Fiat 500 Abarth Asetto Corse revealed at Mille Miglia
Click above for high-res gallery of the Fiat 500 Abarth Asetto Corse
Fiat is in attendance this week at the famous Mille Miglia in Brescia, Italy and it brought with it a whopper of a small car to impress the crowd. On hand is the Fiat 500 Abarth Asetto Corse, a full race version of the little iconic car that sports a screaming 200-hp turbocharged 1.4L four-cylinder that also produces 220 pound-feet of torque. Power is routed through a six-speed gearbox on its way to a set of 17-inch track white ultralight racing wheels that totally look the part. Make no mistake, this is a real race car and a special one-make championship series is being planned that will put it on the most famous race tracks across Europe next year. Only 50 will be made, however, so entry is exclusive.
While we don't know the price yet, your bag of Euros will get you a 500 that's kitted out with an aerodynamic package that adds a front spoiler, big rear wing, fender flares at all four corners and two new hood-mounted air intakes to feed the turbo. The interior has been stripped to save weight, which now stands at just 2,050 lbs., and a racing roll bar has been installed to protect the driver who now sits closer to the center of the car to improve weight distribution and driving feel. The Asetto Corse gets big Abarth badges all around and a pastel grey with red striping livery. The one on hand at the Mille Miglia is No. 00/49 and a pre-production prototype, so there are still plenty left for those who've always wanted a 500 race car.
Gallery: Fiat 500 Abarth Asetto Corse
[Source: World Car Fans, Italiaspeed]
Full Specifications
Engine
4 cylinders in line, 4 valves per cylinder, 1368 cc.
Power output: 200 KW (147 KW) at 6500 rpm.
Peak torque 300 Nm at 3000 rpm.
Garrett GT 1446 fixed geometry turbocharger.
Special reinforced water and air sleeves.
Transmission
M32 6-speed gearbox
Suspension
McPherson layout at front, special racing shock absorbers,
coaxial spring with nut for adjusting height of car.
Rear
inter-connected arms, special racing shock absorbers,
springs with nut for adjusting height of car.
Steering
Electric power steering with racing tuning
Brakes
Brembo radial front calliper with four pistons M4X40.
• Perforated, self-ventilating front brake disc, ø 305 mm x 28 mm.
• Rear calliper with ø 36 mm piston.
• Rear brake disc, ø 264 mm x 11 mm.
• High-performance Racing brake pads.
Body
Rear spoiler and front bumper splitter.
Chassis
Reinforced cage structure, welded to the bodyshell.
Lightened interiors, Sabelt Racing safety setup.
Optimised driving position, shifted towards the centre of the car.
Wheels
Painted, forged aluminium wheels, 7" x 17".
Tyres:205/50 ZR17
Weight
930 Kg
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
bakka 11:07AM (5/15/2008)
WOW!
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Travis 11:12AM (5/15/2008)
I know I sound like a broken record on here, but god I want this car here in the US.
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Quattrofan 11:21AM (5/15/2008)
WOW! If this very thing was available Stateside, I'd be getting my SCCA Competition License in a hurry.
John P. 11:14AM (5/15/2008)
WOW! I'll repeat what Bakka said, and curse under my breath what Travis said.
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Artemiy Pavlov 11:17AM (5/15/2008)
Holy Lord! This is a pocket spaceship. And damn, the more 500 news I read, the more I want it. I really think that instead getting one big car, it's a better idea to have a city car like this and something for longer trips with more luggage. 95% of the gas you pay for goes to transport a ton and a half of metal and plastic, after all.
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Rocketboy 11:19AM (5/15/2008)
Yes, but how does it drive? Is it up to MINI standards, or are they still trying to reach that? If the drive has been improved, then Wowza! If not, it's a great start, but still not quite there.
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David(Postal) 11:24AM (5/15/2008)
I would kill for one of these little cars
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Will 11:24AM (5/15/2008)
I am so happy to see Abarth back in racing for real.
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Jruhi4 12:29PM (5/15/2008)
I'd definitely love to see that in the States.
One comment, though: Shouldn't the specifications read Power output: 200 hp (147 KW), and not 200 KW (147 KW) like they do now?
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yh 12:29PM (5/15/2008)
holy crap... that thing's got to be pretty fast. 200HP with a curb weight of ~2000lb all wrapped into a cute little package. I think you'll see a lot of jaws drop when you realize that a fiat 500 just blew by you.
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Shawn 12:54PM (5/15/2008)
Now if we only had real pics and not renders!
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Get out and Push 1:00PM (5/15/2008)
Agreed. That's gotta be one of the worst renderings/photoshop I've ever seen. Regardless, I am in love with these cars. I know they plan on releasing the 500 here in the US, can't remember if they plan on releasing the Abarth version here, but I'll be one of the first in line for this thing and will immediately be screeching the tires all over the streets.
Abarth 500. True Love.
Rick 1:04PM (5/15/2008)
Real pics? Go to Italiaspeed.com
Artemiy Pavlov 1:54PM (5/15/2008)
http://www.italiaspeed.com/2008/motorsport/others/mille_miglia/sponsor_park/abarth/gallery/gallery.html
GOT 7:08AM (6/24/2008)
Thanks for the linkage Artemiy!
I want one of these ABARTHs so incredibly bad! They keep looking better and better...
Mattias 1:16PM (5/15/2008)
Together with a friend of mine we did some weekend tuning with an 1960s Cinquecento. First we swapped the engine with a Polski Fiat unit that we bored out to the maximum, than we added some larger carburettor (no Holleys), improved the compression ratio and did some filing to improve the airflow. The result is somewhere around 36 to 38hp. Up from original 19hp.
With less than 1100lb that is a pocket rocket.
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Pete 3:37PM (5/15/2008)
Again, where do I send the deposit check for mine?
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LDMAN 2:33PM (5/15/2008)
How do you say torque steer in Italian?
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Ian B. 2:51PM (5/15/2008)
it translates into two phrases, depending upon what part of Italy you're from:
1) goes like stink
2) giant killer
LDMAN 12:50PM (5/17/2008)
Maybe, but I still dream to see this car with 4x4 system they use on the Panda. Over 200 bhp and FWD with a car that light scares me.