Fiat 500 Abarth Assetto Corse: Small But Deadly

Motoring Channel Staff - 16/May/2008

Turin, Italy — Tipping the scales at 930kg and outputting 147kW (200hp), Fiat's super-rare pocket rocket has an enviable power-to-weight ratio.

Just 49 versions of the Fiat 500 Abarth Assetto Corse racer will be built, making it one of the rarest modern-day Fiats money can buy. 

Owners also get matching apparel to go with the car including Assetto Corse-branded gloves, shoes, and helmet.

The special edition model could be seen as a modern-day version of the Fiat 595 Abarth from the '60s, and like all rare Italian cars is taking part in the 26th Mille Miglia road rally that starts in Brescia.

A number of weight-saving measures were undertaken by the vehicles creators - Fiat and Abarth - including completely stripping the interior, adding a roll (which also increased rigidity) and using lightweightforged aluminium wheels. This resulted in 180 kilograms of weight being shed.

While the car's weight has come down, it's power has increased by a large margin. Up from the standard Fiat 500's 74kW, the Fiat500 Abarth Assetto Corse cranks out 147kW @ 6500rpm and a serious 300Nm of torque @ 3000rpm.

Using a tiny 1.4-litre 4-cylinder petrol engine, the Abarth group engineered a turbocharger onto the power plant, a Garrett GT 1446 fixed geometry turbocharger.

Churning out high levels of boost, the small 1368cc turbo engine delivers a powerful punch, which is transferred to the front wheels via a 6-speed manual transmission.

Fiat hasn't confirmed the benchmark zero to 100km/h acceleration times, but with such a low weight and a high power output it's expected to be under 6.0 seconds.

Sitting on 17-inch wheels shod with Pirelli tyres with 205/50 ZR17 aspect ratios, the diminutive Italian hot hatch boasts a number of aerodynamic aids, including a large roof-mounted rear wing and ground-hugging front apron. Dual exhausts also denote its uprated engine.

As the images show, the Fiat 500 Abarth Assetto Corse is also adorned with a number of decals including the Abarth scorpion insignia.

Riding on modified suspension that includes "special racing shock absorbers" in tandem with coaxial springs and adjustable ride height, the miniature performance car is a racer at heart.

It even features 4-pot Brembo brake calipers with 305mm front discs and 264mm rear discs.

The reinforced cage structure is welded to the body shell, which improves rigidity making for more responsive handling, and even the drivers sports seat has been moved towards the centre of the car for better weight distribution.

While the Fiat 500 Abarth Assetto Corse is very much a racing version of the Fiat 500, the Italian marque is working two other mass-produced performance versions, the Fiat 500 Abarth and the Fiat 500 Abarth SS.

You can read about the 99kW Fiat 500 Abarth already, and Fiat is finalising development on the Fiat 500 Abarth SS, which is likely to get some of the features of this no-holds-barred racer, including a de-tuned version of its engine.

With the entire year's shipment of factory-standard Fiat 500's already sold in Australia, the tiny retro Italian car has proved to be wildly popular in almost every country it's sold. 

With just 49 Fiat 500 Abarth Assetto Corse's being produced, it's safe to say this one's also sold out already.

Related Articles:
- Fiat 500 Abarth (2008)
- Fiat 500 (2008)
- Fiat Grande Punto