Does anyone else have an arbath gt? according to fiat uk the car dose not exist, however there is one parked on my drive. go figure!
subject line tweaked - PU
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The Stilo Abarth is listed in HJ's Car-by-Car Breakdown, and I saw one the other day, a Michael Schumacher edition in yellow! 2.4l 20v 5-cylinder engine, but otherwise nothing of any note in the car.
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I have seen one too, in yellow and fine piece of kit it looks too.
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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I have seen one too in yellow and fine piece of kit it looks too.
they're not bad looking at all are they? Strange, since the standard Stilo is perhaps a bit dull. The squared off shape obviously suits the more aggressive stance of the Abarth version though.
I half considered one for a while when I was trying to think of a replacement for my Coupe with rear doors. Not quite in the same league as the GTA I realised I could afford though.
Oh, not sure the Shoe Maker version is worth the premium though, no difference in performance at all, just the odd parts-bin extra, nicer steering wheel and gear knob, that sort of thing I think. (could be wrong)
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In what way have Fiat Uk denied its existence?
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Saw one myself just the other day. Looked great in black. It's a shame Fiat don't give their performance models the power to match the looks. I believe the Punto Abarth will have only 140bhp , slightly more than the 1.9 diesel.
Punto looks good from pictures I have seen.
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I still have a strange craving for one of these...
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Not quite an Arbarth, but I did see a great looking deep blue Stilo Dynamique the other day with those weird but good looking three-prong alloys and a subtle lowering job. Nice looking car (even if the boot is a bit confused) but I gather they're an ongoing nightmare and source of regular hassles and mechanical hissy fits.
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I gather they're an ongoing nightmare and source of regular hassles and mechanical hissy fits.
I've liked the Stilos since I saw them for the first time at a motor show some years back. I do fancy one but get scared off by the poor reliability stories.
HJs Car-by-Car Breakdown isn't exactly glowing, ....reader feedback tells me this is a disaster zone of a car with too many problems to list. Best stayed well away from....
www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/index.htm?md=508&
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New user. One post, a question of sorts. No further posts.
Go figure.
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however there is one parked on my drive.
I'm sorry.
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Is the issue that the car is called a Stilo Abarth, there is no GT in the official name?
Are you sure some barry boy previous owner hasn't just stuck a GT badge on it?
Or are you saying that Fiat deny the existence of the Abarth altogether?
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I thought Arbarth and GT were both different trim levels (with the Arbarth having the performance tweaks as well) but I'm not sure they were ever applied to the same car at the same time.
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Is the Abarth GT the manual version (originally they were only available with selespeed gearbox)? Or could it be a grey import from Ireland?
I was going to say that the wonderful warbling 5 cylinder engine would make up for a whole lot of deficiencies in other areas; but the phrase "disaster zone of a car" kind of puts me off!..
I used to hanker after a Bravo HGT because of the engine, but never got round to buying one.
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As the owner of a 3-dr 1.6 Dynamic Stilo and a big Abarth fan, I've done some research into this. Officially there is no such model as a Stilo Abarth 'GT' in the UK, however Fiat did offer a 'GP' kit for a couple of years. This consisted of 30mm lowering springs, sports dampers, 18" alloys + a twin-pipe exhaust. I only found this out AFTER I'd fitted a Remus back box (road legal), a K&N air filter and Eibach springs.
The Fiat recommended Eibachs do improve handling due to reduced body roll, but the rears are a little soft. This was evident after I gave a lift to 2 friends (sitting in the back) and the rear began to hit the bump stops on a 'B' road - so no heavy loads ! The TUV approved Remus exhaust is sporty but not loud and easily passes the MOT. The air filter has improved response in the mid-range, useful for overtaking.
As for reliability, well . . . I spent £850 last year on replacing coils, lower suspension arms, wheel alignment (thanks to local speed humps - aaarrgh !) ECU diagnosis and a cambelt service. The only extra money spent was on the springs. Compared to the Fiat Bravo I had before on which nothing went wrong at all, I've been a bit annoyed. That said, I find myself defending the Stilo when all is well, because I actually like it. I'm considering buying a JTD model, so it's not all bad. A comparable spec + age Focus is over £2k more ! It may be a better car, but if you don't have the money . . . .
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Just over 1,500 of them still in use so fairly rare. 5 door ones especially so at less than 400.
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I thought the 'Michael Schumacher editions' were RED only, with a plate on the dash top with its own Number and where the Abarths came in any of the offered colours. ???
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Yes mate, the Schumachers are red only. Least I haven't seen or heard of any other colours officially. Abarths can be blue, black, yellow or silver I think.
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Yes it does exist. I had a '54' plate on in metalic blue (light blue) 5 speed manual, 3 door hatchback. If you acess Fiat's main server worldwide and enter your chassis number it comes bak as 'Fiat Stilo Arbath GT' My local garage confirmed this by following the advise I gave them. Fiat UK dose not have this model listed as it was a special order vehicle and they came in to the UK in very limited numbers. Best manual car I ever owned, faultless over five years of ownership.
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