In Europe, the little Fiat 500 Abarth had a few competitors to worry about, so it grew some extra muscle to become the 500 Abarth esseesse. Now, North American consumers will also get a chance to to play with the 160 horsepower pocket-rocket, as it will be revealed at the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show in US-spec form.
Of course, this isn’t your regular 500 with a better engine, as Fiat’s go-fast engineers have played with the brakes, suspension and steering as well. In the US, the Abarth will have 16-inch wheels as standard or 17-inch ones as an optional extra. Round the back, you have dual exhaust tips that are as loud as a proper sportscar’s.
"From the outside, the 2012 Fiat 500 Abarth is designed with the essence of a pure-Italian performance car – functional, purposeful and high-emotion exterior design enhancements, all stylistically blended to improve aerodynamics, engine cooling and road-holding grip," said Roberto Giolito, head of Fiat and Abarth style. "Inside, we surrounded the driver with a sporty and technical-styled 'cockpit,' encapsulated with the performance equipment and exclusive details to make the 500 Abarth a world-class performance machine."
The special interior treatment brings a flat-bottomed steering wheel, a pair of heavily bolstered racing bucket seats, a performance-oriented instrument cluster with turbo boost gauge and shift light.
No pricing was announced on the Fiat 500 Abarth yet, but it won’t be long now, since it should come by the end of the year. For now, enjoy the look of the beast in our photo gallery.
"From the outside, the 2012 Fiat 500 Abarth is designed with the essence of a pure-Italian performance car – functional, purposeful and high-emotion exterior design enhancements, all stylistically blended to improve aerodynamics, engine cooling and road-holding grip," said Roberto Giolito, head of Fiat and Abarth style. "Inside, we surrounded the driver with a sporty and technical-styled 'cockpit,' encapsulated with the performance equipment and exclusive details to make the 500 Abarth a world-class performance machine."
The special interior treatment brings a flat-bottomed steering wheel, a pair of heavily bolstered racing bucket seats, a performance-oriented instrument cluster with turbo boost gauge and shift light.
No pricing was announced on the Fiat 500 Abarth yet, but it won’t be long now, since it should come by the end of the year. For now, enjoy the look of the beast in our photo gallery.
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