2010 Paris Auto Show: Abarth 500C Esseesse

The Paris Auto Show which opened its doors two days ago is not all about hybrids and electric vehicles. It is also about the joy of motoring (or should we say it's mostly about the joy of motoring). For some, but not all, that joy is represented by an open top. For others, by a muscular car. There are also some who like their cars small.

Abarth thought of pleasing them all with one single car: the 500C Esseesse. Small, roofless if you like and, more importantly, quite potent, the 500C Esseesse brings a bit more punch than the currently marketed version.

Abarth thought the 140 bhp offered by the 1.4 16v Turbo T-Jet engine aren't enough for the task at hand, so it tweaked the unit some more and ended up squeezing 160 hp and 230 Nm of torque. This should bring the performance figures of the model to new levels - the existing version does 62 mph from a standstill in 8.1 seconds and reaches a top speed of 127 mph (205 km/h).

Visually, nothing new, with the same unique Abarth features screaming this isn't your everyday 500C. The vehicle is painted in Campovolo Grey with Pista Grey two-tone finish. You can tell it's an Abarth thanks to the Record Monza exhaust which sticks out from the back and screams like crazy when when the car passes 4,000 rpm..

The driver of the mini can enjoy all the features usually found in a larger car, including the Abarth Blue&Me MAP satellite navigation system, complete with telemetrics developed together with Magneti Marelli.