Abarth stings into Oz

Fast Italian cars normally come with a price tag well in excess of the average family home. Now, with Abarth launching into the Australian market, true Italian performance is available for less than the price of the average family sedan.

With hard core high performance, a track-tuned chassis and styling cues certain to prove it means business, the Abarth 500 Essesse (based on the popular Fiat 500) landed in showrooms this week from just $34,990

Abarth boasts a 60 year heritage in Europe; the car that wears the legendary Black Scorpion badge boasts the motto 'small, but with a sting in its tail'.

300 examples of the distilled performance model are slated for Australian delivery by year's end -- with news of the upcoming model so well received that almost half of that allocation is already accounted for.

It's a loosely guarded secret that a convertible version, the Abarth 500C Essesse, is also on its way, offering open-top Italian performance and likely available by year's end.

Abarth local importers ATECO are keen to impress that 'the 500 Esseesse is not just a warmed up version of the existing car' but a no holds-barred pocket rocket boasting class-leading performance. The car comes off the production line in Poland with all other 500s before being shipped to Abarth's Turin tuning house in Italy for serious modification.

"We could not see the point in our market of having this two stage delivery of the Abarth 500," explains Andrei Zaitzev, General Manager for Abarth in Australia.

"For a start all the customers banging on our door from the moment the car was announced in Europe said the same thing -- they wanted the ultimate version. Secondly none of the reasons for the doing the aftermarket kit -- insurance, the existence of large car tuning market -- really apply here.

"So we told Abarth that our customers wanted one thing – the hottest, hardest, highest performing Abarth 500 they could produce and that's what we have in the Esseesse!"

Abarth 500 Esseesse packs 118kW and 230Nm beneath its augmented front end, rides 20mm lower than the standard car and features chunky cross-drilled disc brakes beneath its bespoke 17-inch alloy wheels.

Top speed is an impressive 211 km/h while the sprint to 100 km/h takes just 7.4 seconds.

Despite its lofty performance figures, Abarth 500 Esseesse's 1.4-litre turbocharged engine consumes just 6.5L/100km on the combined cycle and emits only 211g/km of CO2.

For grippy cornering, Abarth's alchemists sprung the Esseesse with revised springs and dampers while also endowing it with a trick Torque Transfer Control system that mimics the effects of a limited slip differential enhancing turn-in and limited understeer.

Abarth 500 Esseesse is shod with super sticky Michelin 205/40 rubber.

Inside, the fully equipped interior features a sporty flat bottomed steering wheel, leather bound gear knob, sports seats and aluminium trimmed pedals. There's also a dash-mounted turbo boost gauge and gear shift indicator to help drivers get the most out of their car.

The kit list also includes climate control air conditioning, power windows and mirrors, Interscope premium audio system with Fiat's acclaimed Blue&Me Bluetooth connectivity system and a full catalogue of safety equipment to boot.

"Despite all these features, performance and style, the Abarth 500 Esseesse has one last surprise up its sleeve," exclaims Zaitzev.

"It's the price. At a recommended retail price of $34,990 excluding statutory charges, delivery and dealer costs, the Abarth 500 Esseesse may the little car that delivers big sting on the road, but when it comes to the wallet, it's a little sting for big performance!"

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