2013 Fiat 500 Abarth – QUICK TAKES

The Fiat 500 Abarth combines the charm of an Italian car that is fun to drive in an affordable and fuel efficient package. With a year under it’s belt here in America, the 2013 Fiat 500 Abarth changes aim to keep all of the features customers loved from the 2012 version, while making some changes for greater performance, convenience and comfort.

New features to the 2013 Fiat 500 Abarth include:

• More racing-inspired design such as new carpets, a thicker steering wheel, red and black coloring inside the vehicle and a leather-wrapped gauge cover.
• Addition of tire pressure monitoring to the EVIC system. The system now displays pressure values so that drivers are always aware of their tire pressure.
• A fully configurable door locking strategy for the EVIC system. Drivers can push one button to lock/unlock all doors or set the door locks so that the first push only unlocks the driver’s side door and a second push is needed to unlock the other doors.

The 2013 model also includes the option of heated seats. While owners of the 2012 model could purchase and install heated seats at their dealer, the 2013 model can be purchased with heated seats already installed.

New Sound System

By far, the most anticipated change is that of the audio system. The BOSE audio system has been replaced with a FIAT branded premium six speaker setup with a 276-watt amplifier for surround sound experience.

As an optional feature, the Premium Beats Audio Package is also available. This package, licensed by Beats by Dr. Dre, also includes six speakers. It also includes an 8-inch dual voice coil sub that is secured in a trunk mounted enclosure. The 8 channel amp uses Beats Audio digital sound processing algorithm and pushes it out at 368 watts of sound. Finally, the premium package includes a speed sensitive audio volume control that automatically changes the volume of drivers’ audio to compensate for background noise or other effects on sound at high speeds.

OVERVIEW

• 1.4L 16V MultiAir Turbo Engine w/ 160 hp and 170 lb-ft of Torque
• Dual Exhaust System
• Twin Intercoolers
• Performance-Tuned Suspension
• Performance Brake System
• Three-Mode Electronic Stability Control (ESC) w/ ‘Full Off’ Capability⁺
• Turbo Boost Gauge
• 16-Inch Performance Aluminum Wheels
• Front Fog Lamps
• Five-Speed Heavy-Duty Manual Transmission
• High-Back Performance Cloth Bucket Seats w/ Racing Harness Pass-Through
• Leather-Wrapped Flat-Bottom Steering Wheel
• Aluminum Pedal Covers
• Full-Day Abarth Driving Experience w/ Professional Instructors (Included w/ Vehicle Purchase)
• Bi-Halogen Headlights
• Alpine^® Premium Audio System
• BLUE&ME™ Hands-Free Communication w/ iPod^® Mobile Device, USB & MP3 Interface
• AM/FM/CD/MP3 Audio System
• 7 Airbags⁺
• Available Beats Audio^® Premium Sound System

EXTERIOR

• Set yourself apart with your combination of Abarth triple-stripe and exterior mirrors — available in Rosso, Nero, Bianco or Grigio.

INTERIOR

• High-back performance bucket seats in available leather trim or high-grip cloth are constructed with unique Rosso stitching, and incorporate a motorsports-inspired racing harness pass-through.
• Firm side bolsters keep you in place and give feedback during spirited driving without sacrificing long-distance comfort. The EZ-Entry pull strap design enhances rear seat entry and exit.
• Seat positioned for commanding track view and racing vantage point.

 

PERFORMANCE

• 1.4L 16v turbocharged 160-horsepower MultiAir^®
  engine produces 170 lb ft of torque.
• Twin intercoolers create cooler, higher density air for
  more power.
• Abarth-designed intake system with high-flow air filter, redesigned air box and smooth-flowing plumbing result in maximum power and low induction noise.
• Abarth-tuned powertrain control module (PCM) provides specific engine calibrations to maximize horsepower and torque in “Sport” mode.

SAFETY & SECURITY

• Seven standard airbags⁺ surround driver and passenger while a computer-designed steel safety cage channels the energy away, absorbing it in defined front and rear crumple zones.

 

CARLO ABARTH

Carlo Abarth (November 1908 – October 1979), born Karl Alberto Abarth was an engineer, car designer, car tuner, speed & endurance record holder and motorcycle racer. Abarth was born in Austria, but later was naturalized as an Italian citizen; and at this time his first name Karl was changed to its Italian equivalent of Carlo. Abarth was born in Vienna and, as a teenager, worked for Castagna in Italy (1925–27), designing motorbike and bicycle frames but even before that, back in Austria, he worked for Motor Thun and was a mechanic the then famous motorcycle racer, Joseph Opawsky (1927–34), and also raced motorbikes himself, winning his first race on a James Motorcycle in Salzburg on 29 July 1928. He was European motorcycle champion five times. After a serious accident in Linz he abandoned two-wheel motorbike racing and designed a sidecar (1933) with which he won many races and famously beat the Orient Express train on the 1,300-kilometre (810 mi) stretch from Vienna to Ostend (1934).  Abarth’s racing career came to an end due to a motorcycle racing accident in Yugoslavia (1938) but his competitive spirit and will to win never left him.

Carlo Abarth founded the Abarth & C. company with Armando Scagliarini (father of Cisitalia racing driver Guido Scagliarini) in Turin on 31st March 1949 (why you will see the number 49 used often in promotions and publicity), using his astrological sign, Scorpio, as the company logo. The company made racing cars, and became a major supplier of high-performance exhaust pipes, that still are in production as Abarth. Carlo Abarth personally set various speed records at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza (20 October 1965). He sold the company on 31 July 1971 to Fiat and continued a while as a CEO and then moved back to Vienna, Austria. His wife Anneliese (born 1939) continues to head the Carlo Abarth Foundation and also wrote a biography of his life in 2010.