Italian high performance road and racing machines are very much in evidence throughout the halls of the Birmingham NEC during Autosport International and one of the smallest exhibits is also one of the biggest stars of the show.

Italian high performance road and racing machines are very much in evidence throughout the halls of the Birmingham NEC during Autosport International and one of the smallest exhibits, the 500 Abarth Assetto Corse, is also one of the biggest stars of the show this weekend. Destined for an exciting new one make series across Europe this year, the racer has revived a fabulous Abarth racing tradition.

Autosport International, the long-running motor racing show that is the largest in the world, was last year joined at the NEC by the inaugural PistonHeads show, dedicated to the ultimate in street metal, and its initial success meant it is back again this year, bigger and brighter than ever. The two shows complement each other, meaning that enthusiasts get the best of both worlds.

And Italian enthusiasts certainly have not been disappointed. The Italian automotive industry is synonymous with international racing success and this year at Autosport International two one-make series, firmly lodged at either end of the horsepower scale, were making their debuts in Birmingham: the Trofeo 500 Abarth and the Lamborghini Gallardo Super Trophy.

The new 500 Abarth Assetto Corse has arrived in Birmingham this week fresh from its UK debut last month when at Wembley Stadium, just over a hundred miles south of the NEC, the tiny racers took part in the Race of Champions, where they were pedalled around the purpose-built track in the hands of world champions Michael Schumacher and Sebastien Loeb, along with British heroes Jenson Button, David Coulthard and Andy Priaulx. This came days before the cars had thrilled the passionate crowds packed into the temporary sports arena at the Bologna Motor Show. Now the cuddly little racer was firmly back in the spotlight, this time gracing the Sabelt stand at the NEC as the motorsports accessory manufacturer celebrates its official supplier status to the recently reborn Abarth marque.

The 500 Abarth Assetto Corse is a stripped out track version of the road car. On the outside the cute shape of the Car of the Year 2008 winner is given more brutal treatment. Catching the showgoer's eye is a new ground-hugging composite front splitter, carbonfibre air intakes sliced into the curvy bonnet, white 17” OZ racing wheels shod with 205/50 ZR50 Michelin slick tyres squeezed tightly into the lowered wheel arches, beefy red-painted Brembo 4-pot brake calipers, new racing shocks (with height adjustment) and springs, a new exhaust system, and a big rear spoiler perched aggressively on the tailgate.

The racing effect on the outside is completed by the usual accoutrements: bonnet pins, taped-over headlights, towing eyes and round racing numbers.  Inside the cockpit an FIA-homologated rollcage has been shoehorned in, while the dashboard is minimalist in traditional style. Under the skin the 1.4-litre T-Jet engine with its Garrett GT1446 turbocharger has 190 bhp of power and 300 Nm of torque squeezed out of it and is mated up to an M32 6-speed gearbox. The whole car weights in at 920 kg.

The 500 Abarth Assetto Corse is thus a thoroughly modern racer, but it carefully pays homage to the traditions that Carlo Abarth melded into the DNA of his eponymous tuning firm. Abarth has been reborn without forgetting its roots.

Sabelt, which needs no introduction to Italian enthusiasts, supplies many of the components that have tuned the 500 from a fashionable urban runaround to potent tack racer, such as the bucket-style seats and multi-point harnesses. Sabelt also provide the Abarth branded range of clothing, and on the stand the range of jackets, caps, T-shirts, caps and footwear are all on display.

by Edd Ellison