There are tuners and there are tuners with some taking the easy way out going for a quick fix while others take up the challenge to create something truly unique. Italy’s Lucarelli-Monza belongs to the second category of tuners. The Monza-based tuning house has revealed details on its newest creation called the 500 Abarth Motore Centrale R230.
As its name implies, the heavily modified Italian hatchback gains a new layout with a mid-mounted engine and rear-wheel drive. Of course, such a radical change is not an easy task with the company having to re-engineer the entire vehicle.
Among other changes, the rear seats of the production model were dropped to create space for the engine while there’s also a new rear suspension set-up and a high-performance braking system with 335mm front- and 305mm rear- discs coupled with four-piston calipers.
The 500 Abarth’s standard 1.4-liter turbocharged engine was reworked extensively gaining a larger Garrett turbo, different injectors, custom sport exhaust system and other parts boosting output to 230HP and 330Nm, which are fed to the rear wheels through a five-speed manual gearbox and an electronic limited-slip differential.
The mechanical upgrades are accompanied by a new aero kit that includes a side-air vent for the engine along with new 17-inch alloy wheels shod in 205/40 tires. Inside, the 500 Abarth features a pair of bucket seats with the entire cabin dressed in leather in a two-tone black and orange theme. The exterior and interior mods are the work of Aznom.
The end-result of all these changes is a hot mini that weighs in at 1,050kg (2,314 pounds) and is capable of reaching 100km/h from standstill in just 4.7 seconds en route to a top speed of 240km/h (149 mph).
And if that ain’t enough, Lucarelli-Monza is working on a more hardcore yet still street-legal version called the R280 Track which goes on a strict diet to drop weight to 950kg (2,094 pounds) and gains a 280HP engine for a 0-100km/h (62mph) sprint time of3.9sec and a top speed of around 260km/h (162 mph).
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