Fiat’s, or rather Abarth’s new Limited Edition 695 Biposto Record packs a mighty punch for its size, but at a cost that might leave you feeling like someone just punched you in the stomach.
Announced on Tuesday for the UK market, the special edition Abarth model that’s based on the Fiat 500 city car comes with a 190hp 1.4-liter turbocharged four and plenty of styling and performance upgrades at a pretty hefty cost, as it’s priced at £36,610 OTR (equal to $55,700 or €52,300).
But those are UK prices, some of you will say, and to you, we reply that the BMW M135i Hatch and M235i Coupe start from £31,860 and £35,075 respectively, while the new 350PS Ford Focus RS and 310PS Honda Civic Type R both start from £29,995.
Nevertheless, this is a very special limited production model aimed at enthusiasts who want the fastest production city car or as the Italians put it, the ‘world’s smallest supercar’.
Only 133 examples will be made for worldwide distribution with just a portion of those cars coming to the UK, so we imagine that Fiat shouldn’t have a problem convincing diehard fans looking for the ultimate 500.
The Record model is based on the two-seat Abarth 695 Biposto using the same 190hp and 250 Nm strong 1.4L turbo mill which has to push around only 997kg (2,198 pounds), resulting in the best-in-category weight-to-power ratio at 5.2 kg/hp and 0-100km/h (62mph) sprint time at 5.9 seconds, with the mini achieving a top speed of 230 km/h (143 mph).
In this limited edition Record trim, it’s finished in an exclusive ‘Modena Yellow’ color with ‘Tar Cold Grey’ trims and ‘695 Record’ badges, and sports 18-inch OZ alloy wheels, large Brembo brakes and a throatier Akrapovic exhaust. On the inside, there’s a special instrument panel animation, Sabelt carbon shell seats, four point seatbelts, a cargo net and a unique numbered plate.
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