In case you hadn't noticed, we in America don't get the sweet new Fiat 500. And we won't get the 500 Abarth, either. At least not anytime soon. For those not familiar with the joyful little Cinquecento (1957-1975), Italy's answer to the Volkswagen Beetle, this information won't be particularly meaningful. But for the few North Americans familiar with the old car's charms (and with the race-winning work of Fiat's in-house speed shop, Abarth), the news is molto triste, to say the least.
Arriving on the heels of the oft-praised Grande Punto Abarth and set for an official debut at the Geneva Show next month, the 500 Abarth packs a 1.4-liter turbocharged gasoline four-cylinder engine. At first glance, the little car's (very little, as in six inches shorter than a Mini Cooper) specifications — a Sport-mode maximum of 135 horsepower and 152 pound-feet of torque — may not raise eyebrows, but the figures seem a whole lot more impressive when you consider the 500 tips the scales at only a few pounds over one ton (some 500 pounds less than the Cooper). In other words, if you loved the Honda CRX Si, you'd lose your mind for the Abarth.
Will Italy's small wonder ever make the trip to North America? Entirely possible. Emboldened by the success of Maserati in the United States, the Fiat Group is gearing up to re-launch the Alfa Romeo brand here during the next few model years. Considering the scope of that investment, adding this eminently desirable mini-car into the mix seems like a foregone conclusion. The American market has worked out pretty well for Mini, after all.
Source: Carscoop, via Autoblog.
More pictures after the break, courtesy of Fiat, as well as a video teaser of the 500 Abarth.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bJwVBfRvkg
