Cookie Consent by Free Privacy Policy website The new Abarth 595 range makes its debut at the Targa Florio 2018
october 11, 2018 - Abarth

The new Abarth 595 range makes its debut at the Targa Florio 2018


The Classic re-enactment of the legendary "Targa Florio", held for the 102nd time, has just ended, with sponsorship from the #abarth brand and the debut of the new #abarth #595 range.

Thrilling test drives on the roads of Sicily and display in Palermo of the new range of the iconic #abarth #595, which evolves in both aspects of its dual personality – performance and style.

The new #595 Competizione and #595 Pista are fitted as standard with a new version of the legendary Record Monza exhaust, which gives the engine a new, even more exciting sound, underlining its "performance" flair.

The #595 Turismo has an exclusive new "Asfalto Grey" colour, leather seats as standard and the Urban pack to embody the lifestyle aspect of the brand.

Available in hatchback or convertible version, the new range comprises five trims: #595, #595 Pista, #595 Turismo, #595 Competizione and 695 Rivale, with a variety of power ratings from 145 to 180 HP.

The "Targa Florio Classica", the regularity rally for historic cars, involved three splendid cars from the FCA Heritage collection: #abarth 2400 coupé (1964), Fiat 500 (1974) upgraded with the new “Abarth Classiche #595 Conversion Kit” and Autobianchi A112 #abarth 58 HP (1974).

Competition is a fundamental feature of the history and present of the #abarth brand, which has a long and proud tradition in #racing and rallying, where the most innovative technologies are perfected ready for transfer to the Scorpion brand's on-road cars.

This year's Classic re-enactment of the legendary "Targa Florio", the oldest motorsports race in the world, now on its 102nd edition and sponsored by #abarth, has just come to an end. To celebrate the special sporting bond with #targaflorio is firmly rooted in history, #abarth introduced the new #abarth #595 rangewith a preview for the fans of the "Cursa".

In addition to taking part in the prestigious #event with three vintage models picked from the FCA Heritage collection, #abarth organised an exciting test drive experience at the wheel of the new #595 range on the roads of the oldest race in the world and the new #595 range was showcased for the first time in the heart of Palermo.

The brand's icon has evolved in line with both aspects of its dual personality, performance and style, the ingredients on which every #abarth, of past and present, is based, and which transform the ordinary into the extraordinary.

"Karl #abarth was closely associated with the #targaflorio, starting right after the War," explains Luca Napolitano, Head of EMEA Fiat and #abarth brand. "Sicily's winding roads seem to be tailor-made for showing off his #racing cars' qualities. So the Scorpion and the Targa share a close bond, and a history of #racing successes and memorable anecdotes. After all, anyone admiring these historic cars that won #abarth its status as a #racing legend will easily appreciate how, over the years, the tough testing ground of #racing has shaped the priceless heritage of style and performance that has given us the cars of today. Our participation at the 2018 edition is a tribute to the 110th anniversary of our Founder's birth, as well as the ideal opportunity for the debut of the new #abarth #595 range, underlining the link to our history and #racing which is part of our brand's values."

The New #abarth #595 Range – Performance and Style

"The #abarth #595, the evolution of the iconic model of the brand, generated a lot of buzz after its launch a few weeks ago", continued Luca Napolitano. "Through carefully calculated technical changes, meticulous attention to detail and the choice of fine materials, it strongly expresses the two sides of the brand's personality, performance and style, perfectly represented by the two iconic Competizione and Turismo versions: for clients, two ways of entering and experiencing the #abarth world.”

At the centre of the new #595 range are the Competizione and Turismo versions, which express Abarth's two personalities. The #595 Competizione is more "radical" and is designed for those with a passion for performance and uncompromising sportiness, while the #595 Turismo is based on the values of style and comfort typical of Italian GT cars, with impeccably styled details, leather interior and Urban Pack.

On the new #595 Competizione, the main innovation is the new Record Monza exhaust, fitted as standardand complete with an active valve controlled by the Sport button. Pressing the Sport button opens the exhaust valve and the engine rumble becomes deeper and bolder. The driver can choose a gentleman driver engine sound or a tougher, sportier – and more traditionally #abarth – roar. A new "Adrenalina Green" livery has been designed for the #595 Competizione, combined with a black roof and underlining its strong links to the #racing world.

Abarth #595 Turismo is intended for those who consider comfort essential even in a high-performance car. In its interior, the meticulously finished #abarth leather upholstery is a perfect match for the Turismo's elegant style. All enhanced by the new Urban pack, which comprises parking sensors, rain sensor and dusk sensor: equipment intended to make everyday driving easier and less stressful. The Turismo is also available in a new, elegant, exclusive matte “Asfalto Grey” colour.

The range continues with the #abarth entry-level #595. With a power rating of 145 HP, the car offers all the standard equipment needed to ensure the driving pleasure typical of the creations of the brand with the scorpion badge, including flat-bottom steering wheel with central crosshairs insert and the "Sport" button which, in this case, modifies the maximum torque output and the power steering and accelerator settings.

The line-up is completed by the two special series, the #595 Pista and 695 Rivale. The former is oriented entirely towards performance, reflected by the inclusion in its equipment of 7" #abarth Telemetry, allowing constant monitoring of performance, of the new Record Monza exhaust and Koni FSD (Frequency Selective Damping) rear suspensions, which ensure even better road holding, handling and stability, in total safety. The second special series, on the other hand, springs from Abarth's partnership with Riva, the iconic world-famous Italian yacht builder; it is the most sophisticated #abarth creation ever and the perfect blend of elegance and performance.

Hatchback or convertible, the new #595 range features five versions (595, #595 Pista, #595 Turismo, #595 Competizione and 695 Rivale) with power levels from 145 to 180 HP, all Euro 6D-TEMP compliant, to satisfy all customer needs.

Follow the link for the complete press folder of the new #abarth #595 range.

From rally or circuit #racing to the roads of everyday driving with the Scorpion brand

"Competition is a fundamental feature of the history and present of the #abarth brand, which has a long, glorious and proud tradition in #racing and rallying," explains Luca Napolitano. It is in the #racing world that the brand first tested and perfected its technological innovations, ready for transfer to its on-road cars, to offer unbeatable performance, safety and reliability. It is a prerogative very few auto makers can claim."

The #racing tradition and its successes are rooted in history, reflected by the many class wins achieved in the #targaflorio, especially with the agile #abarth 1000 SP sports cars, ideally suited to the Madonìe roads, which enabled many gentlemen drivers to achieve very impressive standings even in the overall competition. The victories of the #abarth 124 Rally models in the last Seventies editions were also memorable. Since the #targaflorio was transformed from a speed race to a rally in 1978, #abarth has recorded several overall victories: two with the #abarth 131 Rally, in 1979 with Adartico Vudafieri and in 1980 with Mario Pasetti, and two in 2003 and 2004 with the Fiat Punto Super 1600, driven in both cases by Paolo Andreucci, who also won in 2006 in the #abarth Grande Punto S2000. The same model was first to pass the finish line in 2009 with Luca Rossetti at the wheel. Last but not least, in the two latest editions of the #targaflorio all the thrills of the past have been brought back to life by the #racing comeback of the #abarth 124 rally, created to turn in spectacular performances in this speciality.

"Today the #abarth 124 rally is proving the car to beat in the R-GT category, having already won the FIA World Championship in the R-GT category with one race to spare with French pair Raphael Astier and Frédéric Vauclaire, and monopolizing the top 5 places in the class's rankings," Luca Napolitano concluded. "So far this season, it has clocked up about 40 category wins in the 12 national and international championships where it is competing. And this same winning model is offered to the general public in the on-road version: the #abarth 124 GT. This is an adrenaline-charged special series based on the #abarth 124 which combines two personalities: coupé style and the guts, dynamism and joy of driving that only a genuine rear-wheel drive roadster can provide. So we decided to make a dream come true for fans attending the #targaflorio 2018, who were able to admire and test drive it, savouring its scorching acceleration and immense road-holding on even the twistiest roads: a real connoisseur's car."

Last but not least, we must also remember that #abarth is also a star of circuit #racing with the #abarth 695 Assetto Corse Evoluzione and #abarth 500 Assetto Corse cars competing this year in the tenth edition of the #abarth Selenia Trophy, and the Italian and German F4 championships, in which it equips the Formula 4 #racing cars with the high-performance 180HP #abarth 1.4 litre engine.

At the #targaflorio, three historic #abarth cars from the FCA Heritage collection

FCA Heritage, the Group department dedicated to safeguarding and promoting the historic legacy of the FCA Italian brands, selected three fine #abarth cars from its collection to compete in the "Targa Florio Classica", the regularity rally for historic cars: the #abarth 2400 coupé (1964), the Autobianchi A112 #abarth 58 HP (1974), and the Fiat 500 (1974) upgraded with the new “Abarth Classiche #595 Conversion Kit”. They each represent one of the three great "categories" of the brand's output of road cars: the 2400 with Allemano bodywork is a splendid example of Abarth's ability as an independent constructor of high-end GT cars, while the feisty A112 recalls Abarth's entry into the Fiat #racing Department, after its 1971 acquisition. Last but not least, the quick, agile Fiat 500, upgraded with the new #595 transformation kit produced by FCA Heritage, pays homage to the glorious years when #abarth created its famous tuned-up versions of small-displacement Fiat cars. What’s more, to celebrate the 110th anniversary of the birth of Karl #abarth (Vienna, 15 November 1908 – 23 October 1979), the Sicilian #event was honoured by the presence of two figures of symbolic importance for the brand, namely Anneliese #abarth, who took part in the starting parade in the 2400 Coupé once owned by her husband, and Eris Tondelli, historic #abarth #racing and test driver, who worked on the development of the #595 cars in the Sixties.