WELCOME TO THE ABARTH UK 2012 YEARBOOK A YEAR IN PICTURES. This special Olympic and Coronation year has been one full of challenges for all of us but, as a team, we have achieved remarkable things and we wanted to commemorate it with this 'photo journal'. It is sometimes all too easy to let each year pass us by without taking a moment to reflect and appreciate all the time, effort, planning and passion we all put into the Abarth brand. We have reached literally hundreds of thousands of people throughout the Country over the past twelve months through events, advertising, social media and PR - all this in addition to the regional and local marketing, promotions and events attended and supported by the Dealer network; to name a few The Pentillie Festival, The Royal Norfolk Show, Scottish Motor Fair and Ace Cafe. This year we have successfully introduced Abarth to new audiences through our advertising in Stuff Magazine, our support of the Mencap 'Little Noise Sessions' and attending events such as Chris Evan's CarFests and Motorcycle Live - all in addition to reaching our 'traditional' car fans. The opportunity to present the Abarth brand to new audiences is at the core of our businesses - as is the need for these new audiences to experience the product; allowing them to see, hear and drive an Abarth is so very important. We have an integrated marketing approach; blending PR, advertising with 'new media' and events to touch people's lives in a relevant and engaging way. Next year is looking equally exciting as we build on our combined achievements and endeavours and look to maximise every opportunity to keep this 'small and wicked' brand true to the spirit of Karl Abarth's vision. Thank you.
Ivan Gibson Brand Responsible Abarth UK
MAKE IT YOUR RACE 2012 If you have dreamt of being a racing driver; this is your chance! Initially a ‘reality’ TV show; MIYR was first run in the Italian market and following great success the ‘Make It Your Race’ program was then rolled out across Europe in 2012 with the UK, Germany, Italy, France and Benelux markets taking part. Using social media entrants were invited to submit their details and to go into the selection process – in the UK we generated 4600 entries. Entries were whittled down and a group from each country were taken to Italy for a final selection process where ultimately one person from each market received intense driver training and got to race an Abarth 500 Assetto Corse in a round of the Italian Abarth 500 Trofeo. The UK driver, James Brazier, did very well and was in third place until suffering an unfortunate retirement late in the race... but that’s racing as they say! A big success and a marketing program we can build on in 2013.
BROOKLANDS AUTO ITALIA A traditional fixture on the Abarth UK calendar and popular with Italian car enthusiasts from across the country the event takes place at the historic Brooklands circuit in Surrey and is the ‘season opener’. With the Abarth event rig, promo girls; our friends at Middle Barton Garage brought along a selection of classic road and race Abarths and a good number of modern day products courtesy of the Abarthisti, the Abarth collection was a real crowd pleaser.
STANFORD HALL AUTO ITALIA Another event with our friends at Auto Italia magazine and a ‘date in the diary’ for all Italian car fans, The Italian Car Day drew a fine selection of current and classic cars. The weather was against us but true to form Mark Jefferies, flying the ‘Abarth Extra’ aerobatic aircraft, performed a truly remarkable air display at ‘zero feet’ under low cloud and in a stormy sky to thrill the assembled, albeit drenched, crowd.
RACE RETRO For a brand such as Abarth we can never forget our past racing achievements and motor sport heritage so this event, attended by racing competitors and enthusiasts from across the UK and beyond, was one we knew we had to do. In the current economic times it is noticeable that the historic racing scene has ‘weathered the storm’ better than most and this audience really appreciated the selection of current and classic cars we had on display. But it wasn’t only ‘retro’ racing we were talking about; this event was part of an integrated marketing campaign to promote the ‘Make It Your Race’ initiative with exhibition panels advertising where and how to enter proving a great success.
ABARTH 695 EDIZIONE MASERATI TEES OFF The special Abarth 695 Edizione Maserati had a big act to follow after the success of the Abarth 695 Tributo Ferrari but it didn’t disappoint. Far from it... the style and panache of the Maserati brand blends beautifully with the Abarth 500 to produce a real GT flavour. In September we visited the exclusive Stoke Park Country Club to host the UK round of the Abarth European Golf Tour – over 100 people attended this invitation only event and enjoyed a fabulous days golf followed by an evening reception that celebrated the launch of the Abarth 695 Edizione Maserati in the UK.
GOODWOOD MOVING MOTOR SHOW AND FESTIVAL OF SPEED This event needs no introduction and once again proved to be the ‘flagship’ event in 2012. Huge crowds and with our allocation of ‘drives up the hill’ test drive slots oversubscribed it was an extremely busy four days. Feedback and the levels of interest proved that the Abarth brand is now very much in the minds of discerning car enthusiasts and we continue to maintain this level of awareness – with the pre-launch display of Abarth 595 Competizione and Turismo attracting huge attention. The Goodwood Aviation Show featured as part of the event and here the Abarth aerobatic aircraft was part of a static display with our friends at Pilot Magazine and was the launch of a ‘Win a Flight’ competition. The Abarth plane had been in action throughout the Goodwood media day giving flights to influential journalists from magazines such as Esquire and online communities including Pistonheads. This event repeatedly delivers the goods.
CARFEST SOUTH AND NORTH – IN AID OF CHILDREN IN NEED Chris Evans had an idea... an idea he shared on-air with the millions of listeners during his Radio 2 Breakfast Show. An idea that became CarFest; the first was in Hampshire and the second in Cheshire - and what a show it turned out to be! With a range of attractions and music from top bands including Razorlight, Texas and Paloma Faith, it had a festival feel and attracted thousands of people who, generally, weren’t ‘petrolheads’. This gave us the opportunity to reach a new audience but also made us realise there is still a long way to go before Abarth is a household name. With the Abarth 500 Assetto Corse and classic Abarth Osella race cars blasting up the hillclimbs, Mark Jefferies performing breath-taking air displays (one during a thunder storm!) and the event rig with car display there is no doubt that everyone at the events saw the Abarth brand and went home talking about our exciting brand and proudly waving an Abarth flag – over 1000 flags given away every hour! We’ll be back in 2013 and look forward to seeing you there.
ABARTH 595 COMPETIZIONE AND TURISMO + PUNTO EVO SUPERSPORT AND SCORPIONE
2012 was a big year for celebrations; apparently there was a Royal celebration and sporting event taking place which threatened to overshadow the introduction of the New Abarth 595 Competizione and Turismo plus the Abarth Punto EVO Supersport and Scorpione Limited Edition – there’s no doubt we now have a range of product to suit any customer whether new to the Abarth brand or renewing their Abarth ownership. New models, new style, new colours, new trim... exactly what we wanted to stimulate the market and have something to shout about and to support this we held a ‘Dealer Day’ at the Prodrive driving facility near Warwick – we organised a range of competitor products so dealer staff who attended could get out on track and experience not only the Abarth products but also those who attempt to compete with our own. Everyone enjoyed the day – great fun but also a reminder that Abarth have great products and a brand with special qualities and a passion that sets us apart from the competition.
ABARTH ON TRACK Try it and you’ll want one! Driving an Abarth is all about the ‘grin factor’ and in 2012 we delivered an event that proved the point. Using this event as a prototype we developed a ‘two-pronged’ campaign – we initiated a promotion with Times+ to their exclusive online subscribers and, in parallel, promoted an ‘Abarth Driving Experience’ to our ever growing social media community. The events were massively over-subscribed... proving that with this and our other campaigns we have significantly increased our fan base. Managed by our friends at The Racing School and taking place at Rockingham Speedway in the Midlands we were able to deliver a superb day of driving experiences and Abarth entertainment including ‘skid pan’, one-to-one driver coaching on the race track, fast laps in the Abarth 500 Assetto Corse and another thrilling air display by Mark Jefferies. A super event and one we intend to run again and open up to more participants.
BROOKLAND AUTUMN MOTOR SPORT DAY Back to Brooklands for an event that had a broad appeal with attractions including exhibition laps around the Mercedes World track with Abarths new and old taking part, demo runs up the infamous Brooklands Test Hill, displays of some magnificent cars and, after the fog burnt off, we were bathed in sunshine! The Abarthisti put on a good display and the Abarth display rig was there with the new range including the Abarth Punto EVO Supersport and Abarth 500 in the stunning Legends Blue that attracted a lot of attention.
TOP GEAR LIVE 2012 saw Top Gear Live return to the NEC and we were there with our range of exciting new cars – big crowds and days that were busy from start to finish provided another opportunity to get the Abarth brand in front of new eyeballs. A perfect opportunity to promote the 2013 ‘Abarth on Track’ events and, with the use of social media and iPad technology, we had one of the highest data capture events of the year.
MOTORCYCLE LIVE Who would have guessed that the first Abarth was a motorcycle! To commemorate this Attitude Customs hand-built a custom motorcycle – the ‘Scorpione’ - which we had on display alongside an Abarth 595 Competizione. We were in a prime position next to the main stage and with the ‘Abarth Racing Bug’ which is always popular at any event but on this occasion we ran in collaboration with the show organisers to offer free races so you can imagine the result – twenty-deep spectators and queues to have a go! The Motorcycle Live show at the NEC is the ‘big’ show for the motorcycling community and, with PR and social media support, the interest, curiosity and fascination in the Abarth brand history was nothing short of astonishing... we thought and believed it would attract attention but the response was way above our expectations... even before the show had opened to the public the ‘Scorpione’ attracted attention and admiring glances from VIPs and celebrities including Motorcycle Grand Prix legend Randy Mamola who stopped by the Abarth display to ask questions about the motorbike (Randy lives in Italy so knew the Abarth brand well) and the Abarth connection with two-wheels. New audiences, such as this are vital and with the motorcycle community we have a lot of common ground; most bikers also have cars and all enjoy performance so with our brand we have genuine bonds which link us – we have to build on these.
MENCAP�–�LITTLE�NOISE�SESSIONS Another�new�audience�and�an�opportunity�to�introduce�Abarth�to�people� who� share� our� zest� for� life� and� lifestyle� experiences...� Little� Noise� is� a� series� of� music� concerts� with� a� difference!� Featuring� headline� acts� including� Gary� Barlow,� Noah� and� the� Whale� and� Olly� Murs� this� event� could�have�been�made�for�Abarth;�set�in�a�fabulous�venue�in�Hackney,� London,�it�was�exclusive�but�action�packed�and�presented�with�style�by� BBC�Radio�2’s�Jo�Whiley.�As�with�all�the�events�and�activities�in�2012�we� supported� the� event� with� social� media,� interactive� promotions� and� advertising�to�maximise�the�exposure�and�brand�awareness�for�Abarth� and�for�the�Abarth�Dealer�network.�A�series�of�five�concerts�in�total�and� spread�over�a�week�in�November,�they�attracted�a�full-house�every�night� with� fans� travelling� from� all� over� the� UK� to� be� there.� Again,� new� audiences�and�a�fresh�set�of�eyeballs�on�the�Abarth�brand�–�a�brand�that� is� very� much� a� lifestyle� statement� and� a� perfect� match� for� a� superb� music�event�and�all�in�support�of�the�outstanding�work�done�by�Mencap.
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The Abarth brand was most recently back on a motorcycle when Valentino Rossi rode a Yamaha MotoGP bike in full Abarth livery; maybe some didn’t realise the connection with Abarth’s history and the link with motorcycles but all was not lost on a small engineering company on the South Coast of England;Attitude Customs . ‘Attitude’ builds bespoke motorcycles, many for private collectors, and wanted to build something special but in the engineering style of the ‘early years’ of motorcycling – no mass production techniques, just innovative engineering, fabrication and traditional skills to create one of the most desirable motorcycles in existence. The ‘Scorpione’ is the only one ofi ts kind; never another, never a replica – we hand-build each motorcycle so they are unique and special to their owner.”
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The ‘Scorpione’ by Attitude Customs UK
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imon Harris ofAttitude become mechanic for a factory team, this Customsknows only too well provided Abarth the opportunity for his what it takes and for the first ever race when in April 1928 he was motorcycle you see here, the asked to stand-in for a works rider. Karl Attitude ‘Scorpione’ , it was a link with one twice recorded fastest lap, a major of the great names from the past; Karl achievement which only fuelled his (Carlo) Abarth. ambition to succeed and which was Here is a bike which pays homage to followed by his first race win; Saltzburg, those early pioneers of motorcycling and 29th July 1928. which reflects a pure blend between In 1929, and aged just 20, Abarth raced mechanical art and function. Simon Harris for British manufacturer James, this same of Attitude Customs , commented; “We year saw him design and build his own wanted to create a motorcycle with the motorcycle – the very first ‘Abarth’ – essence of those early years, a time when powered by a water-cooled two-stroke; the likes of Abarth showed incredible this truly ground breaking bike engineering skill and ingenuity. The demonstrated the engineering genius of Attitude ‘Scorpione’ utilises modern-day Abarth and it was this bike to which technology and materials without Attitude Customswanted to pay homage. compromising the integrity or ‘look’ of the By 1934 Karl Abarth had achieved bike – here you have a V-twin which is many race victories but his challenge reliable and easy to ride but which delivers against the Orient Express secured him an experience much closer to motorcycles legendary status as he covered the same from the ‘20s and ‘30s. Even in these days route as the train, but in a shorter time, of the hyper-sportsbike, you can still enjoy whilst riding a motorcycle and sidecar. Abarth & Co. was formed March 1949 riding at a more relaxed pace and ride with performance tuning at the core of simply for the enjoyment of riding”. But where did it all start? …With a young the business and as success at the race engineer, a very fast racer and a motorcycle track continued, so demand for Abarth products grew with performance that all went by the name of ABARTH. Karl Abarth had worked at a motorcycle exhausts and tuning kits for both cars and motorcycles. frame maker when the offer came to
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WHEELS: DNA 23” x 4¼” HANDLEBARS:Attitude Customs TYRES: Avon Venom ‘Barhopper’ TANK, OIL TANK AND ‘TINS’:Fabricated SPECIAL FEATURES:LED rear light by Attitude Customs cluster, Billet oil tank ends / exhaust end
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MAKE: Attitude Customs MODEL:Scorpione FRAME: Attitude 001 FORKS: DNA Springer
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