The Fiat 500 is set to take to the race tracks tracks around Europe in a new championship which will be contested by identical-specification versions, the 5Hundred Cup.

The Fiat 500 is set to take to the race tracks tracks around Europe in a new championship which will be contested by identical-specification versions, the 5Hundred Cup. It has conquered the showrooms having already amassed over 160,000 orders to the end of last month since it was launched on 4th July last year and also has collected the most important award of all, Car of the Year, now it is time for the 500 to build a track pedigree.

Promoted by Speedway Communications, full details of the 5Hundred Cup initiative will be announced on Friday (29th January) at the Vallelunga circuit near Rome, and information is still sketchy at the moment. However they envision two series being formed, one which will be fought out in Italy and a second championship that will take to the tracks across Europe.

There will be no need to wait for the arrival of the performance Abarth version, due to be shown to the world next week in Geneva, as the 5Hundred Cup will use a racer based around the 100 bhp 1.4-litre version of the 500 which will now be tuned to 120 bhp and in full race specification the weight will be reduced by 50kgto 880 kg. All the cars will be of identical specification.

The Fiat 500 will take to the race track in anger for the first time next month when it becomes the car that will be used in the 'Celebrity Challenge' encounter at next month's Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne. The car has already been tested at the Bathurst circuit. The introduction of the 500 for this year’s celebrity race is one of many fresh innovations announced by the Australian Grand Prix Corporation in recent months the race and will feature an all-star list of Australian sporting heroes from a broad range of sports including netball, cricket, ALF, rugby, athletics, cycling, tennis and surfing.