Grande Punto Abarth Is Right On Schedule For Its Frankfurt Unveiling
Sep 06, 2007
Fiat
Meet Fiat’s white-hot supermini! It’s the Abarth Grande Punto. The Italian firm’s tuning arm is back in business, and as our pictures show, the company’s stylish hatchback is first in line to get the full treatment.
Our spy photographers caught the newcomer testing on roads outside the firm’s Mirafiori factory in Turin. And they weren’t thrown off the scent by the half-hearted attempt to disguise its identity. Engineers had taped over the Scorpion badges, but there’s no mistaking its smart two-tone alloy wheels and racing stripes.
Fiat provided an early glimpse of the model at March’s Geneva Motor Show, where a near production-ready concept sat alongside the S2000 rally version on the Abarth stand.
Since then, the handling of the hot hatch has been fine-tuned as it’s prepared to go head-to-head with the Renaultsport Clio 197 and Vauxhall Corsa VXR. And just like its rivals, the high-performance Fiat will feature a range of aggressive styling additions to set it apart from standard models.
