Abarth Grande Punto (2008 – 2010) Review

Abarth Grande Punto (2008 – 2010) At A Glance

4/5

+Decent handling hot hatch with lots of front end grip and good steering feel, low CO2 and good economy, neat Abarth styling extras.

-Harsh ride especially on urban streets, optional Esseesse performance kit is expensive for a car that's good enough as it is.

Insurance Group 30

The Grande Punto Abarth brought to Britain an Italian tradition of crated parts arriving at a dealer or tuning shop to upgrade a standard FIAT car. 

In the 1960s, Abarth special parts used to arrive at the garage in a wooden crate. And the spannermen would get to work turning a humble FIAT 600 into an Abarth 750TC, then 850TC and eventually 1000TC developing as much as 108bhp.

Abarth went on to build beautiful little rear-engined Zagato bodied coupes with Fiat or Simca based engines, some of which were finished off by Radbourne Racing in London. And he graduated to bigger and better ventures including sportscar racing, taking on the likes of Porsche and Ferrari with considerable success.

The FIAT brand reflected in this glory so it was only natural that FIAT should want to revive the notoriety of the Abarth name. As well as sticking scorpion badges all over the Grande Punto, it has done a proper job that Carlo would have approved of.

Grande Punto Abarth 2008 Road Test

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Ask Honest John

What do you think will be a classic in the near future?

"Will a Mk1 SEAT Leon Cupra, MG ZR, Renault 19 or Abarth Grande Punto ever become a classic as I would like to buy one of these as I have previously owned them. "
All have the potential to be classics (arguably, some of them already are). Buy whichever one you miss the most (and can find a good example of!) and don't worry too much about whether it counts as a classic car. For the sake of insurance purposes, many companies class classic cars as being more than 20 years old... that might be something to bear in mind as it'll unlock cheaper classic car insurance policies.
Answered by Andrew Brady

Spare wheel

"I have the Grande Punto from new back in 2009 and it did not come with a spare wheel only this can of sealant which I've never been too happy about. The wheels are 195/55 R16. Can you recommend anywhere I can get a spare wheel from?"
Scrapyard. Or: http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/useful-websites/parts-accessories-car-care-tools-tyres/ Actually quite expensive from FIAT dealers. About £100 for the wheel alone.
Answered by Honest John
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