2012 FIAT 595C Abarth 1.4L competizione 5AT FWD (180 HP)

Vehicle Overview

With its long racing pedigree behind it, the Italian race-engineering company Abarth took the little Fiat 500 and transformed it into a mini hot-hatch, then it took its roof off to make the 595C model.

Back in 1963, Carlo Abarth took a standard Fiat 500 and tuned it. He increased the displacement up to 593 cc, named it 595, and then tuned the engine to provide 35 hp. It was more than enough for the light vehicle to provide more speed and, thanks to a lowered and stiffened suspension, to get faster around a track than the standard 500. In respect for that racing version, Fiat and Abarth met again, this time for the modern 500.

On the outside, the car featured a new aerodynamic package that showed a lowered apron at the front with a wide grille in the middle and two side scoops. Between the scoops and the center element, Abarth stuck the fog-lights. On the sides, the rocker-panels were lower and had a minor aerodynamic ground-effect. The main difference between the 595 and the 595C was the roof. While the regular version featured a fixed, metallic roof, the C-version sported a folding top, which could have been retracted behind the rear bench, above the trunk area.

Inside, the carmaker installed two sport seats at the front with integrated headrests. In the back, the bench was profiled for two. When it made the open-top version, Fiat took care not to take more room from the already small interior. The dash panel color matched the hand-stitched leather-clad interior. The carmaker included a sport steering wheel with a flattened bottom in the package.

Under the hood, Abarth took the 1.4-liter turbocharged engine and worked its magic. There were two output versions: 160 hp and 180 hp.