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Pogea Racing Develops The Ultimate Abarth 500, It Comes With 404 HP

Pogea Racing is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, and the company has been working on a freakish project that has been completed in time for the occasion.
Pogea Racing's Ares, based on the Abarth 500 26 photos
Photo: Pogea Racing
Pogea Racing's Ares, based on the Abarth 500Pogea Racing's Ares, based on the Abarth 500Pogea Racing's Ares, based on the Abarth 500Pogea Racing's Ares, based on the Abarth 500Pogea Racing's Ares, based on the Abarth 500Pogea Racing's Ares, based on the Abarth 500Pogea Racing's Ares, based on the Abarth 500Pogea Racing's Ares, based on the Abarth 500Pogea Racing's Ares, based on the Abarth 500Pogea Racing's Ares, based on the Abarth 500Pogea Racing's Ares, based on the Abarth 500Pogea Racing's Ares, based on the Abarth 500Pogea Racing's Ares, based on the Abarth 500Pogea Racing's Ares, based on the Abarth 500Pogea Racing's Ares, based on the Abarth 500Pogea Racing's Ares, based on the Abarth 500Pogea Racing's Ares, based on the Abarth 500Pogea Racing's Ares, based on the Abarth 500Pogea Racing's Ares, based on the Abarth 500Pogea Racing's Ares, based on the Abarth 500Pogea Racing's Ares, based on the Abarth 500Pogea Racing's Ares, based on the Abarth 500Pogea Racing's Ares, based on the Abarth 500Pogea Racing's Ares, based on the Abarth 500Pogea Racing's Ares, based on the Abarth 500
Four years of testing and development have led to the creation of ARES, which is a heavily modified vehicle based on the Abarth 500. They started with the 1.4-liter model that has 135 HP, and the project has been completed with a road-going car that delivers 404 HP.

Its peak torque is electronically limited to 445 Nm, and it is delivered at 3,350 rpm. That is more than twice the standard figure, which called for a reinforced gearbox casing, a limited slip differential, a dedicated cooler for the transmission, and a heavy-duty clutch and flywheel.

The engine has also been modified significantly, and the tuners went through seven turbochargers and three injection systems until they found the current setup.

Peak output is reached at 6,400 rpm, and the car can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in just 4.7 seconds. Top speed was measured with a GPS at 288 km/h (178 mph), which is incredibly fast for this kind class of automobile.

Clients are offered a one-year warranty for the engine and drivetrain via a third-party insurer. Pogea Racing has specified that it has already completed 12,000 kilometers (7,456 miles) of tests without any reliability issues or concerns.

After four years of development, and a very long list of modifications, it looks like this configuration is built to last, in spite of its small displacement.

Only five units will be constructed, which means that Pogea Racing will make another four after the one observed in the photo gallery. It can only be ordered with a manual transmission, which has been improved to handle and take benefit of the increased power and torque.

The exterior look of this model is completed by 18-inch light alloy rims, a carbon fiber wide body kit, and the facelift applied in the 500 range. Pogea fitted the ARES with a KW Clubsport adjustable suspension, reconfigured the rest of the unsprung components, and installed a high-performance braking system. ARES weighs 977 kg (2,153 lbs) with a full tank of gas, but without a driver.

Customers can also request the body kit in plastic, instead of carbon fiber, and it is available without the engine package. It fits all Abarth models from 2008 to present day.

If you are only interested in the engine and gearbox enhancement, the tuners will tune your Abarth 500 to almost the same figures for a price that starts at EUR 21,000.

The basic cost of the conversion is EUR 58,950, which includes assembly, painting, and an Abarth 500 base vehicle. You may say that this is a lot of money for a tuning package for a front-wheel drive hatchback, but the level of performance promised should be enough motivation for the most demanding clients, who will find it satisfactory that no screw was left untouched on this product.
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About the author: Sebastian Toma
Sebastian Toma profile photo

Sebastian's love for cars began at a young age. Little did he know that a career would emerge from this passion (and that it would not, sadly, involve being a professional racecar driver). In over fourteen years, he got behind the wheel of several hundred vehicles and in the offices of the most important car publications in his homeland.
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