Here is Fiats press release;
PREVIEW FOR THE MICHAEL SCHUMACHER FIAT STILO
The Michael Schumacher Fiat Stilo special series, which will make its debut at the Paris Motor Show with the market launch at the end of October, will be the star of numerous initiatives during the week leading up to the Italian Grand Prix at Monza on September 12, 2004. Just one of the ways Fiat intends to celebrate Michael Schumacher’s seventh F1 World Championship victory and also the fifth consecutive triumph for Ferrari.
The first appointment will be the ‘Solidarity Grand Prix’, a football match between the Racing Drivers and Zelig/Smemoranda TV Show teams at Monza’s Brianteo stadium. Scheduled for Wednesday, September 8 at 8.30 p.m., this solidarity event will see Michael Schumacher in the dual role of player on the Racing Drivers’ team and ambassador for UNESCO. Before the game a special series car will be
donated to the ONLUS World Racing Drivers’ Association that, in turn, will hand it over to UNESCO.
A second event has been scheduled for Thursday, September 9. In the morning the special series limited edition car will be a guest at the Open Grand Prix golf event to be held at Monza Golf Club. Then in the evening the Michael Schumacher Fiat Stilo will again be in the limelight, first, on exhibition at Atahotels in Milan where the gala dinner for the Golf Open Grand Prix will be held, and later, at ‘Old Fashion’, the trendy Milan club that will host an exclusive party.
Celebrations featuring the Fiat Stilo will then continue during the weekend. On Friday 10 and Saturday 11 – on the occasion of the ‘Monza più’ festival and in conjunction with Rinascente – two Fiat Stilo ‘Michael Schumacher’ cars will be on show in two of the Lombardy town’s piazzas. In addition, three special series and the entire Stilo range will be shown at a dedicated stand at the circuit during the Italian Grand Prix on Saturday 11 and Sunday 12.
Simultaneously these events will also see the launch of a ‘Win the new Stilo Michael Schumacher’ competition. Spectators at the ‘Solidarity Grand Prix’, guests at the party at Milan’s ‘Old Fashion’ and people attending ‘Monza più’ will be able to participate by merely filling in a reply coupon. And the prize? Obviously, the Michael Schumacher Fiat Stilo number 0001.
About 3,500 units will be produced of this gutsy M. Schumacher Fiat Stilo limited edition, equipped with either the powerful 170 bhp, 2.4 20-valve petrol engine or a 140 bhp, 1.9 16-valve Multijet unit. A 3-door model, this new car has a really exclusive, aggressive look thanks to its special 17” alloy wheels and the Zender kit, which comprises front and rear bumpers, skirts and rear spoiler all in the same colour as the body. The special ‘Racing Red’ body colour also contributes to the car’s sporty look, emphasised by the ‘Michael Schumacher’ logo on the rear-section skirts and hatch, while a plaque located on the facia will indicate the car number.
This same sporting vocation is confirmed inside the cabin by the competition-style pedal set and heel rest, and leather trim on the steering wheel and gearlever knob. Standard equipment on the Michael Schumacher Fiat Stilo includes window-bags and the ESP system, in addition to a two-zone automatic climatiser, Hi-Fi unit with CD player (including MP 3 files) and radio controls on the steering wheel. Lastly, the ‘Michael Schumacher’ special series is also fitted with a very large sky window as standard.
Turin, September 8, 2004
