Rate It: The Abarth 500 Race Car Built for the Street

Driving an actual race car on the street can be difficult, be it the super-stiff suspension, lack of any sort of creature comforts or even the simple fact that a lot of race cars aren’t legal for use on public roads. (Bummer, we know.) But that didn’t stop Fiat from tryin…

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I have Fiat friends online that love this thing.

I think it's totally awesome.

Is it a smart way to spend $64,000?  Certainly not.

That's irrelevant.

Duke said:

I think it's totally awesome.

Is it a smart way to spend $64,000?  Certainly not.

That's irrelevant.

 

Is any car really a smart way to spend $64k?

In reply to 93EXCivic :

Probably not, but some are a lot smarter than others.

Duke said:

In reply to 93EXCivic :

Probably not, but some are a lot smarter than others.

 

This or a C8..... hmmm..... 

Saron81 said:

Duke said:

In reply to 93EXCivic :

Probably not, but some are a lot smarter than others.

 

This or a C8..... hmmm..... 

 

Both are just as likely to break before 3000 miles.

Biposta.  Two Seats.

Check how much that optional 6 speed is, that is a good chunk of that $64,000 price tag.

$64k? is a bunk number.  First it's converted from a UK price.  The rest of the world shows prices with tax included.  Tax or VAT as it's British is 20% so that immediately $51,800 before tax.  Also that price was an upper limit for things like 30 more hp, dog box trans, plastic side windows, 360lb weight savings, carbon fiber seats, titanium roll bar plus more.  Suddenly the extra money doesn't' sound so extreme to me.  

Not available in North America.  We got screwed once again, not that I had the money sitting around.  

John Cooper Werks is $33.9k and is 228 hp @ 5200 rpm and 236 lb-ft @ 1250 rpm. It a lot heavier at 2,855 lbs. The mini's power to weight is 0.0799 and Abarth Race car is 0.0864. I guess you can just gut the mini to get it down to 2200lbs.

So "race car" these days means they put in some fairly comfortable seats that resemble race seats, a harness bar, and some 4-point harnesses? 

I mean pretty much every Honda tuner has been doing that for about 25 years now on that on their daily drivers :)

Fun fact: All stage rally cars are street legal race cars (they are required to be). And hell no, I would never want to commute in mine!

irish44j (Forum Supporter) said:

So "race car" these days means they put in some fairly comfortable seats that resemble race seats, a harness bar, and some 4-point harnesses? 

I mean pretty much every Honda tuner has been doing that for about 25 years now on that on their daily drivers :)

Fun fact: All stage rally cars are street legal race cars (they are required to be). And hell no, I would never want to commute in mine!

I have not seen too many Honda Tuners installing 6 speed dogbox transmissions that have their shift mechanisms out in the open.