My Abarth 500

[Speedy J]

Hi,

Now Phil has set this section of the club up I would like to get the ball rolling and make a post.

As you may have seen I am now the proud owner of a brand new Abarth 500. I wonder if I could start a Bristol Abarth Owners section in the club

Here she is..

[peetee]

Nice car Speedy, love it!

['The Gaffer']

Nice car Speedy, hope to see you at a meet or event soon And yes you are welcome to start a Bristol Abarth owners club section. 


Just thought you all might be interested in how Speedy ended up with her Abarth 500.

We chose the Abarth after taking a look at an SS track prepared car at the Bristol Dealership and were very tempted, the rear seats had been removed for a roll cage etc. The main user will be Speedy, but I had an interest in a car as maybe a 'wet day' track day car so we had a test drive. The car was quite quick with over 160hp and weighing a tad over 1000kg. We decided to put it on a short list and started to look at other sports car options.

However, after walking away from the showroom with a quest to find another sports car it was apparent that Speedy had fallen in love with the Abarth, every morning I'd find the Abarth brochure opened up next to the kettle, was she trying to tell me something?

The truly nice thing about the car was the fact both the wife and I fitted into it – I am over 6 ft tall and the missus is 4ft 11. This didn't help in our search.

Anyway, we tried...
BMW Z3M Roadster = Too small for me and too big for her.
BMW Z4M Roadster = Fitted me ok but too big for her.
Audi TT fitted us both but just didn't have 'the look' for us.
Mini Cooper 'Works' Great car fitted us both but just felt cheap inside.
Porsche Boxter – Nice car but too big for the missus.
Lotus Elise – Again, great car but boring interior and a bit impractical for everyday use
Vauxhall VX220 Same as above.
And finally a Honda S2000, this one ticked all the boxes, it fitted us both, was quite quick, and had the additional hardtop as well.

The bottom line however was that they all lacked the style Speedy was looking for so time for a rethink; after all, it wasn't all about me and my needs. Plus the Abarth brochure still remained opened next to the kettle so I decided to go take another look at the track prepared car at the dealers, As it happened the car had been sold, probably just as well as I may have bought it. The car actually would have suited my needs but for an everyday car? Possibly a bit impractical. That along with the fact as soon as roll bars are mentioned to insurance companies alarm bells can start to ring. The wife did like the sound of the Monza exhaust though.

The dealer still had red and black standard Abarth 500's in stock so I took the plunge and phoned the other half to ask which colour she'd like and put a deposit down there and then subject to a test drive. Needless to say the test-drive went well considering there were 2 x 16 stone guys and a rear passenger on board. One word came to mind... Fun.

In reality, I doubt whether the car will see much track use, but the fun element is quite provocative in its own right around town and I would imagine on country lanes too. I have seen these cars can be modded to over 200hp with decent torque (at a price) but it will be plenty swift enough for the wife and I as a road car for the time being.

Another really nice thing I like about the Abarth 500 is the uniqueness; I haven't seen another on the road anywhere at all so needless to say we look forward to catching up with other local owners for a run out or two from time to time.

We have definitely made the right choice and Speedy loves it.

[Speedy J]

Nice car Speedy, love it!

Thank you

[andygtm]

Very nice car Phil my wife would love one too. One of those cars where the factory styling is spot on and the performance figures are just hard to believe. I still find it hard to believe the prices of these "fashion accessory"cars compared to simalar sized cars from other manufacturers. Seems that doing a revised up to date version of a cult classic is a win win situation for manufacturers as people are more than happy to part with their cash. I would think if you were "just popping out to the shops" you are going to jump in this every time. Nice selection of cars you test drove and pleased you rated the S2000 as its one car I would like to own in the future. 

[Denzle]

Niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice car speedy...love it too....Denzle..

[Daley Down Under]

Cracking car Speedy - great choice. 

Adrian

[David H]

Very nice car Speeeeedy!

Very cool indeed

[RMW50]

Nice car Speedy, looks great in red - makes a change from the white ones you tend to see most of the time.

Rich

[alastair]

Fantastic car. I love the look of the arbarth. Infact, it is the only re-make (fiat 500, mini & beetle) that I like. Brilliant styling and a good size.

Theres someting about small cars.......

[Speedy J]

Thank you all, I really love my new car.

[tickious]

It's one of those cars that make you smile. I'd love the stripped out, caged 200bhp one for the weekend. Lets see how we get on with the euro millions
Top choice!

[stupott901]

yeah what a great little pocket rocket good choice

['The Gaffer']

Well, after a month or so of nakedness we decided to take the plunge and get some stickers fitted. We chose silver rather than the usual white over red.

Some prefer stealth, some minimalist, but we wanted to make a statement - so here it is









Now all we need is a new tax disc holder!!

[Denzle]

Looks great Phil.....    

Is that a skin over the complete roof.   Really sports it up. 
I keep saying I will put stripes and race stickers on my VX but the missus reckons it will make it look tatty......

Who else would do that if they had my VX....please give me your opinion so I can make up my mind.
                                         Denz......

[WALNUT]

If you were 18 years old you mightput stripes and stickers all over your car, but your not, so leave it as it is. It would make your car look as though it belonged to a boy racer.

                                                                           Tony

[Denzle]

If you were 18 years old you mightput stripes and stickers all over your car, but your not, so leave it as it is. It would make your car look as though it belonged to a boy racer.

                                                                           Tony

But I am a silly kid at heart....lol...

Thanks Tony,   Thats one for the thumb down.

['The Gaffer']

Looks great Phil.....    

Is that a skin over the complete roof.   Really sports it up. 
I keep saying I will put stripes and race stickers on my VX but the missus reckons it will make it look tatty......

Who else would do that if they had my VX....please give me your opinion so I can make up my mind.
                                         Denz......

Its just squares over the roof Denz.

You do what you like with your own car mate, just make sure you dont go OTT

[tickious]

My mate Stew whos coming to Donington on monday, does wraps for a living, he did a full carbon fibre wrap on his VX 

['The Gaffer']

My mate Stew whos coming to Donington on monday, does wraps for a living, he did a full carbon fibre wrap on his VX 

Cool, got any pics?

[tickious]

http://www.protintuk.co.uk/wrapgallery.html

['The Gaffer']

Looks wicked