Restart of the “Abarth Tour of Europe in 1949 Hours”

July 6, 2020
from Jan-Christopher Sierks

– Today is the day for the restart of the “Abarth Tour of Europe in 1949 Hours”: It starts in Italy, then the tour leads through France, Spain and Portugal.
– The programme includes 1949 hours, seven European countries and a distance of around 3.700 kilometres.
– The Abarth 695 70° Anniversario also returns after the forced break.
– Fans, club members and journalists from the countries along the route take part in the tour.
– You are all invited to tell the story of the journey.
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Today the second part of the "Abarth Tour of Europe in 1949 Hours" starts from Turin: The Abarth 695 70° Anniversario, the high-performance limited edition that was developed to mark the 70th anniversary of the brand with the scorpion in its logo, is allowed back on the road. The months-long pit stop is officially over, the vehicle is ready for the continuation of the "Tour of Europe in 1949 Hours". In total, the tour covers a total of around 3.700 kilometers across Europe - from the Netherlands to Portugal.

Luca Napolitano, Brand Manager of Fiat and Abarth Brands for the EMEA economic area, explains: "The restart of our European tour is a sign of a gradual return to normality. At the same time, it is an important message to our almost 130.000 fans in the Abarth community and in the more than 80 clubs: we are sharing the passion with them again and are delighted with their support during the tour. The enthusiasm for our brand and for the Abarth 695 70° Anniversario is huge. This is also demonstrated by the commercial success of the special series: more than half of the 1.949 vehicles have already been sold."

A tour with a long break: After starting the European tour with the Abarth 695 70° Anniversario at the end of February in the Dutch town of Lijnden, the tour first went to Belgium and from there on to Germany. At the beginning of March the car arrived in Geneva, where the tour had to be stopped due to the pandemic. The special edition returned to Turin - the place where Carlo Abarth moved his company's headquarters early on. Today the capital of Piedmont is not only the home of Abarth but also of the Heritage Hub, where some of the most important vehicles from seven decades are presented. The Abarth 695 70° Anniversario was waiting there for the restart.

From Turin, the special edition now travels to the French Riviera, then via Barcelona and Madrid to Lisbon. The "Abarth Tour of Europe in 1949 Hours" ends in the charming capital of Portugal after a total of 1.949 hours - the number stands for the Abarth 695 70° Anniversario built and of course for the founding year of the brand with the scorpion in the logo.

In addition, 1.949 hours correspond to a little more than 80 days: Similar to Phileas Fogg in Jules Verne's famous novel "Around the World in 80 Days", the tour will be the hook for an exciting story. The continuation of this story begins again with the typical powerful "roar" of the Abarth 695 70° Anniversario. In addition to the powerful engine, the "Record Monza Attivo" exhaust system is also responsible for the unmistakable sound. An active valve, which is controlled via the sport button on the dashboard, allows the driver to choose between a dignified "gentleman's" sound and a robust roar. Europe - Abarth is on the road again!