The Fiat 500 Abarth might be small, but it has plenty of go and looks the goods.
Blink and you'll miss it; and not just because it should be quite quick.
Fiat has released official pictures of the hot Abarth version of the ultra-diminutive Fiat 500. The latter is launched here shortly; the Abarth at the Geneva Motor Show next month, and slated for an early '09 Australian delivery.
Ever conscious of their heritage, Fiat says the new car was developed by the Fiat Group Automobiles Style Centre in the spirit of the legendary 1960s Abarths. Fiat has even revived the Abarth's 1960s ad slogan; “Small but wicked.”
It is powered by a 1.4-litre, 16-valve turbo petrol engine, which delivers a maximum of 99kW at 5500rpm and peak torque of 206Nm at 3000rpm. That's in Sport mode.
In the less frenetic Normal, accessible at a button's push, it is reduced to 180Nm at 2500rpm — still more than ample for such a pint-size conveyance, you'd think. As with the powerplants of the regular 500s, the Abarths meet incoming Euro 5 environmental strictures. The 500 Abarth adopts the new TTC (Torque Transfer Control) system, which Fiat says improves the transfer of torque to the wheels and ensures stability on bends.
The standard Fiat 500 will make its Australian debut at the Melbourne International Motor Show next Friday, followed by a racetrack appearance at the Australian Grand Prix on March 16, where numbers of them will no doubt be bent and busted in the Celebrity Challenge.
The Abarth car and exhaust company was founded in 1949 by Italian-Austrian Karl (Carlo) Abarth in Turin and were successful in motorsports before being bought by Fiat.
