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04 Jul 2014

Abarth 695 biposto at “Le Mans Classic”: the journey of the fastest Abarth ever continues

• The Abarth two-seater star of the event dedicated to the cars connected with the legendary “Le Mans 24 Hour” • 450 historic cars divided into age groups between 1923 and 1979

Abarth 695 biposto at “Le Mans Classic”:  the journey of the fastest Abarth ever continues
  • The Abarth two-seater star of the event dedicated to the cars connected with the legendary "Le Mans 24 Hour"
  • 450 historic cars divided into age groups between 1923 and 1979
  • Laps on the track and display in a reserved area: the ideal stage for the Abarth 695 biposto

 

The seventh edition of "Le Mans Classic", running over the weekend of 4-6 July, is now underway. Created in 2002, and run every two years, this year's edition sees the participation of 450 historic cars connected with the legendary "Le Mans 24 Hour" and divided into age groups covering the period from 1923 to 1979.

 

The star of the event is the Abarth 695 biposto, which the public can admire both on display in a dedicated area and on the track for a few laps of demonstration. After its début as "official car" in the Gumball 3000 and participation at the "Goodwood Festival of Speed", the Abarth supercar takes its generous supply of adrenaline to the French event dedicated to the cars that made the history of the "Le Mans 24 Hour", with automotive duels that have become part of the collective memory of racing fans. It's the ideal stage for the "most Abarth of all Abarths": a two-seater with racing-derived components and a natural calling for the track, with performance to match.

 

The '695 biposto' inherits some components from the world of racing, such as: front intercooler, Akrapovic exhaust system, Extreme Shox adjustable shock absorbers, MXL digital data logger, Abarth Corsa by Sabelt seats with 4-point seat belts, high-performance Brembo braking system and rear titanium roll bar by Poggipolini.

 

It's the first 'street legal' car to be offered with a gearbox with dog rings, making upwards gear changes so rapid that expert drivers don't need to use the clutch. This is unique, exclusive content, created from the racing car transmission expertise of Bacci Romano, suited to expert drivers and offered as an alternative to the 5-speed manual gearbox. To ensure the unique feel of a racing car, the gearbox with dog rings is teamed with a brand-new lightened "H"-pattern control and self-locking differential.

 

Its racing impulse is completed by the front fixed windows with polycarbonate sliding panels and, together with 215/35 R18 tyres, lightened 18-inch rims by OZ. This company symbolises Italian manufacturing in the automotive world and shares with Abarth Italian taste, racing tradition and certified quality.

 

Abarth's challenge was to find the perfect balance for bringing a car that guarantees the performance and feel of the track to the road, in accordance with its regulations. The result is the Abarth 695 biposto: 190 HP 1.4 T-Jet engine (the most powerful ever installed in a road-going Abarth), weight of just 997 kg, with a weight-to-power ratio of just 5.2 kg/HP (the best in its category) and acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h in just 5.9'', record-breaking agility also thanks to the wider tracks and compact car body.

 

There is a clear racing inspiration behind some aesthetic solutions, like the bonnet with a specific two-bump design, inspired by the classic 124 Abarth, and made of aluminium, in homage to the cars of the past and as a technical solution to reduce the weight of the car. The interior too, characterised by carbon front and rear panels, flat as in race cars, plays its part in making the 695 biposto unique.

 

 The choice of high-tech materials and a racing-derived setup includes the front trim, where the mat, typical of road-going cars, makes way for an aluminium lining that associates the '695 biposto' both with race cars and the most extreme supercars. The same metal characterises the brake, clutch and accelerator pedals and the driver and passenger side footrests.

 

The 120,000 fans taking part in Le Mans Classic can admire the essence of Abarth in a single car: the "size", a quintessential Abarth characteristic, an Italian "small supercar", and "racing", passion for speed and the challenges that every day brings.

 

The '695 biposto', already an icon of the Abarth brand and all its fans, enters the pantheon of racing history, demonstrating how, from 1949 to the present day, Abarth has known how to renew itself without betraying its original spirit.

 

Living out your passion every day, making ordinary products extraordinary and making normal people feel like racing drivers every day were the ideas that underpinned every project by Carlo Abarth.

Today the 'most Abarth of all Abarths' represents the ideal fusion of road-going and race cars, the tradition of racing on a car made for everyday life. From the track to the office. And vice versa.

 

Turin, 4 July 2014

 

 

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