Abarth, the firm that...

Abarth, the firm that found fame tuning Fiats for racing, was officially relaunched last night as a car company in its own right at its spiritual home in Turin. The event saw the production edition of the brand’s first new road model in 25 years take a bow, as the wraps were pulled from the 150bhp 1.4-litre Abarth Grande Punto.

The evening event also marked the grand opening of the marque’s first official dealership. This dedicated showroom is set to be the first of 100 in Europe, and is appropriately based at the same site the firm had occupied until its closure in 1982.

The revival of Abarth is the latest chapter in parent company Fiat’s return to profitability and, according to chief executive Luca De Meo, was a project that took less than a year to complete. Despite this, clear goals for the firm have already been set. “Abarth will take Fiat racing,” said De Meo. “It will also be a standalone company that will become the Fiat Group’s fifth brand. As well as producing our own Abarth road cars, we will develop a range of performance tuning kits plus official merchandising.”

De Meo confirmed news reports on the development of a special 180hp Esseesse version of the Grande Punto, as well as two variants of the acclaimed 500 – both of which will be launched in the UK in 2008.

While plans for 2009 are less clear, the firm has not ruled out a high-performance Abarth evolution of the Bravo, which could be tied to a return to the World Rally Championship.