Fiat 500 goes rallying

The latest in a long line of special editions of the Fiat 500 could be the best yet. Fiat performance division Abarth has unveiled the new 500 R3T, a rally ready version of the retro-styled baby car.

Abarth not only build hotted-up versions of road cars for Fiat but also runs the Italian brand's rally team in the Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC) with a fleet of Super 2000-spec Grande Puntos. This knowledge has obviously come in handy with the latest 500.

Built to the Group R3T rally regulations (hence the name) the new special-stage 500 is powered by a 1.3-litre turbocharged engine, tuned for 132kW at 5500rpm.

The engine is mated to a six-speed sequential racing gearbox and twin plate clutch. There is a self-locking differential and special half-axles to further enhance the performance of the compact racer.

Naturally the suspension has been tuned for racing and features fully adjustable shock absorbers, springs and shims to alter camber and castor.

Getting the power to the road is via Oz racing wheels measuring 17x7-inches. Inside the front wheels are ventilated Brembo brake discs clamped by four-piston callipers. And just like a proper rally car there is a hydraulic handbrake for negotiating tight bends.

The R3T has been stripped of any unnecessary parts to get the weight down to the category minimum of 1080kg.

In place of the usual interior the Abarth team has fitted a roll-cage and racing seats to meet FIA rallying safety standards.

But the bad news is the R3T looks like it won't be heading down under anytime soon. Instead Abarth plans to run the car in promotional rally trophy events in Europe next year; the details of those events are yet to be revealed.

The R3T joins the original Abarth, Abarth Opening Edition, Abarth EsseEsse, Abarth Assetto Corse, Tributo Ferrari and Barbie version in the seemingly endless list of limited run 500s.

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