General Its not a real Abarth damit!

[ChrisPRSA]

Just thought I'd post this.

Took the little Panda out for a blast to test the earth strap fix and waiting at the garage to fill up with fuel, next to me stood a very sexy looking yellow Abarth 595. The owner walked over to my Abarth badges pointed to them and said: you know it's not a real Abarth, right?? I'm completely aware of this to which I responded: What makes you say that? He then said its just a fiat panda. To be an Abarth, like my 595 it would need to have the factory performance, styling, interior and suspension upgrades. You just have a fiat Panda. I looked at the now very insulted 100hp and started pointing out whilst commenting...

Performance, it has the 1.4 100hp engine producing 100hp which is a definite upgrade from the standard panda as well as a short ratio 6 speed gearbox.

Styling, it has a body kit from factory that includes the rear wing as well as different tail lights and wheels.

Interjor, it has factory bucket seats, different cluster and color matched interior.

Suspension and brakes, it has stiffer suspension and upgraded brakes front and back. JUST LIKE YOUR ABARTH. So honestly I think you're Abarth 595 is as much of a fiat as my panda and my Panda is as much an Abarth as your 595.

They guy just nodded and said hmmm and then drove off.

... In all fairness and in my opinion I do think the 100hp is worthy of an Abarth title as it has all the ingredients.

 

[varesecrazy]

Agreed..
But its a FIAT

 

[A3jeroen]

I once tried to dragrace against a (modified, so probably 170HP) 500 Abarth.
Off cours I lost, but my 100Hp is still a lot of fun. Especially when people think it's just a Panda

gr J

 

[ChrisPRSA]

Agreed..
But its a FIAT

Most certainly is

 

[ChrisPRSA]

They are crazy quick! I hooked one once with my 159 1750 tbi. I could not believe how quick they are off the line. I caught it thanks to the remap, exhaust and front mounted intercooler but it put up a massive challenge

 

[Goudrons]

Fiat make Fiats in Fiat factories.

Abarth take the body shells off the production line in Poland (or Hiroshima in the case of the 124 Spider), transfer them to Officina 83 within the Mirafiori planet, south of Turin.

After the production of the Alfa Mito ended last year, Mirafiori only make the Abarth Models and the Maserati Levante there at the moment, though the 500e will also be built there soon.

So you could say Abarths are built in a Maserati factory, but they ain't a Maserati.

Just because these brands are owned by Fiat, doesn't make every Fiat an Abarth or Alfa or Maserati or Jeep or Chrysler etc.

Abarth never produced a Panda version and neither did it produce any kits to up rate one either.

Most Pandas were either built in Tychy Poland or Pomigliano d'Arco near Naples, though I believe the original MK1 was built at Mirafiori, so if you badged one of them an Abarth at least you could say it was built in or near the Abarth facility.

But writting all that Fiat did badge some models Abarth when they never had anything to do with them, the Stilo Abarth and the Cinq/Seicento Abarths both spring to mind and I think the Punto HGT was badged as Abarth in some markets, these were just a marketing exercise.

You'll know if it's an Abarth when you can do this

 

[Maybemaybenot]

All that proves is both those drivers need their keys thrown away driving like that in a built up area! Knobs

 

[DaveMcT]

I had a Punto Mk2 HGT Abarth. It was the same as the ordinary(?) HGT but had a bumpers and sills body kit with Abarth badges. This is not mine by the way.

 

[PuntoHowTo]

There was a guy a few months ago on eBay that was selling a panda 100 hp “abarth” although his had slightly more abarth credibility, it was a panda 100hp shell but the engine running gear interior everything from a 500 abarth had been swapped over into the panda (accident damaged 500) so it was the 160hp engine in a panda, with abarth suspension, wheels, brakes, seats, dash, everything.

In this case however I have to agree with the guy, sticking a badge on a car doesn’t make it so.

As for the Mk2 punto that actually was an abarth sold by the fiat dealer, with abarth badges, abarth seats, abarth trims in the doors, special steering wheel etc, ok so it wasn’t more powerful but it was a factory made abarth and sold as such. This was quite some time before fiat relaunched abarth as a separate company

 

[DaveMcT]

Abarth was originally a specialist tuner of Fiat cars (same concept as Brabus for Mercs). in the early 2000s however Fiat used the badge to indicate their top sports trims. The Punto was one of those. Personally I didn't like the bumpers which were over-done. Some subtle changes to the standard fare would have been better.

A properly souped up Panda 100HP using 500 Abarth parts does make sense. The body is more useful and everything else is - well - the same. To avoid the massive chin, it would need twin inter-coolers in the spotlight intakes but otherwise parts could be straight swapped.

The back axle would be an issue. The Panda ride is far too hard causing the car to skip on all but smooth roads. 60% more power would really show that up. The 500 axle with its ARB and softer springs gives a big handling improvement, but not with wide wheels. To fit the 100HP or Abarth wheels, the axle brackets would have to be cut and jig welded to reduce the track. Not impossible though.

The 500 front subframe might be usable but the body shell shock towers would need to be modified to maintain wheel geometry. That would be far harder than the relatively simple modding at the rear axle.

 

[bilzin]

Poseurs have a habit of pi55ing me off big time

 

[Funky Spike]

I have an Abarth sticker on my Panda ?

Spike

 

[ChrisPRSA]

I just 3d printed a Turismo badge which is going on aswell. Lol

I know the panda is not a real abarth even though i think it definitely deserves the title with factory upgrades as Dave mentioned being a Fiat tuner but my argument was that according to mister abarth i met at the gas station, all abarth was to him was factory improved performance, styling, suspension and braking which was exactlt what the 100hp offered and was a significant upgrade from stock.

 

[DaveMcT]

I just 3d printed a Turismo badge which is going on aswell. Lol

I know the panda is not a real abarth even though i think it definitely deserves the title with factory upgrades as Dave mentioned being a Fiat tuner but my argument was that according to mister abarth i met at the gas station, all abarth was to him was factory improved performance, styling, suspension and braking which was exactlt what the 100hp offered and was a significant upgrade from stock.

That applies to the Mk2 Punto HGT which was simply a jazzed up and rebadged ordinary HGT. The 500 Abarths are however a whole different car. The issues there are the scateboard ride.

 

[snowy71]

Just thought I'd post this.

Took the little Panda out for a blast to test the earth strap fix and waiting at the garage to fill up with fuel, next to me stood a very sexy looking yellow Abarth 595. The owner walked over to my Abarth badges pointed to them and said: you know it's not a real Abarth, right?? I'm completely aware of this to which I responded: What makes you say that? He then said its just a fiat panda. To be an Abarth, like my 595 it would need to have the factory performance, styling, interior and suspension upgrades. You just have a fiat Panda. I looked at the now very insulted 100hp and started pointing out whilst commenting...

Performance, it has the 1.4 100hp engine producing 100hp which is a definite upgrade from the standard panda as well as a short ratio 6 speed gearbox.

Styling, it has a body kit from factory that includes the rear wing as well as different tail lights and wheels.

Interjor, it has factory bucket seats, different cluster and color matched interior.

Suspension and brakes, it has stiffer suspension and upgraded brakes front and back. JUST LIKE YOUR ABARTH. So honestly I think you're Abarth 595 is as much of a fiat as my panda and my Panda is as much an Abarth as your 595.

They guy just nodded and said hmmm and then drove off.

... In all fairness and in my opinion I do think the 100hp is worthy of an Abarth title as it has all the ingredients.

And his 595 is based on your Panda

 

[Yolanda]

What's the 0/60 time for one of those Abarth's.

 

[The Panda Nut]

Agreed..
But its a FIAT

Yes and just as good too without all the stupid service costs. Cant see the point of changing the badges. Those who dont know how good the 100 is can just go but something else. Panda 100s dont need approval from 500s, they can manage fine without it. Standard 100HP is a real Q car. Without the Panda 100 I doubt the ABarth 500 would exist.

 

[Centrino]

Fiat make Fiats in Fiat factories.

Abarth take the body shells off the production line in Poland (or Hiroshima in the case of the 124 Spider), transfer them to Officina 83 within the Mirafiori planet, south of Turin.

After the production of the Alfa Mito ended last year, Mirafiori only make the Abarth Models and the Maserati Levante there at the moment, though the 500e will also be built there soon.

So you could say Abarths are built in a Maserati factory, but they ain't a Maserati.

Just because these brands are owned by Fiat, doesn't make every Fiat an Abarth or Alfa or Maserati or Jeep or Chrysler etc.

Abarth never produced a Panda version and neither did it produce any kits to up rate one either.

Most Pandas were either built in Tychy Poland or Pomigliano d'Arco near Naples, though I believe the original MK1 was built at Mirafiori, so if you badged one of them an Abarth at least you could say it was built in or near the Abarth facility.

But writting all that Fiat did badge some models Abarth when they never had anything to do with them, the Stilo Abarth and the Cinq/Seicento Abarths both spring to mind and I think the Punto HGT was badged as Abarth in some markets, these were just a marketing exercise.

You'll know if it's an Abarth when you can do this

Very clear and precise reply.

 

[Centrino]

Yes and just as good too without all the stupid service costs. Cant see the point of changing the badges. Those who dont know how good the 100 is can just go but something else. Panda 100s dont need approval from 500s, they can manage fine without it. Standard 100HP is a real Q car. Without the Panda 100 I doubt the ABarth 500 would exist.

The Panda 100hp was definitely a test bed for the future Abarths. To me it's the original and best, I could have bought an Abarth for less but didn't have the same appeal as the Panda. My 100hp harks back to the Uno Turbo days in my opinion.

 

[snowy71]

Very clear and precise reply.

And Maseratis are Jeep/Chrysler's. It doesn't really matter, it's what floats your boat and if you're on here you like small Fiats with or without scorpion badges they're still fun.