Abarth: Italian race legend recalled in upgraded Fiat 500

Abarth, the performance version of the 2012 Fiat 500, has hit town. Keep the revs high by pushing the accelerator low, and the fun of driving it rolls forth.

Turbocharging of the little 1.4-liter 4-cylinder engine has kicked horsepower to 160 and torque to 170 lbs.-ft. from the modest 101 and 98 in the standard 500.

Front and rear springs have been stiffened noticeably, with Koni shocks in front; among other Abarth upgrades the front fascia has been pushed ahead by almost 3 inches, the ride height has been lowered and larger-diameter front brake discs with red calipers have been installed. With its retuned suspension, the little Fiat is more capable in its cornering, and the turbo boost makes it creditable in lower-speed acceleration.

The pedestal-mounted, rosso-accent-stitched, leather-covered shifter for the 5-speed manual transmission is notchy in performance; keep the rpm above 3,000, though, and it becomes mostly a non-issue. A Sport mode increases throttle response, and a turbo-boost gauge/shift light is mounted to the left of the instrument cluster.

High-back bucket (leather) seats are more heavily bolstered than in the standard 500, though short cushions in front cut into long-term comfort. Rear legroom is very tight and trunk space is minimal, only 9.5 cubic feet. A roofline spoiler highlights the rear, along with dual-exhaust cutouts.

The scorpion badges adorning the Fiat tie the package to the Abarth, the Italian racing car maker. The name is pronounced “Ah-bart” (with silent h).

Karl Abarth, born in Vienna, Austria, in 1908, moved to Italy in 1934, where he met Ferdinand Porsche’s son-in-law Anton Piech, and married his secretary, the first of three wives for Abarth. After being hospitalized from a racing accident in Yugoslovia in 1938, he remained in that country during World War II. He then returned to Italy and became world-known for hill climbing and sports car racing. He began an association with Fiat in 1952, building the Abarth 1500 Biposto upon Fiat mechanicals. The Abarth corporation was purchased by Fiat in 1971. Abarth died in 1979.

The retuned Fiat Abarth carries an EPA rating of 28/34; I averaged 30.6 miles per gallon with the review model.

The Fiat Abarth performance package comes at a premium, with a base price of $22,000, compared to $17,500 for the Fiat 500 Sport. Optional items, such as navigation, leather-trimmed high-back seats, 17-inch forged aluminum hyper black wheels and Sirius satellite radio, pushed sticker price on the Abarth to $26,050.

At 144 inches in overall length, the Fiat 500 is one of the shortest cars on the market, about equal to the Mini Cooper.

The introduction of the Abarth model is expected to increase sales of the Fiat 500 in coming months. A total of 3,700 Fiats were sold in the U.S. in March, a big jump over previous months. A larger Fiat, the 500L, to be built in Kraqujevac, Serbia, will arrive in the U.S. in 2013.

Q: Bud, I read your column every week, and like your fondness for northern Colorado and occasionally driving expensive rides to Sterling for evaluation. My wife and I visit her mother, using our more bland but dependable 2010 Accord, 2010 Camry or, more rarely, our 1994 5.7 LT1 Roadie wagon. I’ve had some interesting cars over the years, including a ’76 Toyota Chinook, ’77 Lincoln Mark V with maroon/white leather and moonroof, ’63½ Ford Galaxie 500 XL, ’65 Caddy Fleetwood, ’62 Buick Electra 225 ragtop. Just read my Saturday Drive, almost aspirated my morning coffee when

I saw your Passat photo. The resemblance to the current Chevy Impala is more than striking, it’s plagiaristic. The profile seems identical right down to the little limo rear quarter windows and “idiot wedge” on the rear door glass frame. More and more new cars are hitting the “easy button” on this engineering challenge, including some very expensive cars whose designers should have known better. Check out the evolution of this little design quirk. The Dodge/Plymouth/DeSoto/Neon had an angled flip, the Dodge Intrepid and Ford Contour had a huge ugly black panel. Even my Roadmaster wagon and the old model Passat had tiny wedgies. I prefer the fixed pane windows in my Accord and Camry, even though they don’t open or have eight power-window switches like my old Fleetwood. Then there is the matter of the Chevy Cruze four-door window pattern not matching the curve of the chrome, like the Griswolds’ “Vacation” Mobile fake-wood issues, but we won’t worry about that today. – J.C.

A: Jim, your note is far too long, yet, so doggone interesting that I let it run almost at length. At least you stayed away from the front vent-wing window discussions of the past.

$26,050

(price as tested)

MPG City 28 Highway 34

Vehicle type: Subcompact performance hatchback

Wheelbase: 90.6 inches

Length/Width/Height: 144.4/64.1/58.7 inches

Weight: 2,533 pounds

Engine: 1.4-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder

Transmission: 5-speed manual

Fuel mileage: 30.6 mpg

Fuel tank: 10.5 gallons

Warranty: 4 years/50,000 miles basic

Competitors: Mini Cooper S, Volkswagen GTI, Hyundai Veloster, MazdaSpeed3

Built at: Toluca, Mexico

Parts content: Mexico 59 percent, Italy 28 percent, U.S./Canadian 11 percent

$22,000 base

$1,000 17-inch forged aluminum hyper black wheels

$1,000 Leather-trimmed high-back bucket seats

$600 Automatic temperature control, Sirius, nero seats

$700 Destination

Abarth link

Turbo boost

Dark wheels, red calipers

Exterior shape

Rear space