{"id":52438,"date":"2018-10-22T11:17:16","date_gmt":"2018-10-22T10:17:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.influx.co.uk\/?p=52438"},"modified":"2022-06-22T16:06:11","modified_gmt":"2022-06-22T15:06:11","slug":"abarth-targa-florio","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.adrianflux.co.uk\/influx\/culture\/abarth-targa-florio\/","title":{"rendered":"The Spirit of Abarth and the Targa Florio Live On"},"content":{"rendered":"

The\u00a0Targa Florio\u00a0endurance race once witnessed classic racing cars ripping through Sicily\u2019s meandering mountainous passes. It ran from 1906 until 1977 and has run ever since as a rally.<\/strong><\/p>\n

2018\u2019s re-enactment of the iconic Targa Florio took place recently – and being more Italian than the Leaning Tower of Pisa, Abarth was at the heart of it.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/figure>\n

While there, the Scorpion-badged automaker couldn\u2019t think of a more fitting place to launch its new 595 range. This is because its founder, Karl Abarth, who died in 1979, was closely connected with the Targa Florio. But perhaps more poignantly, the event was held in honour of what would have been his 110th birthday.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/figure>\n

Sicily’s snaking roads were almost made for displaying his racing cars’ abilities. Therefore, the \u2018Scorpion\u2019 and the Targa share a history of racing triumphs and memorable stories. Indeed, admirers of the vehicles that earnt Abarth its racing name will appreciate how the testing ground of motorsport has fashioned the heritage that has produced the Abarth models of today.<\/p>\n

Since the Targa Florio changed from a speed race to a rally, Abarth has recorded several wins: a couple with the Abarth 131 Rally in 1979 and 1980, and two in 2003 and 2004 with the Fiat Punto Super 1600. Also, the last two Targa Florio events have been given a boost by the comeback of the Abarth 124 Rally, established to deliver impressive performances in this field.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/figure>\n

This year, FCA Heritage selected a trio of Abarth cars from its collection to compete in the Targa Florio Classica. They were the Autobianchi A112 Abarth 58 HP (1974); the Fiat 500 (1974) and the Abarth 2400 Coup\u00e9 (1964). The models represented the three classes of the marque\u2019s output of cars. The 2400 is an excellent example of the brand\u2019s ability as a producer of GT cars and the plucky A112 brings to mind Abarth’s admittance into the Fiat Racing Department after its acquisition in 1971. Finally, the Fiat 500, upgraded with the 595 transformation kit manufactured by FCA Heritage, pays tribute to the glory years when Abarth built tuned-up editions of small-displacement Fiats.<\/p>\n\n\t\t