lunchbox 80
Hi, Abarth? I’d like a no-foam, no lid espresso con panna roadster to go, please.
A longer issue today, but hey—you were planning on checking out this afternoon anyway, right?
Tucked away in today’s newsletter is a six minute video of classic rally cars you may need 24 minutes to recover from. You’ve been warned!
When I started to dig into this Alfa Romeo 4C-based Abarth 1000 SP redux, I noticed two things. First, people not liking it and second, the fact Abarth made 50 original 1000 SPs from 1966-1970.
Abarth Classiche is making five of these new ones.
Today’s crop of automaker execs believe that “limited edition” has come to mean “fewer than the number of F-150s Ford sells”.
Speaking of Ford, the GT LM Edition I wrote about the other day? Twenty cars wouldn’t fill a Cracker Barrel parking lot, but to me, 20 owners of the same supercar is the upper limit.
Whereas the likes of Lamborghini or Porsche might pump out 250-1,000 examples of a preconfigured build without blinking and market the hell out of it as “limited”.
(Or maybe that’s just what the paint-to-sample folks want you to think.)
In a world of abundance, true rarity and uniqueness is special. In my opinion, a successful small project born within a huge corporation like Stellantis has won by simply being built.
It needs Campagnolos, though, asap.
Abarth’s release goes into full technical detail; what I can glean is it’ll be faster, louder, lighter, and less practical than a 4C donor car. Compared with an original, it’s more than twice the weight, twice the power, and slightly better top speed by about ~15 km/h.
At the end, Abarth casually says that if you want one, simply send ’em an email…
THE RETURN OF THE ABARTH 1000 SP • FCA Heritage
see more :: Abarth 1000SP (Wikipedia)
Not everyone has or should need a Phd in Trucknutnomics, and that’s why I’m a big fan of Marques Brownlee’s approach to this automaker reveal. Part filmed in person and part afterthought, he’s mostly speaking directly to the camera on (what looks like) a quiet hike, throwing out specs and his impressions along the way.
With the amount of software and gadgetry in cars these days, I always want to know what “tech” reviewers have to say and this is no different. Great approach to covering this kind of reveal.
The GMC Sierra Electric Pickup Truck! • Auto Focus
In case you missed it…
Because… SOMETIMES YOU JUST WANT TO WEAR YOUR HEADPHONES ON A FRIDAY AFTERNOON AND LISTEN TO RALLY CARS.
Shout-out to this Lancia Stratos that seemed to have no muffler on its exhaust. ;)
But tell me, what’s sketchier: media up on a raised bank in the firing line of a big jump or Group B cars running wheel-to-wheel during night stages?
Here’s less than six minutes of spectator bliss.
RALLYLEGEND 2022 | Crazy Jumps & Max Attack • Mr. M
Will I spoil the video title? No. But I think you’ve got an idea by now of how little “900 miles” matters to a Volvo 740. I’m sharing this clip at a specific point in the video because I share this owner’s sentiment in one area.
My 740 was assembled in Halifax, Canada, and when it’s back on the road, a pilgrimage to where it was made is the first big road trip I’m taking. It’s journey I’ve wanted to take for more than 15 years—cheers to anyone who’s already completed their bucket list car trip.
Will this 1988 Volvo 740 drive 900 Miles across Europe? • Involvo'd
see also :: Volvo Halifax Assembly (Wikipedia)
It’s only down here ’cause I’ve already been featuring Bjorn’s coverage of the ID Buzz all week. This 30 minute video delves deep into what European owners can expect from range, charging, battery degradation, and overall road trip comfort.
To be clear, Bjørn is trying to get the lowest possible time. For what it’s worth, his time is within about 30 minutes of what I can manage over the same distance in a typical hybrid SUV in Canada while in relaxed “road trip mode”.
Also: pay attention to how Bjørn manages his time charging versus on the road—he’s a frickin’ ninja. Assuming 3rd party charging networks worldwide clean up their act, it should only get better from here…
VW ID Buzz 1000 km challenge • Bjørn Nyland
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