Fiat 500 Abarth to gain an automatic transmission

Should appeal to women

The Fiat 500 Abarth has a lot going for it, but the lack of an automatic transmission is a deal breaker for a lot of American consumers.

Citing customer feedback, Fiat's North American President Tim Kuniskis has confirmed plans to offer an automatic transmission "at some point." Executives believed the model would be fine exclusively with a manual transmission but Kuniskis says enough people have requested an automatic gearbox so the company is "not opposed to doing it."

The move should help to broaden the model's appeal, particularly to women. As Kuniskis noted, 80 percent of Abarths sold in North America are bought by male drivers. This could change when the convertible is introduced but Kuniskis believes there won't be a huge influx of female buyers until the automatic is launched.

Source: Wards Auto via Jalopnik

via worldcarfans

OFFICINE ROSSOPURO MOTO GUZZI 850

If you’re a regular reader, you’ll know that Filippo Barbacane is one of Italy’s leading craftsmen, specializing in classy Moto Guzzi customs. The builds coming out of hisOfficine RossoPuro workshop are refined, elegant and desirable, and I’d be happy to put one next to the V7 in my garage. This is Barbacane’s latest work, an 850 T3 christened ‘Metallica.’ (And no, that’s probably not a reference to the band.)

The T3 is an early Tonti-framed Guzzi that lends itself very well to customization. Torquey and reliable, it’s one of those motorcycles that owners often fall in love with and hang on to. And if you find one in the classifieds, it’s likely to be running just fine, despite tens of thousands of miles on the clock.

For this build, Barbacane has gone back to the basics. “I wanted to make a motorcycle that was light and with a retro look, but with modern technical solutions,” he says.

There’s little paint to obscure the metal, and the custom bodywork harks back to an age before designers fell in love with plastic. The tank and fenders are hand-made; the seat not only flows with the lines, but also looks comfortable enough for long trips—a traditional forté of the 850 T3.

The electrical system is completely new, and mostly hidden under the tank. In the small leather bag mounted on the side of the bike is a toolkit, including a set of wrenches that can be used to remove all the bodywork in minutes. The mounts for the engine and brake calipers have been redesigned, and the bike now rolls on 18” Borrani wheels.

The stock 850 T3 Marzocchi forks have been upgraded with new internals, including progressive-rate springs. The handlebars are Rizoma, and carry simplified modern controls. The sinuous exhaust system, snaking into one exit on the lefthand side of the bike, has been produced by Mass Moto to Barbacane’s own design.

‘Metallica’ is now cruising the streets of Monte Carlo, the home town of its new owner, a hardcore Guzzisti. Head over to the Officine RossoPuro website for more images of Barbacane’s builds, and follow his news via the company’s Facebook page.

with BIKEEXIF

New Fuel R100 Scram 4TWO.A bike to enjoy into two!

The new Fuel 4Two Scram R100 rolls through the streets of Madrid. A Scram with dual seat custom made by  Xtrim Seats, a suitcase  military style, headlight grilled etc, etc. .. A  urban Scram ready for any terrain!

KTM Super Duke 1290R concept bike by Mirco Sapio

from twowheelsblog

The first Super Duke model dates back to 2005, when KTM launched the aggressive and innovative 990, and then we got to see a prototype of the threatening and muscular Super Duke 1290 R at the last 2012 EICMA exhibition in Milan, in November. While waiting for the definitive version of the model, we can take a look at this interesting graphic concept conceived by Mr.Mirco Sapio, an italian designer and KTM enthusiast that we met a few weeks ago upon the relase of another KTM-based graphic concept, the intriguing SuperDuke 1200 R Concept.

The design of his latest creation is actually pretty interesting, seemingly all projected toward the front end. A diminutive full LED headlight is embedded in a see-through element made of carbon fiber that is an ideal extension of the track marked by the back of the tank: this diamond-shaped bit is conneced to the upper side of the fork and is flanked by two air intakes plus another one atop, ensuring the right supply of oxygen to the airbox. Note that the shape of the cool and almost invisible underseat exhaust is meant to replicate that of the central air-intake at the front, and is also supposed to have a load-bearing function that - theoretically - has allowed the designer to get rid of the rear subframe.

Its trellis frame - as KTM’s tradition dictates - would be a chromium molybdenum steel structure wrapping the gritty 1290 cc structure V2 of the Austrian manufacturer, while the rear suspension is placed underneath the engine, near the right footpeg, is connected by linkage to the aluminum single-sided swingarm. Once again, nice job.