Abarth are celebrating the launch of their hot new 500 by releasing the Abarth 500 Opening Edition. More than a set of fancy stickers, the Opening Edition features significant mechanical changes.
The 135bhp 1.4-litre turbo engine has been further tuned to produce 160bhp at 5750 rpm and 170lb-ft of torque at 3000 rpm. This gives the Opening Edition a 0-62mph time of just 7.4 seconds and a top speed of 131mph. That compares well with the standard 500 Abarth’s figures of 7.9 seconds and 128mph.
It’s not just the engine that’s been fettled. The brakes have been improved with the addition of perforated discs at front and rear with high performance front brake pads. The suspension is lowered with new springs and there are new 17-inch alloys, painted in either white or titanium, that are wrapped in 205/40 Pirelli Pzero Nero tyres.
Look closely inside those wheels and you’ll find red callipers, unique to the Opening Edition. Other cosmetic changes include tinted rear windows and a grey or white fuel cap. On the inside you get leather upholstery, an anodised aluminium gearknob, a numbered plate on the central tunnel and two aluminium ‘500 Abarth Opening Edition’ badges.
Colours are limited to either pearl white or battleship Campovolo grey, with the option of various sticker designs.
Sadly, there’s very little chance of getting your hands on one as numbers are limited, with only 100 Opening Editions being made available to the Italian market.
Thanks for the link Tim, there are some cracking pictures in there.
some more infor and some of my pics here…
http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&t=556877&i=80