Alistair Moffatt drives a Fiat 124 Abarth to a new Guinness World Record for fastest figure of eight

Setting a new record, especially a world record, has been a way for carmakers to advertise the capabilities not just of their cars, but also of their organizations as well. Fiat is nothing new to setting new world records, and its most recent feat was certified by none other than the Guinness World Record. This new Guinness World Record was for achieving the 'fastest figure of eight, five times between two cars,' as set by a Fiat 124 Abarth Spider.

Fiat made the world record attempt during the 2018 Chateau Impney Hill Climb in July this year. Two Fiat 124 Abarth spiders were placed in a distance from each other, serving as large markers. A Fiat 124 Abarth stunt car was on standby, with Alastair Moffatt -- a world-renowned stunt driver and world record-holder -- behind its steering wheel. All Moffatt has to do was to maneuver the stunt car in a figure of eight between the two Fiat 124 Abarth spider markers five times in a row without a slip.

Then, Moffatt commenced the stunt. He executed the figure-of-eight sliding maneuver neatly between the two cars. He did it five times in close succession, and completed the entire stunt in just 45.66 seconds. In the process, Moffatt and the Fiat 124 Abarth achieved a new Guinness World Record for the 'fastest figure of eight, five times between two cars.'

While the record attempt was done in July 2018, it was only until recently that the Guinness World Records officially recognized the feat.

Interestingly, the Fiat 214 Abarth spider that was used as the stunt car for the record attempt wasn’t modified. Its engine, transmission, brakes and chassis didn’t receive any modification to make the Fiat 214 Abarth spider more capable to break the record. It was powered by a 1.4 MultiAir Turbo engine that delivers 170 hp of peak output, allowing it to sprint from zero to 62 mph in 6.8 seconds and achieve a max speed of 144 mph.

Nonetheless, the electronic stability program (ESP) of Fiat 214 Abarth spider was turned off during the stunt, in order to allow Moffatt ro have full control of the car using the handbrake. In addition, the tire pressures of the stunt car were increased prior to the stunt to make up for the abrasive nature of the surface.

Aside from this new feat, Moffatt also holds a number of Guinness World Records, which includes records for the 'Tightest Reverse Parallel Park' and 'Tightest Single Parallel Park.' Moffatt, currently a Master Instructor at Stunt Drive UK, remarked that the Fiat 124 Abarth spider – with its light weight, agility and rear wheel drive – is the perfect choice for setting a new Guinness World Record.

PRESS RELEASE

Abarth is celebrating achieving a new Guinness World Record

Abarth is celebrating achieving a new Guinness World Record after one of its 124 spider models achieved the 'fastest figure of eight, five times between two cars' in 45.66 seconds.

At the wheel of the completely standard car was world-renowned stunt driver Alastair Moffatt. The record was set during the 2018 Chateau Impney Hill Climb in July this year, but has only now been officially recognised by the famous world record organisation.

Alastair executed the astonishing manoeuvre of a figure of eight, sliding neatly between two other Abarth 124 spiders, five times in succession.

The vehicle used had no modifications made to the engine, gearbox, chassis or brakes. The car's electronic stability program (ESP) was also turned off to allow the Abarth 124 spider to be controlled using the handbrake, and the tyre pressures were increased to compensate for the abrasiveness of the surface.

Alastair, a Master Instructor at Stunt Drive UK, holds multiple Guinness World Records for precision driving including the 'Tightest Reverse Parallel Park' and 'Tightest Single Parallel Park'.

Commenting on his achievement, he noted, "It's wonderful to have set this record! Finding the right vehicle is increasingly important for these record attempts, so the light weight, agility and rear wheel drive of the Abarth 124 spider made it the perfect choice."

Gerry Southerington for Abarth UK commented, "We're delighted that Alastair chose the Abarth 124 spider for this record attempt. Abarth have a long history of setting records in the past and it's great to have added a new one.

"We congratulate Alastair on his remarkable achievement. We don't recommend that people attempt such amazing stunts in public, but it's good to know that the Abarth 124 spider is incredibly maneuverable in the hands of a trained professional."

The Abarth 124 spider is fitted with a 1.4 MultiAir Turbo 170hp engine reaching 62mph in 6.8 seconds and a maximum speed of 144mph while returning a combined cycle and emitting 148g/km CO2 for the manual.

The 1.4 MultiAir Turbo engine has a combined cycle of 44.1mpg for the manual and 42.8mpg for the automatic.