Wraps come off new Abarth 500 Drop-top
Thursday 25th February 2010, 8:45am
Has Abarth lost its head? Fiat’s performance division has revealed a harder and faster version of the drop-top 500C, and these are the first official photos ahead of the car’s debut at the Geneva Motor Show.
It sports the same retractable fabric sunroof as the standard 500C, but the Abarth cabriolet is immediately recognisable thanks to its radical two-tone paintjob. Customers can specify the roof in either black or grey, while the bonnet, pillars and shoulder line will be finished in the same colour. An extended roof spoiler, bodykit and 17-inch alloy wheels finish off the exterior makeover.
Under the bonnet is the same 1.4-litre Turbo T-Jet engine as in the standard Abarth 500, which makes 138bhp and 206Nm, but abarth will up that to 161bhp and 245Nm if you so wish (and you do, right?). The big change is the introduction of a five-speed auto. Paddles on the wheel let drivers take control manually, while a full self-shifting mode is available, too.
The little 500 is scheduled to go on sale early in the summer, with prices starting from around £17,000 for the Abarth 500C.