1970 Fiat 500 on 2040-cars

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Fiat Abarth Zagato lovechild is a double bubble worth the trouble

The Italian automotive industry is filled with legendary names: Ferrari, Maserati, Alfa Romeo, Lancia, Lamborghini, De Tomaso, Pagani... but the names Fiat, Abarth and Zagato belong up there right beside them – especially when they came together on a vehicle as singular as this one. It's a 1957 Fiat Abarth Zagato 750 GT Corsa, and it's a rare little monster indeed. It's based on a Fiat 600, tuned by Abarth and rebodied in classic double-bubble form by Zagato. There were only about five or six hundred of these made, and only 21 of them were Corsas. Its owner, Carl Gustav Magnusson, had one just like it when he lived in Europe, and entered it five times in the Mille Miglia. But after selling it and moving to America, he found another – with matching numbers – scooped it up and has enjoyed it ever since. Fiat and Zagato took a modern stab at a similar formula a few years ago, and if it had ever reached production, an Abarth version would likely have followed. But alas it never did, so the closest we'll likely ever get is to join the videographic artisans at Petrolicious as they tell the story of this beautiful little classic in the video above.

Fiat 500X may get Abarth treatment

Nissan has Nismo and Mini has John Cooper Works versions of their sub-compact CUVs, so it's only natural that Fiat is playing around with the idea of an Abarth-badged 500X. That's the rationale behind a new report from Autocar, which claims the higher-output CUV is coming in 2017. It all comes down to growing the Abarth line. Autocar reports that Fiat is very keen on scorpion-badged models. Abarth brand chief Paolo Gagliardo told Automotive News Europe, "We want to keep growing and stabilize at a certain level." We already know that plan requires a 124 Abarth, but it seems impossible to accomplish without Abarth-izing the Fiat with the most mainstream appeal, the 500X. Increasing performance in the 500X shouldn't be a problem, although it won't be quite as easy here in the US. As AC explains, the Euro-market 500X's 1.4-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder only produces 138 horsepower, a figure that would likely be bumped up to 170 hp in an Abarth model. But that same engine makes 160 ponies in the US, and it already coexists with a 180-hp, 2.4-liter, naturally aspirated four-cylinder. That almost certainly means a US-market 500X Abarth will need much more than the 32-hp bump AC is forecasting. It's not just competition within the US-market 500X line, though. The new Abarth's chief rivals, the Juke Nismo RS and JCW Countryman both produce in excess of 200 hp. The idea of a 500X Abarth is appealing, but if Fiat expects the CUV to survive in North America – which AC expects to be Fiat's main market – it'll need to take a closer look at how much power is on offer. Related Video:

NHTSA investigating Harman Kardon for software vulnerabilities

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating infotainment units from Harman Kardon, which produces FCA's Uconnect, to determine if Harman Kardon systems used by other companies are also vulnerable to hackings. Researchers discovered a hole in the cellular connection to the Uconnect infotainment in a Jeep Cherokee. They were able to exploit it to gain access to the vehicle's brakes, radio, and other systems. In the wake of the hack, FCA pledged to send out 1.4 million USB drives to update the software. Politicians also attacked the automaker for not reporting the problem sooner, and NHTSA opened an investigation to find whether the fix worked. INVESTIGATION Subject : Software security vulnerability Date Investigation Opened: JUL 29, 2015 Date Investigation Closed: Open NHTSA Action Number: EQ15005 Component(s): EQUIPMENT All Products Associated with this Investigation Equipment Brand Name Part No. or Model No.Production Dates HARMAN KARDON R3R4 - Details Manufacturer: HARMAN INTERNATIONAL SUMMARY: On July 23, 2015, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) submitted a safety recall report to NHTSA concerning a software security defect condition in approximately 1.4 million model year (MY) 2013 through 2015 vehicles equipped with Uconnect 8.4A (RA3) and 8.4AN (RA4) radios manufactured by Harman Kardon (Recall 15V-461). According to FCA, software security vulnerabilities in the recalled vehicles could allow unauthorized third-party access to, and manipulation of, networked vehicle control systems. Unauthorized access or manipulation of the vehicle control systems could reduce the driver?s control of the vehicle increasing the risk of a crash with an attendant increased risk of injury to the driver, other vehicle occupants, and other vehicles and their occupants within proximity to the affected vehicle. This EQ is being opened to obtain information from the supplier of Chrysler Uconnect units to determine the nature and extent of similarities in other infotainment products provided to other vehicle manufacturers. If sufficient similarities exist, the investigation will examine if there is cause for concern that security issues exist in other Harman Kardon products. Related Video: