Abarth’s Evo-lution of the species makes its Goodwood debut
His fingers out-stretched to indicate five seconds, the frown grows as he scans the front of the car.
He folds in his thumb – four seconds – as his expression softens a little, the intense scowl dissipating into a look of mild concern.
Taking a step back and tilting his head to one side, he’s clearly re-appraising his opinion. His brow unfurrows, the creases slowly dispersing like waves on the shoreline. Three seconds.
With two fingers extended sideways, he glances down the side of the car. His eyes widen, and ridges appear in his forehead as a look of appreciation washes over him.
One second. As he looks through the windscreen we briefly catch each other’s eyes. Is that a smile I see appearing at the corners of his mouth?
There’s no time to find out as, with his fingers clenched into a fist to mark the beginning of my slot, I dump the clutch and leave him standing on the start line, pondering the brief emotional journey he’s just completed.
Four pages of Goodwood Moving Motor Show briefing notes
It’s a journey familiar to many who’ve followed the impending arrival of the new Abarth Punto Evo.
It starts with disbelief at the hands of the first official photos released in February ahead of the car’s unveiling at the Geneva Motor Show. As the car reveals some of its more subtle details – the red and yellow stitching on the leather instrument cowl, the ‘Scorpion’ alloy wheels, the LED rear lights – the concern fades a little. But it’s still there – even when those in the know relay their assertion that “it looks so much better in the flesh.”
They’re right.
Five minutes ago, I was enjoying a coffee on the Abarth stand within the Moving Motor Show pavilion. I’d read the four pages of Goodwood-supplied rules and regulations, and was studying the Campovolo Grey Punto Evo parked centre stage.
In the metal, it looks sharper, fresher. It seems larger, too, perhaps a function of the now body-coloured wheel arch extensions and side skirts. The wheels are every bit as appealing as they look in the photos.
Straw bales funnel your attention up Goodwood hill
While it may have taken some of us five months to grow accustomed to the Evo’s looks, it bodes well that an orange-suited marshal managed it in just five seconds.
As he disappears in the rear-view mirror, I concentrate on the view ahead. Until today, it’s a view enjoyed only by the few – straw bales funnel your attention up the hill as Goodwood House appears on your left, before the stone wall focuses your mind and tests the Evo’s Brembos as you turn in to the right-hander and blast your way up the last section of the hillclimb.
Our route turns off to the left close to where the Festival of Speed’s finish line would normally be, and we follow a narrow tree- and marshal-lined road that takes us to the rear of Goodwood race course. Here, there’s a brief spell on public roads before returning to the private lanes of the estate.
We’ve bunched a little by now, but I’m keeping a respectful distance from the Citroen in front. The Audi R8 behind me, however, looks somewhat less patient. With a mix of cars that ranges from small hybrid-engined hatchbacks to 600 bhp snorting saloons, a few hold-ups were inevitable.
Abarth Punto Evo returning to the Moving Motor Show pavilion
Still, it gives me a chance to re-discover a feature of the new Evo that I’d forgotten about. While waiting patiently in a queue, I select neutral and step off the clutch. Silence fills the cabin as the engine stops, and a flash of nervousness sweeps across my chaperone’s face. Embarrassing thoughts of bringing the show to a stand-still with a broken-down Abarth blocking the test route are thankfully quickly replaced with the realisation that Start&Stop is now standard.
Casting an eye around the interior reveals more that’s new – the ‘technical’ fabric used in the centre sections of the part-leather seats, the Jaeger instruments, and the conveniently located USB slot. There are less convincing changes in almost equal measure, though – the loss of the leather dashboard, replaced by a new ‘asfalto’ finish, and the shiny black plastic of the stereo surround, for instance.
The latter may only feature in the minds of Abarth Grande Punto owners who’ll be quick to make a direct comparison. But with stylistic doubts aside, it’s the drive that reveals the greatest degree of change. Crawling behind a slow-moving Citroen isn’t conducive to forming a meaningful opinion of the new MultiAir engine, although it is certainly eager. But to my mind, it’s the steering that feels most improved over its predecessor, with better judged assistance at all speeds, and with a much improved transition away from the straight-ahead.
After three miles and a little less than 10 minutes, we pick our way through the crowd and park up next to the Abarth stand.
Glancing at the queue of eager test pilots, I wonder how long each will need to complete their own Evo journey.
1 Comment
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by DARKSIDE_TK @ABARTH. DARKSIDE_TK @ABARTH said: RT @abarthisti: Read about our experience of the new #Abarth Punto Evo at the Goodwood Moving Motor Show: http://bit.ly/aUM1t1 [...]