The three-door 500 Abarth hatchback that is already available in the U.S. will be joined by its open-top sibling in early 2013.
Just like the hatch, the 500C Abarth that made its North American debut today at the LA Auto Show is powered by a turbocharged 1.4-liter four-cylinder. Its 160HP and 155 lb-ft (210), which rise to 170 lb-ft (230 Nm) in overboost mode are enough to accelerate the sporty city car from a standstill to 60 mph (96 km/h) “in the low seven-second range”, in Fiat’s own words.
The visual enhancements, such as the front and rear bumpers, the decals and the twin exhausts may give the game away but the 500C Abarth has also been extensively altered under the skin.
Compared to the plain-vanilla 500C, the Abarth features a new, stiffer front and rear suspension set-up for improved handling, traction and reduced roll, and 16-inche cast-aluminum alloys as standard, with 17-inch forged “Cinquecento” rims wrapped in 205/45 Pirelli P-Zero Nero tires as an option.
It also has a recalibrated and 10 percent quicker steering rack for more immediate response to the driver’s inputs, a specially tuned electronic stability control system with three settings (On, Partial Off or Full Off) and an electronically controlled torque transfer control (TTC) system that acts as a limited-slip diff.
The cabin gets a flat-bottomed steering wheel in perforated leather, an analog turbo-boost gauge with LED shift light to the left of the main instrument binnacle and one-piece front performance seats with integrated airbags.
Last, but not least, each customer receives a free pass for the Abarth Driving Experience where instructors from the Richard Petty Driving Experience guide train them on how to safely exploit their potential of their open-top pocket rocket.
By Andrew Tsaousis
PHOTO GALLERY
