Alfa Romeo 4C returns as Abarth 1000 SP
Abarth Classiche confirms limited production of carbon-tubbed retro roadster
Abarth Classiche may not be as well-known as some classic operations from Italian manufacturers, but it’s actually been up and running for a few years now, exhibiting classic Scorpion-badged cars and authenticating those of owners. Now under the auspices of FCA Heritage, Abarth Classiche has taken on some additional responsibility - it’s going to build a new car.
Well, almost new. See this Abarth 1000 SP shares its vital bits with the old Alfa 4C Spider, including the 240hp four-cylinder engine and carbon tub. The all-round MacPherson struts, too, hopefully tuned with a little more finesse than the sometimes wayward Alfa. Abarth has quoted a dry weight of 1,074kg for the 1000 SP, and a top speed of 155mph.
But underpinnings seem a secondary concern for the new Abarth, celebrating as it does the design of the original 1966 1000 SP. This has been in the works for a while, actually, with Abarth and Alfa first agreeing in 2009 that the former should offer a broader range of products. A reimagination of the 1000 SP was mooted though never made it any further, with the 4C instead getting the green light as the featherweight, mid-engined sports car with the iconic Italian badge.
Only now, years after the 4C launched, is the 1000 SP homage finally being made. File it under the ‘make it while we still can’ category. Though the Alfa roots are clear enough to see, it’s not like the two are going to be mistaken for one another any time soon. Abarth points to the new car’s ‘sinuous’ body, with ‘bold curvaceous mudguards that reinforce the visual impact of the wheels’ as well as the ‘perfect harmony between back headlights and exhausts’ and the ‘minimalist scheme’ of those lights front and rear.
Looks rather neat, doesn't it? Apparently, red will be the only available colour and, interestingly, Abarth describes the 1000 SP as a ‘one-hundred per cent spider’, pointing to the exposed roll bar and suggesting there will be no roof of any kind, which always marks a special edition as courageously special. The new styling is the work of Roberto Giolito and Ruben Wainberg of Centro Stile Fiat and Abarth.
Clearly, the missing roof somewhat limits the SP's appeal as an everyday sports car, but that’s very much not the point of the new Abarth. It’s thought that just five are going to be made (though there's no confirmation on that figure) and interested parties are invited to email Abarth Classiche to be in with a chance of getting hold of one. So you can bet it's going to cost a fair bit more than a 4C Spider. But the chances of you ever seeing another just like it are appealingly remote.
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