News briefs
Alpina’s GT3 plans plus news of a racing 500 Abarth
Alpina is to return to racing for the first time in 20 years with a 530bhp, 534lb ft version of its B6S. It plans to enter the car in the FIA GT3 European Championship where it will go head-to-head with the likes of Aston. The return to racing will also coincide with the launch of a new £10million engineering centre that will allow Alpina to bring its products to market more quickly.
FIAT chose this year’s Mille Miglia (May 15-17) to announce the 500 Abarth Asseto Corse, a racing version of the 500 Abarth that debuts next year. It features the same 1.4-litre turbo engine, but develops 197bhp instead of 133bhp.
Featuring carbon door panels, it’s also 180kg lighter than the 1110kg road car and will only be available in grey with red stripes. Just 49 examples will be built for a one-make championship that starts in Italy next year and could come to the UK in 2010.
