At the 81st International Motor Show in Geneva, Fiat has just shown the 500 Zagato coupé, a sporty interpretation of the small Italian city car that according to rumors should go for production in Fiat 500 plants in Toluca, Mexico.
TECHNICAL DETAILS: As in the fifties Zagato returns to put his mark on the body of 500, with skill, style and sportiveness, but without changing the design too. The cockpit has a 4-seats format that is standard solution for a car that wants to show as a coupé. The Fiat 500 Zagato coupé is powered by the TwinAir 105 hp turbo petrol that delivers 155 Nm of torque at 2,500 rpm, but still limits the emissions of CO2 to 95 g/km. The model was presented as a concept car at the Geneva Motor Show, but for the Fiat 500 Zagato coupe has already been confirmed that a special version should upgrade the already rich catalog of 500. This car born to to accommodate a mostly male audience looking for excitement and originality. According to the latest data in fact the Fiat 500 seems to collect more popular among women.
ZAGATO: the cooperation between the two brands comes from old past. Ugo Zagato in Milan founded the company that bears his name in motor sport in 1919 to bring aerodynamics knowledge learned in aeronautic. Fast came special creations on mechanical Fiat as on FIAT 501, FIAT 509,FIAT 500, Fiat 520 – spider, convertible and coupe limousine – and Fiat Topolino. The Fiat Zagato reached its popularity in the early ’50s, with the 750 Coupe Panoramica, the 1100 Coupe and, from 1952, a true Gran Turismo sports: the 8V with 8 cylinders 2 liter. The fulcrum of this period was Elio Zagato, son of Hugo, a business man and excellent pilot who played in 150 races, winning 85 among the Targa Florio, some Intereuropa Cup and in 1955 on the Avus circuit with a Fiat 8V Coupé Zagato. In 1956 he founded a new business alliance between Fiat-Abarth and Zagato and created the first Fiat 750 Abarth Zagato Coupé, which was immediately very competitive enough to win the first three places in Mille Miglia in 1957. During the ’60s and ’70s, along with sporty versions for Lancia and Alfa Romeo, Zagato carried out the study of bodies for the Fiat 850 Coupè Zagato presented at the Turin Motor Show in 1964, Fiat 125 GT Zagato Coupe of 1967 and the Fiat 132 Coupé Aster Zagato of 1972 .
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