hmmm haha the nice hair cut is out the window..my hair dressers has done a rite cock up of it haha. .my punto at the mo attracts alot of attention just because its yellow u see. so wouldnt want to lose that if the 500 abarth dont get same attention.hehe

salvo's yellow punto said:

hmmm haha the nice hair cut is out the window..my hair dressers has done a rite cock up of it haha. .my punto at the mo attracts alot of attention just because its yellow u see. so wouldnt want to lose that if the 500 abarth dont get same attention.hehe

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the abarth gets loads of attention from everyone. had a little kid yesterday say "nice car!" as i was in traffic. had a few beeps and waves off other people and loads of smiles from girls (don't tell my missus ) everyone at work with the minis love it and want to drive it...yeah right, as if thats gonna happen

sikersh said:

the abarth gets loads of attention from everyone. had a little kid yesterday say "nice car!" as i was in traffic. had a few beeps and waves off other people and loads of smiles from girls (don't tell my missus ) everyone at work with the minis love it and want to drive it...yeah right, as if thats gonna happen

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I agree, in the right colour with the right wheels, the Abarth 500 gets as much attention as any Super car! I followed a brand new Porsche through town the other day, everybody turned and pointed but they weren't looking at the Porsche at all, in it's dull battleship grey paint, they were looking at the 500. If it's attention you want then the Abarth 500 should prove adequate! (i'm not bothered personally, but it's nice to feel special occasionally)

gib1970 said:

doesnt bother me either, but if im out in cheltenham on a sunday night (peak time for the boy racer crowd here) i do get a lot of looks from the girlies sat in the backs of their boyfs beat-up corsas and ka's.. well, the car does anyway - but i tell myself it's me

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Gib1970 - do you live near the new Waitrose development? I saw a white 500 Abarth on the side of the road there this morning! And I haven't seen many in Cheltenham at all (500s even, let alone Abarths)

bLUE eYED BEttY said:

Gib1970 - do you live near the new Waitrose development? I saw a white 500 Abarth on the side of the road there this morning! And I haven't seen many in Cheltenham at all (500s even, let alone Abarths)

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wow yes that would be me, i live on other side of chelt but was visiting over there today! nice to have been spotted

you're right - cheltenham is oddly deficient in even regular 500s, ive seen a couple of white ones and a green one once or twice and thats about it...but when i drive somewhere else i see a lot more. yet to see another abarth at all.

i guess its an image thing - stuffy cheltenham people are more likely to drive a mini and think they're being trendy...look how many of those things you see on any drive around here, i would lose count!! you in chelt too then, with a 500? what colour?

DraigFlag87 said:

I agree, in the right colour with the right wheels, the Abarth 500 gets as much attention as any Super car! I followed a brand new Porsche through town the other day, everybody turned and pointed but they weren't looking at the Porsche at all, in it's dull battleship grey paint, they were looking at the 500. If it's attention you want then the Abarth 500 should prove adequate! (i'm not bothered personally, but it's nice to feel special occasionally)

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I don't mean to be rude but I somehow doubt a highstreet full of people turned and pointed at a 500 Abarth driving by. People are so blasé about cars these days that anything short of an Enzo, Koenigsegg or another sort of hypercar will barely get a second look from most people. People who are interested in cars will inevitably turn and look at something they've not seen before. For instance when the current model Leon came out looking like its face had been punched in I couldn't help but turn and look, ditto with seeing Q7's and various other horrible things. People who are interested in cars will look at stuff they've not seen before, it's just the way it is.

Gib1970: No - so close yet so far...I had put down a deposit but then offered a sabbatical from work, and the lure of a year off was, I'm afraid, greater than the lure of the 500 (fo now...)
I am going to get one next April - hopefully they will have brought out some other decent colours by then, or maybe a green second-hand one. You're right about the Minis in Cheltenham - all the yah's.
Loved your car though - that's funny yours was the one I spotted!! I don't live there either but I dog walk for an elderly chap round there. Will wave if I see you

306maxi said:

I don't mean to be rude but I somehow doubt a highstreet full of people turned and pointed at a 500 Abarth driving by. People are so blasé about cars these days that anything short of an Enzo, Koenigsegg or another sort of hypercar will barely get a second look from most people. People who are interested in cars will inevitably turn and look at something they've not seen before. For instance when the current model Leon came out looking like its face had been punched in I couldn't help but turn and look, ditto with seeing Q7's and various other horrible things. People who are interested in cars will look at stuff they've not seen before, it's just the way it is.

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When the locals are used to 15 year old Defenders and muddy old Vauxhalls, trust me, the 500 Abarth turns heads! Usually a smile is a positive thing too, but i guess they could be laughing at me? You also said "i don't mean to be rude" are you sure about that?

306maxi said:

I don't mean to be rude but I somehow doubt a highstreet full of people turned and pointed at a 500 Abarth driving by.

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I go through Manchester City Centre everyday and see F430's and a whole host of 'supercars' and nobody seems to bother Then I drive by and they stop in the middle of the road staring, pointing and smiling It's weird to say the least!!!

Si

sikersh said:

I go through Manchester City Centre everyday and see F430's and a whole host of 'supercars' and nobody seems to bother Then I drive by and they stop in the middle of the road staring, pointing and smiling It's weird to say the least!!!

Si

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My other car is a Lotus 7 replica - I've had people applaud as I drive by in that! I've lost count of the number of times people have asked if I'd sell it. Most satisfying, and funny, moment was driving through town behind a brand new Porsche 911 GT2 - nobody paid the slightest bit of attention to the Porsche. The guy driving it was looking a bit peeved, to say the least. Was especially funny as I could have built a dozen of my car for cost of his!

i went through chelt town centre today in the abarth and EVERYONE just stopped, lifted their right arms, extended their index fingers, pointed, opened their mouths and made that strange screeching sound like in the 'bodysnatchers' film as i drove past.

i know the car attracts a lot of attention but that was just plain weird!

Chris123 said:

My other car is a Lotus 7 replica - I've had people applaud as I drive by in that! I've lost count of the number of times people have asked if I'd sell it. Most satisfying, and funny, moment was driving through town behind a brand new Porsche 911 GT2 - nobody paid the slightest bit of attention to the Porsche. The guy driving it was looking a bit peeved, to say the least. Was especially funny as I could have built a dozen of my car for cost of his!

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for a lotus 7 even i would give a thumbs up - what a fantastic car

gib1970 said:

for a lotus 7 even i would give a thumbs up - what a fantastic car

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Cheers! It's a lot of fun, for sure, and you learn a heck of a lot building one. If anybody wants to get into cars I'd recommend they get a kit car every time. You learn so much building them, setting up the geometry, uprating the engines etc.
For the price of an Abarth it's possible to build something you'd need real exotica to beat, plus you'd usually get rear-wheel-drive. It'd be tricky to build something that's suitable for everyday use though, although that's not really their point.

yes i guess thats the thing, its very much a 2nd, occasional use car. still bit of a blast driving it though i expect, in the good weather at least!

gib1970 said:

yes i guess thats the thing, its very much a 2nd, occasional use car. still bit of a blast driving it though i expect, in the good weather at least!

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Yes, providing the roads are dry it's really good. It's a proper handfull in the wet though - besides the inevitable drips (it's impossible to keep every bit of rain out) even getting a wheel on a white line can make it squirm about if you're not careful on the throttle. I tend to leave it tucked away in bad weather and for the whole of winter though, so it's not much of an issue. I've spoken to plenty of people who use Caterhams all year round, commuting and shopping in them too - but they're a little bit crazy!

Chris123 said:

Yes, providing the roads are dry it's really good. It's a proper handfull in the wet though - besides the inevitable drips (it's impossible to keep every bit of rain out) even getting a wheel on a white line can make it squirm about if you're not careful on the throttle. I tend to leave it tucked away in bad weather and for the whole of winter though, so it's not much of an issue. I've spoken to plenty of people who use Caterhams all year round, commuting and shopping in them too - but they're a little bit crazy!

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Isn't craziness part of being a Caterham owner?

306maxi said:

Isn't craziness part of being a Caterham owner?

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Caterham owners can an odd bunch - most of them get the factory to build their cars, which seems a bit of a cop-out to me, and they look down their noses at any other 7 replicas - even the really good Westfields and Tigers. They're also "allowed" to join the Lotus owners club as "owners", as they're officially sanctioned by Lotus. They refused to even look in my direction at the Silverstone Classic last year!
The rest of them, the proper petrol-heads, are indeed crazy. The best way of spotting the difference is if the owner is being really fussy about cleaning it he's a "factory-built" owner, whereas the true enthusiasts are playing with the carbs or driving the thing!