Wild one-off Abarth 1000SP unleashed

Fiat's high-performance division, Abarth, has pulled the drapes off a wild new Abarth 1000SP roadster that boasts retro looks, an ultra-lightweight construction and a 177kW 1.75-litre four-cylinder turbo engine borrowed from Alfa Romeo.

Created to pay tribute to the original 1966 Abarth 1000 Sport Prototipo that won the Nurburgring 500km, the modern-day take on the tiny original looks like a rebodied Alfa Romeo 4C Spider.

That explains the 1.75-litre four-pot turbo and the fact that, while the original was formed around a skeletal tubular chassis, the 21st-century Abarth 1000SP is based around a full carbon-fibre monocoque.

Heavily inspired by the original, the upsized modern equivalent of the mid-1960s Abarth mimics the original's headlights, front air intake, front screen and side glass, while copying its engine's intakes and vents.

Even the roll cage and tail-lights of the new 1000SP are a faithful tribute that's albeit considerably offset by the overblown proportions of the more modern Alfa Romeo 4C.

Abarth has not quoted a weight figure for the new 1000SP, but it's unlikely to tip the scales anywhere near the featherweight 480kg original racer.

That said, the original had only a 1.0-litre four-cylinder lifted from the pedestrian Fiat 600D that, even after some tuning, could only manage 78kW at a screaming 8000rpm.

No other details have been released on the Abarth 1000SP, which is understood to be a one-off creation.

Rather than being a limited-run model, the retro Abarth 1000SP will reappear in the coming months at some undisclosed events that celebrate the Italian performance brand's history.