Fiat and Yamaha team up on new AbarthFZ1

Before Karl Abarth was putting his sporting touches on Fiats for competition, he was a successful motorcycle racer, winning five European Championships. When Fiat realized how successful Abarth was with its cars, the Italian automaker purchased the tuning division and made it an integral part of its operations. The relationship has continued to this day and the tuning company is now an official division. The motorcycling connection finally comes full circle, as Fiat is the main sponsor for Yamaha's MotoGP race team and star rider (not to mention current MotoGP champion) Valentino Rossi. To celebrate Abarth's centenary, Fiat and Yamaha have teamed up on a tuned version of the 150 horsepower FZ1, a naked version of the previous-gen R1 literbike. The FZ1 Abarth Assetto Corse gets extra-special goodies like a complete Öhlins suspension, Marchesini wheels, Brembo monobloc front brake calipers, and an Akrapovic exhaust system. We're smitten with the red and white paint job, which looks resplendent against its attendant Abarth scorpion logos.

[Source: Italiaspeed]