Fiat to build sporty 500 Spider

By Nick Gibbs

21st June 2010

History is being repeated at Abarth! Fiat’s in-house tuning brand is to create its own two-seat sports car based on the 500 supermini. Both soft and hard-top versions are being considered, making the Abarth a natural rival for MINI’s forthcoming Roadster and Coupé models.

Auto Express first reported on the new Abarth back in Issue 1,045, when it was thought the car would be part of a joint venture with Lotus, using a rear drive, mid-engined Elise platform. But now the car has been confirmed by one of the firm’s top bosses. And in a nod to Abarth’s illustrious heritage, the sports model will be a rebodied Fiat – just as it was for Carlo Abarth’s first full-body conversion of a Fiat 600, back in 1955.

“I want to build a separate car, something unique,” said Antonino Labate, business operations director for Abarth. He confirmed his desire to base it on the forthcoming 695 Tributo Ferrari, Abarth’s ultimate incarnation of the 500.

Our exclusive illustration shows how the new roadster could look – and with its cheeky but muscular lines, it’s every inch the desirable sports car. Packing an 180bhp version of Fiat’s MultiAir 1.4 turbo engine, it should be capable of 140mph and 0-60mph in less than seven seconds. For an even more focused drive, Abarth would build on the same package of suspension tweaks used to create the high-performance Esseesse version of the current 500. Other modifications would include Sabelt-designed bucket seats, uprated brakes a sports exhaust and aerodynamic diffuser.

The car would also use the same Competitizone automated manual gearbox launched on the Abarth 500C. It will be fitted with paddleshifters, and the firm will speed up changes to match those of the latest twin-clutch boxes. Abarth is on a roll at the moment after selling 22,000 conversions of the Fiat 500 and Punto since its launch in 2008 – 60 per cent of sales have come from outside Italy and a third were sold with the Esseesse kit.

The fast-growing brand is now third, after Ferrari and Maserati, in terms of profitability in the Fiat Group, a fact that has accelerated the sports car project. “It won’t take a long time – probably two years,” said Labate. “We are Abarth, we develop quickly.” However, the firm won’t be fixing its famous scorpion badge to any other Fiat models in the near future. According to Labate, the firm will focus on tuning other brands in the Fiat Group.

With the new Abarth expected in 2012, prices are likely to start at around £20,000. What’s more, it might prompt Ford to take the Ka, which is based on the 500, and create a new Streetka.

Tell us about your car in our Driver Power survey.