It’s Abarth day over here as the new Abarth 500 was put through its paces for one of the best presentations of a car. Grey and white versions went teté a teté on the track, even flying around on two wheels. The dynamic test at Balocco, which you can see in the photos here, was a whole lot of fun as Abarth releases the first pics of the 500 Opening Edition. Characterised by chequer-board pattens on the roof, the car has red leather interior and will be available in only 149 units for Italy, and 49 for overseas markets.

Only the best has gone into this model, including the 1.4 T-Jet power-step version of 160 hp, compared to the 135 of the original version. 7.4 seconds is all is required to reach 100 km/hr, and it has a maximum speed of 211 km/hr. The only hitch has been the transmission with the 230Nm necessitating a five-speed change. A sophisticated braking system includes perforated discs, a specific “powered by BMC” air filter, lowered springs and alloy wheels with white paint or titanium in 17-inch version with 205/40 R16 ZR 15 Pirelli tyres.

Continue reading: Abarth 500 Opening Edition: a rare scorpion

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From the first day on the market, the Abarth 500 has already found itself with 1,500 customers, though it will produce 5,000 units in 2008. These figures show how much fans waited for this car, which at 18,500 euros with its 135hp, is well-equipped with optional extras. After the success of the Abarth Grande Punto, which has already sold 3,000 models and 600 EsseEsse kits in two months, the Turin brand is on the attack again with the highly expected 500.

From the original presentation in Geneva, we already know that this 1.4 Tjet has got 135 hp (99Kw) at 5,500 rpm and maximum torque of 206 Nm at 3,000 rpm in Sport mode (”Normal” mode sees 180 Nm at 2,500 rpm). The car hits 100 km/hr in just 7.9 seconds and maximum speed is 205 km/hr. The engine is already in line with Euro 5 norms, but consumption figures are surprising: 6.5 litres/100 km on mixed routes, 8.5l/100km on an urban circuit and 5.4l/100km on an extra-urban track.

Continue reading: Abarth 500: details and pricing

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