- The Abarth Offshore is an officially licensed two-person jet boat.
- It makes more power than the last actual Fiat 500 Abarth available in the USA.
- The specs sound great, but we have questions about production and other details.
The Fiat 500 Jolly has a place in history among the wealthy for its undeniable charm and utility. Now, those who want that same sort of panache on the water itself can also bring along this: the Abarth Offshore. Built by manufacturer Car Off Shore out of Italy in partnership with Stellantis, it promises a rip-roaring good time.
Under the skin, this Abarth-suited nautical craft is basically a two-person jet boat. It leverages an inboard hydro jet engine to develop 230 hp (171 kW) says Stellantis. That’s plentiful and allows the Abarth Offshore to reach 58 knots or about 67 mph (107 km/h).
Read: New Lexus LY 680 Is A Super-Luxe Yacht With Up To 2,700 HP
In addition, it comes with two Besenzoni sports seats with four-point belts and a Wave Shock dampened support base. The rear half of the boat is mostly deck. A recessed steel ladder provides easy access to and from the water.
Inside, synthetic teak flooring adds a touch of luxury, complemented by a Garmin stereo system boasting four speakers and a subwoofer that utilizes the dashboard as a sounding board. Speaking of which, the dash bears a striking resemblance to the exterior of the car upon which it’s based.
All of this brings us to our questions about the Abarth Offshore. First, neither Stellantis nor Car Off Shore provides pricing for the boat. Third-party sellers in the USA are asking $125,000 for the Fiat 500 edition of this same boat.
There is also no indication of exactly when production begins or how soon customers can expect their lil’ yacht. Typically, production would be underway or beginning when an announcement like this comes along. Stellantis says Car Off Shore will build 500 of these.
According to the manufacturer’s website though, production of its 500 Offshore is already limited to “40 pieces per year.” Does that mean it’s ending production of the normal 500 version and now exclusively building the Abarth? Perhaps it’s expanded production capacity. We’ve sent these queries to the manufacturer at its very official-sounding “caroffshor[at]gmail.com” (yes, there’s no E at the end) email address. We’ll update this post if they return our messages.
