The 500 Abarth Assetto Corse is getting itself race track-ready with the racer busy rolling off Abarth’s production line in time to be ready for the first race of the season on 29 March at the historic Monza race track in Italy.

The 500 Abarth Assetto Corse is getting itself race track-ready with the racer busy rolling off Abarth’s production line in time to be ready for the first race of the season on 29 March at the historic Monza race track in Italy.

Turbocharged and tuned for the racetrack, the 500 Abarth Assetto Corse produces 190 bhp from its compact 1.4 litre engine. To get the power to the ground, 17 inch alloy wheels are used and braking is provided by ventilated disk brakes front and rear. Body changes are limited to better cooling for the engine, a large rear wing and big wheel arches for those 17 inch wheels, with suspension based on the road going 500 Abarth EsseEsse.

Abarth’s aim with the 500 Abarth Assetto Corse has been to produce a car that would be equally suitable for young drivers new to motorsport as well as being fast enough to engage expert drivers looking for an exciting and highly competitive one make series.

More than 80 examples of the 500 Abarth Assetto Corse cars have been produced to run in three championships, the Trophy Abarth 500, the Abarth Trophy 500 Europe and the Trophy Abarth 500 Europe. Rounds of these series will be run in the European rounds of the World Touring Car Championship, the Ferrari Challenge-Trophy Pirelli and the ACI-CSAI events in Italy. The original Fiat 500, race turned by Abarth, provided highly competitive racing back in the 1950s and 60s and a generation of European racing drivers started their careers behind the wheel of a little racing 500 – something Fiat and Abarth plan to repeat with the Fiat 500 Abarth Assetto Corse.