The Scorpion Returns To Racing With Grande Punto Abarth S2000

Earlier this morning, we showed you Fiat’s Grande Punto Abarth, the first production model to carry the fabled scorpion of motorsports legend Carlo Abarth for some time.

But now, the Italian automaker appears poised to return the Abarth name to the world of racing with the Grande Punto Abarth S2000. An all-wheel drive special, it will compete in the 2007 Italian Rally Championship producing 270 horsepower from its 2.0-liter engine. The car will be fielded by Giandomenico Basso and navigator Mitia Dotta. Internationally, the Grande Punto Abarth S2000 will also make the rounds in the Intercontinental Rally Challenge with Andrea Navarra and his navigator Guido D’Amore, as well as the team of Umberto Scandola and Anton Alen.

We can’t wait to see this one up close in Geneva next month.

(Click through to the jump for more images, press release, and specs)

The Grande Punto Abarth S2000

The public in Geneva will also be able to admire the extraordinary Grande Punto Abarth S2000. This is a racing car designed for racing stables, which the Fiat Racing Department will be entering in the 2007 Italian Rally Championship with Giandomenico Basso and his navigator Mitia Dotta. Davide Gatti, winner of the 2006 Fiat Abarth International Trophy, will compete at the wheel of an official Fiat Grande Punto R3D with a diesel engine. On the international scene, the Grande Punto Abarth S2000 will compete in the IRC (Intercontinental Rally Challenge) with drivers Andrea Navarra, his navigator Guido D’Amore, and young Umberto Scandola and Anton Alen.

The Abarth & C. Spa racing team will be managed by Claudio Berro.

Powered by a 2000 cc aspirated engine that delivers 270 bhp, with 4-wheel drive, the new Grande Punto Abarth S2000 is heir to the version that took the 2006 Italian Rally Championship title with Paolo Andreucci and Anna Andreussi, winning 7 of the 11 races on the programme. Nor must we forget the excellent season of their team-mates Andrea Navarra and Guido D’Amore who took third place. Giandomenico Basso and Mitia Dotta won the European title and the International Rally Challenge.

Since its debut last season, the racing version has proved unbeatable, whatever the type of route or terrain. And we must underline that the 15 cars built so far have been ordered by several racing stables in Europe and elsewhere, to compete in domestic and international rallies. And now, thanks to this technological and competitive superiority, the new Grande Punto Abarth S2000 is ready to compete in these two championships with the same determination and assertiveness.

And finally, as well as a successful car and an outstanding team of drivers, the new Abarth & C. company can also boast a staff with a great deal of experience in motorsports: a total of 113 experts, 26 in the engineering field, 43 on the manufacturing side and 9 dedicated to racing.

Spec sheet of the Grande Punto S2000 Abarth
Engine
• 4 cylinders in line, 1.997 cc, mounted transversely, developed by FPT racing;
• Power output: 270 bhp at 8250 rpm approx. with flange φ 64 (as per regulations);
• Peak torque: 22.5 kgm at 6500 rpm.
Transmission
• 6-speed gearbox with sequential control, frontal engagement and cut-off during changes, unique housing and interior for single supply, as per technical regulations;
• Mechanical front, central and rear differentials with ramps and clutches to modify the locking percentages;
• Single-supply rear differential with multi-plate clutch to limit torque
• Specific drive shafts, car-side tripod joints and wheel-side constant velocity joints;
• Specific steel propeller shaft with two branches and intermediate chassis support.
Suspension
• MacPherson layout at front;
• MacPherson layout at rear;
• Specific front cross member;
• Specific rear cross member;
• Adjustable dampers.
Brakes
• Monolithic front calliper with 4 pistons;
• Front brake disc φ 355 mm for asphalt, φ 300 mm for dirt roads;
• Rear calliper with 4 pistons;
• Rear brake disc φ 300 mm.
Bodywork
• Wider front and rear wings up to a maximum width of 1800 mm;
• Rear spoiler, of a size established by technical regulations, to increase the stability of the car by boosting the aerodynamic load.
Wheels
• asphalt rims: 8’’ x 18’’;
• dirt rims: 6.5” x 15 “;
• GOODRICH asphalt tyres: 20/65-18;
• GOODRICH dirt tyres: 19/65-15;
• GOODRICH snow tyres: 10/65-16.