Abarth has already confirmed that it is working on a standalone model, but the Italian tuner squashed rumors that the car would be based on a Lotus platform. However, a new donor has reportedly been named, with Fiat’s sports car set to be sourced from an unlikely candidate in Austria.
According to Auto Express, Abarth will base its new model on the KTM X-Bow. Abarth reportedly decided to base its sports car model on the X-Bow after considering the age and relative high costs of using Lotus’ platform.
Although the X-Bow looks like a track-ready stripper, don’t expect its styling to carry over to the Abarth version. The Fiat-owned Italian tuner will give its version of the track star a full body, with a more luxurious interior to match. The X-Bow’s Abarth styling will add some weight to the car’s lithe 1,740lbs curb weight, but the car should still come with a sub-2,000 pound rating.
Abarth will swap the X-Bow’s 2.0L Audi sourced motor for Fiat’s 1.8L unit. Power will at least hit the 200 horsepower mark, but we’ve heard rumors as high as 240. Either way, expect the Abarth car to be an all-out performer.
Production is expected to be capped at 2,000 units, with the mid-engine sportster carrying a price in the $70,000-$90,000 range. That’s a big jump in price from Abarth current range of hot hatches but, given the limited production, the firm shouldn’t have a problem filling up order forms. Look for the Abarth X-Bow to launch sometime in 2013.
References
1.’Abarth X-Bow…’ view
