NEWS: The "most Abarth of all Abarths" – 695 biposto is go!

Following its official debut at the 84th Geneva International Motor Show, the ‘most Abarth of all Abarths’ – the 695 biposto – takes to the road for the first time, on the epic 16th Gumball 3000 Rally in June.
Fitted with a 190 HP 1.4 T-Jet engine and weighing under 1,000Kg (giving the best weight-to-power ratio in its category) and with blistering acceleration of 0-62 mph in just 5.9 seconds, the Abarth 695 biposto will be taking to the road as the official car of the sixteenth edition of the "Gumball 3000" rally. We like... you?
It's the first time that an official car has been appointed for the “Gumball 3000”, the non-competitive rally for just 120 amazing supercars which cover over 3000 miles in less than 10 days.
After the adrenaline-charged 15th anniversary rally from Copenhagen to Monaco, for the 2014 edition the “Gumball 3000” is set to cross two continents with a route that sets off from South Beach, Miami and finishes in Ibiza: this year's event promises to be more exciting and enthralling than ever, for drivers and fans alike.
It's a unique adventure for the participants who, between 4th and 11th June, will travel all the way from America to Europe: after stages in Miami, Atlanta and New York, all 120 cars will be flown across the Atlantic, touching down in Scotland. Here, in Edinburgh, the “Gumball 3000” will enrich its line-up of supercars with the Abarth 695 biposto, making its official on-road debut.
Abarth's “two-seater” road-going car will unleash its 190 HP, becoming the undisputed star attraction of the event. “Gumball 3000” has chosen “the fastest Abarth ever” as the iconic image of the 2014 edition of the Rally, giving it the coveted #1.
Maximillion Cooper, CEO and founder of the event, announced that he was honoured and thrilled to be the first official driver of the Abarth 695 biposto, a car that truly represents the essence of Abarth: with its size, a quintessential Abarth characteristic, a “small Italian supercar”, and its “racing heart”, that passion for speed and the challenges of the road – while also embracing the values of the “Gumball” rally.
“Gumball 3000” was launched in 1999 by Maximillion Cooper, a former British racing driver, designer and entrepreneur, included by Complex in its list of the 50 most influential people in the auto industry, as his rally brings cars, music, fashion, art and entertainment all together. Cooper borrowed the word 'Gumball' from Andy Warhol, who used it to describe how the public “chew up” and spit out popular culture just like chewing gum. The number '3000', meanwhile, is a nod to Cooper's fascination with the future, especially at a time when the world was on the cusp of the 21st century. This now legendary road trip has seen the participation of international artists and celebrities, royalty, individuals included in Forbes rich lists, billionaires, founders of Blue Chip companies, rapidly capturing the attention of the press and public alike, achieving mainstream media coverage through automotive and lifestyle publications, and even gracing the covers of The Financial Times, GQ , Esquire, FHM and CAR.
The roads between the Scottish capital and Ibiza - taking in London, Paris and Barcelona - will be the first to put the Abarth 695 biposto's exhilarating supercar performance (top speed 140 mph) to the test. What's more, it's the very first time that a ‘street legal’ car, currently in its category, is offered with a gearbox featuring dog rings with controls and disc and clutch self-locking differential derived from the world of racing, making upwards gear changes so rapid that expert drivers don't need to use the clutch.
In each city the “Gumball” visits, Abarth - sole official automotive partner - will play a leading role: Regent Street in London, Les Jardin des Tuileries in Paris, Barcelona and the Old Town Port in Ibiza will welcome hundreds of thousands of people and Abarth is all set to make every arrival an exciting, memorable event with its fantastic cars.
The race schedule is as follows:

4th June – Arrival in Miami
5th June – from Miami to Atlanta
6th June – from Atlanta to New York
7th June – from New York to Edinburgh
8th June – from Edinburgh to London
9th June – from London to Paris
10th June – from Paris to Barcelona
11th June – from Barcelona to Ibiza
Find out more about Gumball 3000 here.