Abarth investigations continue
The heat is on for employees of hot-car tunerItalian police are continuing their year-long investigation into systematic theft at Fiat’s fast-car offshoot, Abarth.
At least 25 Abarth employees have been swept up in the investigation after dealers across Italy and Europe complained to both Fiat and police that cars were arriving without the Abarth packages they’d been ordered with. Further, retro-fit Abarth packs were also missing and Abarth merchandise never arrived, even though the orders were filled at the Abarth warehouse.
An investigation launched in February last year found the employees at Abarth’s Turin warehouse and contracted couriers had allegedly been stealing the entire Abarth kits for the Punto and 500, including turbo chargers, engine management computers, brake systems, sportier dampers, sports seats and air filters.
Police allege the parts were then resold on the internet at prices well below the market rate in a scam that has links to the organised-crime hub of Calabria in southern Italy.
Abarth is a stand-alone company inside Fiat and sells both the Punto Abarth and the 500 Abarth. It also sells the even-faster Esseesse (phonetic Italian for SS) kits for both models, which can be retro-fitted to existing Abarth models.
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