Two factory-backed Fiat Abarth 695 Assetto Corse racecars will take on Mount Panorama at next year’s Bathurst 12-Hour.
Aimed at showcasing the brand’s Italian heritage and Abarth’s racing pedigree, the Fiat Abarth 695 Assetto Corses will be finished in a specially designed Fiat Abarth Motorsport livery that will be unveiled before Christmas.
Making Abarth competition history, the two 151kW/300Nm turbocharged 1.4-litre four-cylinder racers will compete at Bathurst in Category F. At this stage they are the only cars comprising the category’s entry list.
Normally raced in a one-make series in Europe, the Fiat Abarth 500 Essesse-based Assetto Corse cars feature roll cages, tuned engines, six-speed sequential gearboxes, race suspension, adjustable race brakes and 17-inch OZ racing wheels.
Professional Australian drivers Luke Youlden and Paul Stokell will steer the 940kg Italian twins, joined by four local motoring journalists.
The 2014 Bathurst 12-Hour endurance race will take place at the iconic Mount Panorama circuit from February 7-9, with cars from the likes of Mercedes-Benz, Ferrari, Porsche and Lamborghini and others to battle it out.
Respected the world over as one of the greatest circuits on the globe, the 6.2km-long piece of undulating New South Wales black top was recently announced as a new addition for the latest iteration of the Gran Turimso gaming franchise, GT6.
