Almost 43 years after Carlo Abarth drove his last record-breaking car, Abarth is making its racing comeback with the new “500 Abarth Assetto Corse”, the ultra-sporty little Scorpion designed by Fiat Group Automobiles Styling Centre and developed by Abarth’s team of engineers and designers. It looks like a true racing car as can be seen from the 1400 cc engine (16 valves and 200 bhp), wide tracking, ultra-light 17’’ white racing alloys, lowered suspension, racing mirrors and numbers down the sides.  

Available in pastel grey with red Abarth side stripes, the “500 Abarth Assetto Corse” has an aggressive front end complete with Abarth badge, below which are the oversized bumper, aerodynamic spoiler and screen printed grilles, replacing the plastic ones on the standard version. On the engine hood, apart from the traditional hooks, we find the two carbon air intakes complete with scorpion. The rear of the vehicle has a white spoiler, Abarth badge and double exhaust. Last but not least, in true Abarth style, down the sides is the sword logo which represents the brand's racing image, and the roof with its red stripe and four white checks, just like the winning Abarth 850TC of the 1960s.

Inside, the “500 Abarth Assetto Corse” has a racing-approved roll-bar, hollowed out to make it faster and lighter (the car weighs about 120 kg less than the road going version). The ergonomically-designed seat, special racing steering wheel and carbon door panels make the 500 Abarth Assetto Corse a true racing car – tiny but with a tough character. However, it has something extra: it has been designed to be cheap to run. Abarth has once again made racing affordable by promoting a “democratic” approach to the sport, demonstrated by the single-make 500 Abarth Challenge Trophy.

500 Abarth Challenge

In the best Scorpion tradition, in 2009 Abarth will be organising a single-make trophy featuring the 500 Abarth Assetto Corse: the car will be produced directly by Abarth and will be sold to drivers "race-ready", through the dealer network. The Italian round of the Trophy will be held together with the prestigious Ferrari Challenge: free qualifying, official qualifying and two races each of 30 minutes, the tried and tested weekend racing formula. Meanwhile, abroad, drivers can choose from the trophy competitions in several countries (Portugal, Spain, Germany and Great Britain have already been confirmed), or an international challenge to be held in conjunction with the World Touring Car Championship, according to the same technical and racing regulations as the Italian trophy.

The participants will test each other’s skills on the most famous circuits of Europe: Monza, Vallelunga, Brno, Paul Ricard, Imola and Mugello for the series paired with the Ferrari Challenge; Valencia, Porto, Brands Hatch, Brno, Oschersleben and Monza for the WTCC (World Touring Car Championship) series. At the end of the season, the winners of the national and European series will meet in a grand finale. The technical characteristics of the car, and the racing formula, have been  specifically designed in order to make participation in the trophy extremely affordable.

500 Abarth 1.6v 200 CV Turbo Assetto Corse - Technical Specifications (PDF)