While the entire auto world is drooling with anticipation for the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show, those who’ll be participating at the year’s biggest car fest are putting in the finishing touches on what cars are going to make this year’s trip to Germany.

One automaker who’s making a comeback of sorts in the spotlight of Frankfurt is Abarth, and if their promises are any indication, we just might all be bitten by the return of the Scorpion.

As it stands, Abarth is scheduled to unveil three special-edition vehicles: the Abarth 695 “Tributo Ferrari”, the Abarth Grande Punto “Super Sport” and the Abarth 500 “Assetto Corse”.

The car that’s getting the most attention from auto scribes the world over is the limited edition Abarth 695 “Tributo Ferrari”. The car, as you can probably notice by its name alone, was co-created by Abarth and Ferrari with the intention of celebrating the Italian racing tradition, passion for performance, attention to detail and technical innovation that both brands express. Suffice to say, it’s the ultimate collaboration of two Italian racing icons.

Click after the jump for the press release.

In addition to the 695 “Tributo Ferrari”, Abarth is also scheduled to display to other “road ready” race cars: the Grand Punto “Supersport” and the 500 “Assetto Corse’, a small – but highly powerful – supersport race car that was created to make participation in competitive racing affordable and practical.

While most brands will be proudly displaying their new toys out for the public to drool over, Abarth is diversifying its display by including a number of accessories, including the “Record Monza” exhaust systems, which was developed with Magneti Marelli and “Abarth Corsa by Sabet” seats.

With three cars and a ton of other accessories being proudly displayed, it’s beginning to become apparent that Abarth’s return to the grand stage of the Frankfurt Motor Show has all the makings of becoming an overwhelming success.

Press Release:

Abarth at the 63rd International Motor Show in Frankfurt

9 september 2009 - Inspired by the world of racing, Abarth’s original stand at the Frankfurt Motor Show will be displaying all the winning products – standard cars, performance kits and race ready cars – that have helped Abarth achieve commercial success in Italy and abroad.

One of the stand’s protagonists will be the brand-new Abarth 695 “Tributo Ferrari”, a special, limited and numbered series celebrating the Italian racing tradition, passion for performance, attention to detail and technical innovation that both brands express. Abarth and Ferrari are two great names that have contributed, with conviction and dedication, to the legend of Italian racing that is known around the world.

The car on display “races” on a platform coated with a special resin that evokes the atmosphere of the racetrack, the natural habitat of Abarth cars. After all, it is from the world of motor racing that Abarth takes the technology and values that it transfers to the production of its road-going cars and performance kits.

The same philosophy has led to the development of the other two cars on display at Frankfurt: the new Abarth Grande Punto “SuperSport” and the Abarth 500 “Assetto Corse”, the small supersport designed for racetrack competitions, built directly by Abarth, and sold "race ready" to drivers via the “Abarth Racing” network that also provides technical assistance and transport services.

The technical characteristics of the Abarth 500 “Assetto Corse” and the race formula itself have been carefully selected to facilitate participation in competitive racing at an extremely low cost. This is yet another practical application of Abarth’s mission to “democratise” motor racing.

This practical approach confirms Abarth’s racing spirit and applies the same philosophy that has identified Abarth for fifty years: the transfer of racing experience to the market in order to facilitate access to the world of racing. In less than two years, this strategy has led to the introduction of two cars – the Abarth Grande Punto and the Abarth 500 – as well as two performance kits. The same spirit has gone into the creation of an exclusive sales network, staffed by experts capable of providing ideal solutions to an informed and demanding public. In keeping with this philosophy, Abarth has increased its involvement in motor sport competitions and entered into agreements with partners of excellence.

Proof that the direction taken by Abarth is the right one comes from the statistics. These announce quite clearly that the brand is experiencing continuous growth. From 2008 to the present day, Abarth has sold over 15,000 cars, with 6,300 Abarth 500’s and 2,100 Grande Punto’s sold in 2009 alone, to say nothing of 2,500 performance kits, proving that one Abarth 500 in three is fitted with an SS kit. On top of these extraordinary sales figures, the number of dealers and official performance centres is also growing rapidly, improving distribution on existing markets and continuing expansion into strategic markets like Germany, France, the UK and Japan. The Abarth distribution network is already unique, boasting 120 showrooms, 132 official performance centres and 220 service centres in Europe. On top of this, a new level called “Abarth Racing” has been introduced into the Abarth performance network. Abarth Racing centres offer customers exclusive assistance via the “Racing Service” that provides a privileged entry to the world of Abarth motor sport.

Visitors to the Frankfurt show will also be able to see the latest additions to the “Abarth Car Accessories” catalogue, developed in conjunction with prestige partners. New accessories include the “Record Monza” exhaust systems developed with Magneti Marelli and “Abarth Corsa by Sabelt” seats. In the area of collaboration with other companies, two unique and exclusive products will mark Abarth’s entry into two areas that share the same racing spirit: boat racing, with the development of the first Powershore Abarth SP (Sport Prototype), and motorcycle racing, with the Yamaha FZ1 Abarth Assetto Corse concept bike.