NEW ABARTH 695 COMPETIZIONE HERE NEXT MONTH

Italian carmaker Abarth has given a preview of the latest version of its 695 Competizione three-door hot hatch due here next month. Abarth is the performance arm of the giant Fiat company and the 695 is based on the iconic and long-established Fiat 500. Competizione is the only 695 variant on offer and is available with both manual and automatic transmissions. It comes with 132 kW of power with a characteristic Abarth roar through a new vertically-stacked Record Monza exhaust tip. The upcoming model comes with an all-new Racing Orange… Read more

500e IS ABARTH’S FIRST-EVER ELECTRIC VEHICLE

Abarth, the high-performance arm of Italian carmaker Fiat, has unveiled details of its first-ever electric car. Due here late in 2023, the Abarth 500e is an enhanced version of the Fiat 500e which will arrive mid-year. The Abarth 500e will be powered by a front-mounted 114 kW / 235 Nm electric motor with a 42-kW battery pack pushing the little car from zero to 100 km/h in seven seconds. In a break from the normal silence that identifies all other electric vehicles Abarth has fitted an interesting piece of technology… Read more

2022 ABARTH 595 COMPETIZIONE

One of our family cars for many years was a ‘Fiat 500 by Gucci’ convertible. It was a brilliant little Italian machine to buzz around in traffic and park in tiny spots that others simply could not fit into. It had the Gucci trademark green/red/green stripes and people admired it whenever we stopped. So, it was great to spend a week in the sporting cousin of our 500, the Abarth 595 Competizione. Abarth is the name used on the high-performance variants in the Fiat 500 range. STYLING Based on the… Read more

ABARTH 595 SCORPIONEORO

In a tribute to the A112 Abarth “Gold Ring”, the exclusive special edition hot hatch, the Abarth 595 Scorpioneoro, has arrived in Australia. Limited to just 30 units of the global production run of 2,000, the Abarth 595 Scorpioneoro is an unmistakable tribute to the heritage of the Abarth brand. It features black scorpion livery adorned with gold accents throughout. Power comes from a Euro 6D 1.4 T-jet engine with five-speed manual transmission. And it accelerates from zero to 100km/h in 7.3 seconds. The Abarth 595 Scorpioneoro’s dark exterior is… Read more

ABARTH 695 RIVALE SPECIAL EDITION

Abarth Australia has announced it will import just 35 units of its 695 Rivale Special Edition models to this country. These are in celebration of the heritage of the Riva Yachts, prestige boats famed for their opulence, performance and sophistication. Available in both hatch and cabriolet versions, the Rivale Edition features a two-tone exterior finish of Riva Blue & Tributo Ferrari Grey, reminiscent of Lake Iseo, where the Riva brand began. The Rivale Special Edition is based on the current Abarth 595 Competizione. Visually it stands out by having satin… Read more

ABARTH 124 SPIDER MONZA SPECIAL EDITION

Abarth Australia has introduced a limited edition 124 Spider Abarth Monza Special Edition. “The legacy of Carlo Abarth has driven the production of some of the world’s most exciting motor vehicles and this Monza Special Edition continues the realisation of his passion,” said Fulvio Antonelli, the director of Abarth in Australia. The 124 Spider Monza Edition is limited to just 30 units, each with its own numbered plaque. In a very stylish Italian way the plaque is crafted of brushed aluminium with a laser etched finish, and features the Monza… Read more

2018 ABARTH 595 COMPETIZIONE

What a hoot! I loved driving the Abarth 595 Competizione for the whole week I spent in it. Partly for its lively attitude to the road, but chiefly because of the attention and pleasure it gave to other road users, even to pedestrians would you believe. I’ve had the pleasure of piloting Italian supercars – Ferraris, Maseratis and Lamborghinis (tough lives we motoring journos lead…). While these often get gazed at in envy and other drivers like to race them off the lights, sometimes these ultra expensive machines get me… Read more

2018 ABARTH 595: MORE POWER, FEWER DOLLARS

The smallest hot hatches in Australia, the Abarth 595 and the full-on Abarth 595 Competizione have received extra power, a facelift, improved infotainment and added equipment. Prices have been trimmed as part of the revision of the Italian marque’s plan to lift its slowish sales downunder. Both models are powered by a 1.4-litre turbocharged engine, the Abarth 595 delivers 107 kW, in the Competizione is re-tuned to give 132 kW. Note that a Competizione with a 118 kW engine is no longer being imported to Australia. Smart move, it’s surely… Read more

ABARTH 124 SPIDER IS AN AFFORDABLE ITALIAN SPORTSCAR

The Abarth 124 Spider is an affordable Italian sportscar with lots of racing, rallying and sporting heritage behind it. Its shape is cleverly based on that of the early 1970s Abarth 124 Rally. Best of all, it’s cheap as chips. The cost of the little hotshot has been kept down by teaming with Mazda which builds the world’s biggest selling open-top car, the MX-5. An odd situation? Yes, but one that’s increasingly common these days, with many unlikely bedfellows – BMW and Toyota, Nissan and Mercedes, and many more. The… Read more

ABARTH 124 SPIDER IS ONE ITS WAY.

Abarth is to Fiat what HSV is to Holden and AMG to Mercedes; an organisation that takes standard cars and turns them into hot sports and/or racing machines. The latest one to come to Australia, the Abarth 124 Spider, is now on a ship downunder and goes on sale on Friday, October 7th. Carlo Abarth already had a strong background of building racing cars before he set up is own company in Bologna, Italy in 1949. His star sign was Scorpio and he chose a scorpion based badge for his… Read more