New 2012 Fiat 500 Abarth Lands In United States

Good news for Abarth fans in the United States! It seems that we Europeans won’t be the only ones enjoying the pursuits of having fun with a Fiat 500 Abarth after all. Fiat decided to drop it’s turbocharged 160-hp 1.4L MultiAir engine model in the United States. Packing the full range of goodies from Abarth; including suspension, brake system, race inspired technological thingies and design not usually seen on cars this small.

Spicy little Italian is making its debut today, at the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show. With pretty interesting 160HP available from the 1.4L turbocharged engine, delivering that power at 5,500RPM with peak torque being rounded of at 170 lb-ft (230Nm) in the range between 2,500RPM and 4,000RPM. Even though we don’t have the performance figures for acceleration, we know that it has a five-speed manual gearbox with Abarth-tuned Torque Transfer Control (TTC) system which helps transfer power to the front axle.

The 500 Abarth comes, as mentioned before, with a full range of goodies. Modified front bumpers allow better airflow to the brakes and intercooler, Abarth 16 inch wheels, with multispoke design, adding to the overall sporty appearance. Even though I hate the world sporty which is being used on pretty much anything from cars to drinks, this thing really looks accordingly. A pretty great choice for anyone wanting to leave their big exotic for the weekends and do some daily errands in a souped up little Fiat!

Whole thing looks interesting, looks properly built and we can’t wait to see it in person. For example the interior is quite modern, with flashy little things, buttons and dials dominating the well thought of interior. An LED shift light is also part of the package, including a turbo boost gauge, keeping that pressure levels in check all of the time. High shifter position may favor some, may not favor some, but in our opinion, it will be right at hand (no pun intended) in a smaller vehicle like this.

Yeah, there are other little bits and pieces that complete this package, but I am really not into explaining all the small stitching and carpet options. What is important are the 0.6 inches lower height than the standard, already good handling Fiat 500. Where Koni’s dual valve frequency selective damping shocks allow for plenty of control, comfort and smoothness, as well as good performance driving. Both front and rear brake system was upgraded, where the front now has a 11.1 inch rotor paired wit a single piston brake caliper. Rear has 9.4 inches of stopping power also with a single piston brake caliper configuration.

I am really pleased to point out, that the large media gallery we have included in the article, was done by one of our friends. We are talking about Webb Bland who’s photography skills have produced one pretty sick series of photographs of this pretty damn interesting little car. Even though it’s still a small compact car, this will no doubtedly attract a lot of attention and buyers when it becomes available. No pricing was announced, sorry! We will address that when we get info about it.