Fiat Abarth Archives - Bartle Doo Article Archives

Fiat is doing an admirable job positioning its tiny 500—and its Abarth derivatives—as a serious competitor to BMW’s Mini. Underscoring this approach, the “Abarth Fuoriserie” program of bespoke models is placed outside of and well above of the regular lineup. There is the “New Heritage” line, which draws inspiration from sports and race cars of the past, and the “New Wave” line, designed to resemble contemporary supercars.

All Fuoriserie models are equipped with a turbocharged 1.4-liter four, enhanced to deliver a prodigious 177 horsepower. These angry midgets will be a huge surprise to a lot of bigger and more-powerful vehicles on the road, although their loud exhaust delivers unmistakable advance notice. The Fouriserie models are custom-built to the specific wishes of the customers, and it is possible to order a unique, one-of-a-kind vehicle. The program is available for the regular two-door model, or the convertible.

Representing “New Heritage,” Abarth will show the 695 Record and the 695 Scorpione; “New Wave” will be exemplified by the 695 Hype and the 695 Black Diamond. The 695 Record is painted in matte gray, with a hand-painted, checkered red-and-gray roof; the wheels are gray as well, with a red stripe. The interior is fitted with gray leather seats which feature read suede-look inserts and stitching.

The similarly themed 695 Scorpione is painted in black metallic, with matte-gray elements on the hood and roof; a striping pattern stretches from front to rear down the center of the vehicle. Inside, the Scorpione is styled similar to the Record, but the inserts are light gray instead of red.

The “New Wave” models are also full of character. The Black Diamond is finished in two tones—matte black on the lower parts of the body, matte gray above the beltline. The mirror caps are glossy, and the interior is executed in a classic, cream-colored leather.

Most unusual of the four is the 695 Hype, painted matte gray below and matte olive above the beltline. While the three other concepts feature red brake calipers, this model is fitted with yellow ones, which mirror the yellow stripe that accentuates the beltline. Inside, it features gray leather and olive suede, with yellow embroidery.

Below these ultra-posh Fuoriserie models, Fiat/Abarth is showing the 695 Turismo and Competizione, powered by a 158-horsepower 1.4-liter four. And there are a number of performance enhancements now available for the entry-level Abarth 500 Custom. There is no word yet on a U.S.-market launch of these tempting performance goodies. But knowing that custom-personalized cars are a European specialty, we doubt they will be offered over here.

By Darryl

Mopar, known as Chrysler’s parts and accessories division, has been in the good business of providing a wide array of products for Chrysler vehicles including Dodge and Jeep. Recently Mopar has stepped up to the plate to work closely with Chrysler engineers to put the enthusiastic consumer literally in the driver’s seat for a complete ‘performance’ package on new vehicles. The latest vehicle to receive such treatment is the limited edition Mopar ’13 Dart.

The Mopar ’13 is not your ordinary Dodge Dart with some visual appeal; it is much more with extra horsepower to boot. The upcoming Chicago Auto Show will host the Debut of the Mopar ’13 Dart featuring many upgrades.

The Mopar ’13 Dart, limited to 500 units, features on the outside a gloss black finish, Mopar blue stripes, Mopar ground effects and 18-inch gloss black wheels shod in 225/40R18 performance tires. On the inside, the Mopar ’13 Dart gets leather seats – a blue one for the driver and black for passengers, blue accent stitching, sport pedals, black/black chrome trim and other Mopar accessories. In the performance department, the Mopar ’13 Dart receives the same MultiAir 1.4-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder engine found in the Fiat Abarth 500 mated to a manual transmission.

With only 500 units made available, the Mopar ’13 Dart one basically be one of a kind. Chrysler is even throwing in a wireless smartphone charging base and personalized owner kit including a personalized plat with vehicle specs and unique ID number for the limited edition build.

After its debut at the Chicago Auto Show next week, expect the Mopar ’13 Dart to start production this spring at the Belvidere, IL plant. If this is any indication as to what we may see in a Dodge Dart SRT, we say bring it on! – Maybe throw in a bigger turbocharged engine and we have a deal, don’t you think?

Press Release

Chrysler Group LLC Introduces New Mopar ’13 Dodge Dart

– Select Mopar parts and accessories outfit new Mopar ’13 Dart
– Performance upgrades include lowered sport suspension, revised steering calibration, sport-
tuned exhaust, ground-effects kit, and premium brake kit with slotted rotors
– Custom leather Mopar driver’s seat
– Industry-first wireless charging for smartphones
– 500 numbered units to be built at company’s assembly plant in Belvidere, Ill.
– Limited-edition vehicle to be displayed at Chicago Auto Show

Auburn Hills, Mich., February 1, 2013 –Chrysler Group LLC today introduced the limited-edition Mopar ’13 Dart, marking the fourth special-edition Mopar-badged vehicle created since the company partnered with Fiat S.p.A in 2009. The car will be shown at next week’s Chicago Auto Show.

Building on the success of the Mopar ’10 Challenger, Mopar ’11 Charger and the Mopar ’12 300, the limited-edition Mopar ’13 Dart will be built and customized with Mopar performance parts and accessories. Production for a limited run of 500 units will begin this spring at the company’s assembly plant in Belvidere, Ill.

“Our new Mopar ’13 Dart will turn heads and stand out from the crowd,” said Pietro Gorlier, President and CEO of Mopar, Chrysler Group’s service, parts and customer-care brand. “For this special, limited- edition vehicle, we specifically kept the driver in mind as we added select Mopar parts and accessories.”

Inspired by the tuner scene, the Mopar ’13 Dart is designed for driving enthusiasts. Powered by a 1.4- liter MultiAir® intercooled turbo engine with a manual transmission, the Mopar ’13 sports a gloss-black finish with a pair of car-length Mopar Blue stripes, which mirror each of the three previous Mopar- themed models.

For enhanced handling, upgrades include a performance steering-gear calibration, a 7 millimeter- lowered suspension and low-profile 40 aspect performance tires (225/40R18). From the racing scene, Mopar added a premium brake kit with slotted rotors. Engine breathing is enhanced with a performance-tuned exhaust and to further optimize aerodynamics and increase downforce, the custom Dart features Mopar’s ground-effects kit, which includes a front-chin spoiler, one-piece deck-lid spoiler, as well as a unique and aggressively styled rear diffuser.

Unique exterior elements include a Mopar badge in the crosshair grille and gloss-black 18-inch wheels with a Mopar logo on the wheel center caps. The vehicle’s unique interior, featuring a serialized plate, gives the driver a custom Mopar Blue leather seat with black accents. To keep the emphasis on the driver, the driver seat is Mopar Blue while all other seats are black with blue accent stitching. The centerpiece of the interior is a floating island bezel that is accented with Mopar Blue paint and lighting. The interior is further enhanced with rich details, including Mopar Blue accent thread, as well as light- black chrome and gloss-black elements.

Along with a Mopar serialized badge on the dash, the special-edition Mopar ’13 includes industry-first wireless charging for smartphones, a blue-stitched leather-wrapped steering wheel with an identically garnished shifter knob, a bright sport-pedal kit, premium Mopar carpet floor mats, door-sill guards and an 8.4-inch navigation screen.

The limited-edition Mopar ’13 Dart will be delivered to each customer with a personalized owner kit. Assembled in a custom-made black case, contents include a personalized plate with vehicle specifications, the date of manufacture and the unique identification number (of 500) of the vehicle. Along with a Mopar ’13 brochure and other memorabilia, the kit will include a limited-edition sketch of the vehicle signed by Mark Trostle, Chrysler Group Chief Designer for the Mopar Brand.

Mopar-first Features

Mopar has introduced numerous industry-first features including:
• Vehicle-information apps: first to introduce smartphone vehicle-information applications, a new channel of communication with consumers
• Electronic owner manuals: first to introduce traditional owner manuals in a DVD and brief user- guide format and first to offer complete vehicle-information kits in Spanish
• Wi-Fi: first to offer customers the ability to make their vehicle a wireless hot spot
• Wireless charging: first to introduce in-vehicle wireless charging for portable devices
• Electronic Vehicle Tracking System (EVTS): first to market with a new interactive vehicle tracking
device that sends owner a text when vehicle is driven too fast or too far based on pre-set
parameters
• 2011 Mopar Challenger Drag Pak: first to introduce a 500-plus cubic-inch V-10 drag-race
package car
• Brand-specific customer care telephone lines: first to offer Sunday service hours for customers
• WiTECH: first to support vehicle diagnosis and software updates leveraging off-the-shelf
personal computers and a dedicated wireless tool network

About the Mopar Brand
Mopar is Chrysler Group LLC’s service, parts and customer-care brand. With the creation of the Chrysler Group and Fiat S.p.A partnership, Mopar is extending its global reach, integrating service, parts and customer-care operations in order to enhance dealer and customer support worldwide. Combined with Fiat S.p.A, Mopar’s global portfolio includes more than 500,000 parts and accessories that are distributed in more than 130 countries. Mopar is the source for all genuine parts and accessories for Chrysler Group and Fiat SpA brands.
Mopar parts are unique in that they are engineered with the same teams that create factory-authorized vehicle specifications for Chrysler Group and Fiat SpA vehicles – a direct connection that no other aftermarket parts company can provide. A complete list of Mopar accessories and performance parts is available at www.mopar.com.

More than 75 Years of Mopar
Mopar (a simple contraction of the words MOtor and PARts) was trademarked for antifreeze product in 1937. The Mopar brand made its mark in the 1960s – the muscle-car era. The Chrysler Corporation built race-ready Dodge and Plymouth “package cars” equipped with special high-performance parts. Mopar carried a line of “special parts” for super-stock drag racers and developed its racing parts division called Mopar Performance Parts to enhance speed and handling for both road and racing use. The brand has expanded to include technical service and customer support.

Source: FULL ARTICLE at Automotive Addicts

Bartle Doo Article Archives

Tag Archives: Fiat Abarth

Fiat’s Ultimate 500 Series: Abarth Fuoriserie [2013 Geneva Auto Show]

Limited Edition Mopar ’13 Dart To Roll Out at Chicago Auto Show

Fiat 500

Articles Archive