Auto Blog

Fiat is in attendance this week at the famous Mille Miglia in Brescia, Italy and it brought with it a whopper of a small car to impress the crowd. On hand is the Fiat 500 Abarth Asetto Corse, a full race version of the little iconic car that sports a screaming 200-hp turbocharged 1.4L four-cylinder that also produces 220 pound-feet of torque. Power is routed through a six-speed gearbox on its way to a set of 17-inch track white ultralight racing wheels that totally look the part. Make no mistake, this is a real race car and a special one-make championship series is being planned that will put it on the most famous race tracks across Europe next year. Only 50 will be made, however, so entry is exclusive.

While we don’t know the price yet, your bag of Euros will get you a 500 that’s kitted out with an aerodynamic package that adds a front spoiler, big rear wing, fender flares at all four corners and two new hood-mounted air intakes to feed the turbo. The interior has been stripped to save weight, which now stands at just 2,050 lbs., and a racing roll bar has been installed to protect the driver who now sits closer to the center of the car to improve weight distribution and driving feel. The Asetto Corse gets big Abarth badges all around and a pastel grey with red striping livery. The one on hand at the Mille Miglia is No. 00/49 and a pre-production prototype, so there are still plenty left for those who’ve always wanted a 500 race car.

[Source: World Car Fans, Italiaspeed]

Full Specifications

Engine
4 cylinders in line, 4 valves per cylinder, 1368 cc.
Power output: 200 KW (147 KW) at 6500 rpm.
Peak torque 300 Nm at 3000 rpm.
Garrett GT 1446 fixed geometry turbocharger.
Special reinforced water and air sleeves.

Transmission
M32 6-speed gearbox

Suspension
McPherson layout at front, special racing shock absorbers,
coaxial spring with nut for adjusting height of car.

Rear
inter-connected arms, special racing shock absorbers,
springs with nut for adjusting height of car.

Steering
Electric power steering with racing tuning

Brakes
Brembo radial front calliper with four pistons M4X40.
• Perforated, self-ventilating front brake disc, ø 305 mm x 28 mm.
• Rear calliper with ø 36 mm piston.
• Rear brake disc, ø 264 mm x 11 mm.
• High-performance Racing brake pads.

Body
Rear spoiler and front bumper splitter.

Chassis
Reinforced cage structure, welded to the bodyshell.
Lightened interiors, Sabelt Racing safety setup.
Optimised driving position, shifted towards the centre of the car.

Wheels
Painted, forged aluminium wheels, 7″ x 17″.
Tyres:205/50 ZR17

Weight
930 Kg

It’s true. The production Chevy Camaro will debut at Indy, but not at the Indy 500 race in a couple of weeks. Rather, General Motors has informed various Camaro fanboy circles that production Camaros will be in attendance at the Indy ‘08, Back at the Brickyard event from September 19-21. The Back at the Brickyard is an event attended by thousands of Camaro and Firebird fans, so it’s appropriate that the production Camaro be welcomed into the world by friends. On hand will be a number of different Camaro models sporting the full engine lineup and, of course, all the different colors. Everyone thought GM would wait until the 2009 North American International Auto Show in Detroit to debut its new rear-wheel-drive coupe bearing the iconic Camaro name, but we’re hardly disappointed the car will be unveiled more than three months earlier. We may just have to make a special trip to Indianapolis for this one.

Before you plan your trip to the Brickyard, we feel compelled to note that GM has not issued a formal press release confirming all of this, so it’s possible some forum members are pulling everyone’s leg right now. Thanks for the tip, Tommy!

UPDATE: We’ve contacted GM to inquire about the validity of this story, and they tell us that the production Camaro will not debut at this event. It will actually debut BEFORE then at a place TBD. Hmmm… what event takes place before September that would be an appropriate place to debut an iconic muscle car? If you’d all like to meet us at the Coney Island restaurant on Woodward Ave. the Thursday before the Dream Cruise, we’ll buy you a coney.

[Source: LS1Tech]

Click above image for a gallery of the Novitec Fiat 500

Fiat’s retrolicious 500 is designed to transport people with panache, if not punch. Novitec’s specialty is both bringing the punchbowl to the party and then spiking it. Sure, the tuner tweaks the likes of Alfa and Ferrari, but the everyman isn’t left out either, as evidenced by the new collection of mods it’s now made available for the Fiat 500.

500 drivers can add a subtle front chin spoiler, new wheels and tires, and suspension updates to improve the car’s already appealing looks. On the performance side, Novitec has come up with an exhaust upgrade and a pair of power packages. The 1.3L Multijet turbodiesel gets bumped from the stock 70 horses to a stouter 83, and the 1.4L gasoline engine gets an even more substantial boost. In standard form, it makes 100 horsepower and 96 lb-ft of torque. With Novitec’s supercharger, it jumps to 131 horses at 5,200 rpm and 126 lb-ft of torque at 6,200 rpm.

Yes, these numbers are topped by the upcoming 500 Abarth (quite dramatically, in fact — the Abarth makes 155 lb-ft at 3,000 rpm), and the factory hot hatch probably makes more sense for new shoppers looking to combine the 500’s looks with better power the moment they drive away from the showroom. with the Novitec mods, however, early adopters who grabbed the huggable little hatchback as soon as it arrived now have some power options of their own, too.

[Source: Novitec]

Scott Dixon, racing for the Target Chip Ganassi IRL team, is your pole sitter for the upcoming Indy 500. Scott took the front spot with a 4-lap average of 226.366 MPH, about 0.5 MPH faster than last year’s pole sitter. Slotting in behind Dixon is his teammate, Dan Wheldon, just a fraction slower at 226.110 MPH.

The first 22 slots in the 32-car field have been decided. Dixon and Wheldon will be followed by Ryan Briscoe, Helio Castroneves, Danica Patrick, Tony Kanann and Marco Andretti as the top six. The final 11 slots will be decided this Saturday and Sunday. The 92nd Indy 500 takes place on Sunday, May 25.

[Source: AP]

While Electro Energy is keeping its Gainesville factory busy making the standard 18650 type rechargeable lithium ion batteries, the company has continued to forge ahead in its better-battery oriented research. To that end, they have just announced a “contract award of $750,000 sponsored by Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) to continue development of ultra-high energy density, rechargeable, lithium battery chemistry for Air Force applications.”

According to a press release, the battery being developed involves a composite cathode of metal fluoride and should be more powerful and compact yet give the packaged batteries specific energies of 400-500 Wh/kg, which is about double that of modern lithium ion polymer cells. The potential impact for hybrid and electric vehicles, as well as for military applications such as UAVs and directed energy weapons, could eventually be enormous. That would turn the 200+ mile range of a Tesla Roadster to (engaging mythical mathematical prowess powers) over 400 miles or a 120 mile Aptera into, well, 240 miles. Now if they could also somehow halve the cost, your grandchildren may one day ask you what gasoline was.

[Source: Electro Energy, h/t to Karen]

Click above for a high-res gallery of Fiat’s Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione

As the dollar weakens, European manufacturers continue to scramble for manufacturing opportunities offshore to salvage profits. Fiat is the latest to jump into the fray. Company sources are saying the Italian automaker is currently considering Mexico as a production site — with their eyes on an existing plant that could be tooled up for 150,000 cars a year. With their Alfa Romeo brand launching in the United States next year, and Fiat sales up significantly in South America, a plant in centrally-located Mexico could easily supply demand for both markets. If approved, the Mexican plant would start building Alfa Romeos and Fiats in 2011.

[Source: Automotive News, subs. req’d]

As the resident LeMons fanatic at Autoblog, it was tough to miss out on this year’s first race at the Altamont. I live less than 20 minutes away, but prior commitments took precedence, so the team and I postponed our rat-rod run until later this year. Two of my LeMons teammates and I were driving through the Nevada desert on Sunday when we received word that a fellow racer had lost his life the day before. The mood turned somber in seconds. Details were scarce, but as our trek northward unfolded, we were able to get a few more details.

Court Summerfield, a 47-year-old resident of Alameda who worked with his wife, Vickie, at Ole’s Waffle Shop, died of a heart attack while running the race. The preliminary investigation performed by the CHP confirmed that nothing was wrong with #39 Team Cant Am’s Volvo 242 Turbo and that Summerfield was unconscious when he hit the wall.

Regardless of the circumstances, it was still an emotional blow to those of us that have followed the series since its inception, but one quote from Court’s wife lifted our spirits immediately. Vickie said that, “It was really just something that he was happy doing. I’m sure the way he went, he was happy.”

Jay Lamm, the man behind the 24 Hours of LeMons, informed us yesterday that a memorial fund has been set up in Court’s honor, with all the proceeds going to his wife. You can make a donation by going to the 24 Hours of LeMons website and clicking the “Donate” button on the home page. I just donated what was left in my PayPal account after selling a few parts from my own track-day beater. It wasn’t much, but it felt apropos of everything I’d like to think Court enjoyed.