ago. 

The brand was re-launched by Fiat 18 months ago in Italy. Today Abarth runs Fiat’s motorsport activities, designs, develops and engineers motorsport and tuning components and assembles vehicles.

The company operates with 130 employees in brand new purpose-built premises at the Fiat Group’s Mirafiori complex in Turn.   Abarth is building 30 cars a day, five of which are for right hand drive markets. Europe has 90 Abarth dealers, nearly half of them in Italy.

The Fiat Grande Punto Abarth, or Grande Punto Abarth as Fiat want us to call it, is the first bespoke Abarth model to be available for 20 years and it is eagerly awaited by those who know or have heard about the legendary ‘Scorpion’ rally and race car models.

At  £13,500 on the road the ‘supermini’ sized three-door Grande Punto Abarth is undoubtedly now the price leader against the more expensive completion such as the RenaultSport Clio 197, Vauxhall VXR and MINI Cooper S or John Cooper Works models.

The Grande Punto in standard form is an elegant looking car so by adding the Abarth bespoke touches to it the Italians have done what they do best – added style. Compared with the standard Grande Punto, the Abarth’s track has been widened by 6mm, the ride height lowered by 10mm and the front springs are 20mm stiffer.

The Punto Abarth is equipped with 17-inch alloy wheels and the option of contrasting striping bearing the Abarth name along each side. The front bumper has been specially redesigned and houses the headlights set in a dark surround, while the larger air intakes, adapted to cater for the turbocharged engine’s cooling requirements, are enhanced with an exclusive Abarth design.

The side skirts, wheel arch rims and black plastic underbody complete the fairing on the lower section, which is profiled to boost aerodynamic performance and extends as far as the tapered rear bumper.

The Abarth badge is clearly visible, positioned in the centre of the front grille, the rear hatch, and on both flanks, at door handle height. There is no Fiat or Punto badging to be seen anywhere on the car. This is an Abarth.

Inside, the Abarth touch is equally apparent. The scorpion badge is positioned on the passenger side of the dashboard while the ‘carbon effect’ central console is decorated with a textured cube motif. The car’s instrument panel has been given a sporty new design, and the same sports finish is used for both the steering wheel and gear stick – black leather with red stitching.

A comprehensive equipment package includes a host of safety and comfort-enhancing features. Safety features include window airbags, side airbags, height adjustable driver's seat, Blue&Me hands-free communications system, fog lights, rear head restraints, ABS and ESP.

The importance of safety is also shown by the fact that an Electronic Stability Programme comes as standard and cannot be deactivated but thankfully in is not really intrusive. Other standard equipment includes a radio/MP3 player, fully adjustable steering wheel, air conditioning, dark tinted windows, electric front windows, Dualdrive electric power steering and cruise control.

The Grande Punto Abarth is fitted with a 1.4 turbo (T-Jet) four-cylinder, petrol engine, delivering 155 bhp. Combining with a 6-speed manual gearbox, the engine gives the car a top speed of 129 mph, and a 0-62 mph acceleration time of just 8.2 seconds. This excellent and responsive power plant will officially return over 40mpg in the combined cycle and restrict CO₂ emissions to just 162 g/km giving it a roads tax cost of £145. In real-life, pushed very hard with some hill climb motorsport driving at the famous Harewood Hill circuit, 22.3mpg is all my test car returned but I estimate around 30mpg is probable for day to day driving.

Abarth say through cubic capacity downsizing allied to the adoption of a small turbocharger, this responsive 155bhp, 1.4 litre T-Jet engine delivers a performance equal to or better than a conventionally aspirated 2.0 litre engine with a reduction of between 10% and 20% in fuel consumption and emissions.

Via a ‘drive-by-wire’ throttle system, the 1.4 litre T-Jet petrol engine provides excellent diesel-like low-end torque. Push the Sport Boost button located in the centre console and the engine will deliver an impressive 169 lb ft of torque at 3000 rpm, (152lb ft in normal mode). Additionally use of the Sport Boost function modifies the amount of steering effort required by the driver, so as to give a sportier feel.

For confident stopping power the car is equipped with disc brakes all round; the front brakes being ventilated and equipped with Brembo fixed four-piston callipers.

The Assettoand esseesse (SS) kits are delivered to customers packed in original wooden crates – in keeping with Abarth tradition. They can only be sold and installed by the official Abarth network and are specific to the Grande Punto Abarth 1.4 Turbo T-Jet 155bhp. This conversion must take place within one year or 12,000 miles from its first registration. Conversions are covered by a two-year Abarth warranty from the installation date.

As a first step up from the standard Grande Punto Abarth, a handling Assetto kit is offered, which includes springs that lower the ride height by 15-20mm, special front brake pads, cross-drilled front disc brakes and alloy wheels with very low profile tyres.

The full £3,500 esseesse (SS) kit comprises of engine and Assetto chassis modifications. These additionally include a Garrett GT 1446 turbocharger which increases boost pressure from 1.3 to 1.5 bar, new water and oil pipes to the turbo, new exhaust manifold, heat shield, complete injector rail, MAP sensor, boost sensor, modified catalytic converter, larger diameter exhaust, new intercooler pipe work, adapted radiator pipe, new water pump, waste gate valve, and a new engine ECU.

Fitted with the full esseesse (SS) kit, the Punto Abarth has more than twice the power of the basic Fiat Grande Punto model. With the full Abarth treatment and fitted with the 1.4-litre 16v turbo engine enhanced to 180bhp at 5,750 rpm, with maximum torque of 200lb ft (272 Nm) at 2,750 rpm, the modified ‘hot hatch’ can achieve a top speed of 133 mph, accelerating from 0-62 mph in just 7.5 seconds.

Engine/transmission: 1.4-litre T-Jet turbocharged, four-cylinder, petrol, 155bhp, 206-230Nm of torque at 3,000rpm, 6-speed manual.

Performance: 129mph, 0-62mph 8.2 seconds, 40.9mpg (22.3mpg actual including motorsport test), CO2 162g/km, VED Band D £145. 

Insurance group: 15 (standard car) 17 for SS variant.

For: Must have iconic Abarth styling, responsive engine, non-intrusive ESP, excellent grip, attractive price, niche tuning kit options.

Against: Too few UK Abarth dealers, very hard ride, non-compliant suspension for British potholed roads, tiring driving.