21.02.2011 ABARTH 500 PROVES A SALES HIT IN AUSTRALIA BEFORE IT HAS EVEN ARRIVED

ABARTH 500 1.4 TURBO ESSEESSE

The Abarth 500 esseesse's wheels are enlarged from the standard car’s 15 inches to 17 inches, while there are cross drilled brake discs at the front and rear, and the aggressively lowered suspension that transforms the 500 from chic city car to urban tearaway.

A little over a week after it was revealled that the Abarth 500 will not only make its long anticipated arrival in Australia in March but it will also be coming the higher power esssesse version, the Australian Abarth importer has announced that the first shipment is already sold out and they are now half way through selling the second shipment, due in April, despite the fact that prices have yet to be announced.

"While we are amazed by the demand for the Abarth 500 esseesse, it isn’t a huge surprise," says Andrei Zaitzev, General Manager for Abarth in Australia. "The Abarth 500’s Australian arrival was delayed by demand in Europe, which meant that there was already pent-up demand here. The announcement that we would launch with the rare, high performance esseesse version sent an extra rush of people to our dealerships wanting to be amongst the first on the road in an Abarth 500. We have had customers trying, for example, to buy a car in as many as four separate places, something that is by no means unusual!"

Compared to the car on sale in Australian on which it is based, the Fiat 500, which has 100 bhp (74 kW) on offer, the Abarth 500 when fitted with the esseesse kit boasts 160 bhp (118 kW), which is enough to slash the time taken for the 100 km/h dash from 10.5 seconds to just 7.4 seconds while top speed leaps from 182 km/h to 211 km/h. Fuel consumption meanwhile on the combined cycle rises by just 0.2 of a litre per 100 km, from 6.3 to 6.5 litres per 100 km.

"This unique combination of giant slaying performance and environmental ability thanks to low fuel consumption and excellent CO2 emissions really makes it a sports car for the 21st century – a little devil with a green heart," says Mr Zaitzev.

Despite its efficient fuel economy performance, looking at the Abarth 500 esseesse there is no doubting its performance intent. The wheels enlarged from the standard car’s 15 inches to 17 inches, cross drilled brake discs front and rear, the aggressively lowered suspension that transforms the 500 from chic city car to urban tearaway. The ‘look at me and watch out’ attitude is completed by the famous Abarth badge with its black scorpion symbol leaving no doubt what this little car is all about.

"A little over 50 years ago Carlo Abarth changed the rules for performance with the original Abarth 500 on and off the race track when it was launched in 1957," says Mr Zaitzev. "The new Abarth 500 esseesse has proven in Europe to have been even more successful than its illustrious ancestor and now, here in Australia, it is clear that the same demand driven by performance and style has created a unique level of 'I want it now' interest from customers. And considering the interest that there was and continues to be in the normal 500, this really is saying something!" Full Australian pricing and specification for the Abarth 500 esseesse will be announced when deliveries start in March 2011.
 

© 2011 Interfuture Media/Italiaspeed