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 Fiat Stilo Schumacher GP |
Making unashamed use of its best-paid employee's name, Fiat has launched a new limited edition version of the Fiat Stilo. Dubbed the Stilo Schumacher, the 2.4-litre, five-cylinder hatch goes on sale throughout Fiat Auto’s UK dealer network this weekend. Fiat pitches the car as a competitor for the Ford Focus ST170 and the Vauxhall Astra SRi Turbo.
Fiat's blurb runs that "the new Stilo Schumacher has been created as a tribute to Michael Schumacher’s fifth consecutive Formula One World Championship Driver’s title with Ferrari" -- even though Schumi has yet to actually win a race this year.
The Schumacher is a limited edition of 200 RHD units all in Ferrari red. There's no more grunt though, motive power consisting of the same engine that sits in the top-end Prestigio, and makes for a best performance of 8.5 seconds to get from zero to 60mph. There's also no suggestion that Schumacher himself had any hand in the development of the car.
You get two configurations – standard and GP.
The 170bhp five cylinder three-door hatch gets:
- A specially commissioned bodykit
- Exclusive kick plates and pedals
- A powerful hi-fi sound system with steering wheel audio controls, CD, MP3 player and subwoofer
- ABS anti-lock braking
- ESP and traction control
- Dual zone climate control
- Schumacher logos
- A special plaque numbered from UK001 to UK200.
In addition to the standard kit above, Fiat said that "a unique UK-based chassis development programme was undertaken to bring the car to the level of best in class. Carried out in conjunction with Prodrive, the globally acclaimed, high profile UK specialist automotive engineering concern, this intensive programme has led to the production of an aftermarket handling package known as the Stilo GP kit."
The Prodrive-developed GP kit consists of:
- Front and rear road springs manufactured by Eibach
- Bilstein front struts and rear dampers
- 7 x 18-inch OZ Superturismo alloy wheel in 215/40 ZR18 Continental Contisport Contact 2 tyres
- A stainless steel rear silencer with twin outlet pipes.
The kit has been created to produce a more sporty car, both in terms of looks and driver involvement, and is designed to appeal to customers seeking exclusivity in the ‘hot hatch’ market.
Fiat said "a more sporty look has been achieved through lowering the Stilo to give a slight nose- down stance compared to the standard car, (approximately 25mm lower at the front, and 17mm at the rear), with uniform wheelarch clearances front and rear." The exhaust sounds a bit sporty too, apparently.
The car is designed to offer good steering response with informative feedback and low levels of roll, according to the troubled Italian carmaker. The ride height reduction, particularly at the front, lowers the centre of gravity slightly, and lowers the front roll centre to give the dual benefits of reducing steady state understeer and improving steering response, said Fiat.
The dampers were especially designed for the GP kit by Bilstein, and fine-tuned by Prodrive. Front struts and rear dampers are a gas filled mono-tube design, which offers increased body control and greater fade resistance. The damper tune significantly increases body control, in roll, yaw and pitch, but maintains a significant level of compliance, so bumps and ridges on the road are well absorbed for motorway driving.
Fiat also reckoned that switching to 18" OZ Superturismo wheels and low profile Continental Contactsport 2 tyres has increased grip, steering response and feedback.
The Stilo Schumacher costs £15,995 -- which is close to the existing top-of-the-range Stilo -- while the GP version costs £1,000 more.
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