Fiat 500 ABARTH User Manual page 2

THe ABARTH code
®
It sprung from the piercing vision of Karl Abarth almost a century ago: go faster,
win more. It served as the simplest cornerstone upon which a well-crafted empire
of finely tuned performance was built. You start with the best ingredients and you
season them with the rarest blend of handed-down knowledge until you have a
recipe that is all-but unstoppable. Engines. Brakes. Purposeful design. Statements
stitched in leather. Details that project the difference but are always tailored
straight to the heart of pure performance. On racetracks. On highways. And now,
on continents. This is the vision of Mr. Abarth. It is the Abarth Code.
1920-50s – Karl Abarth built his first motorcycle to bear the Abarth name following a decade of racing motorcycles.
The first car he built, a revolutionary new single-seater named the Cisitalia D46, placed first in the 1946 Brezzi Cup in Turin.
In 1949 he created Abarth & C., whose mission was "the production of vehicles and complementary equipment for sports
and racing cars." In its first year, the Abarth 204 A Roadster won the Italian 1100 Championship and the Formula 2 title.
Abarth then developed a new exhaust system and the matte-black product became an instant success, attracting
manufacturers like Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, and Maserati.
1970-80s – Abarth merged with FIAT
and success continued in the world
championships of 1973, '74 and '75. This
legacy includes 10 world records, 133
international records, and over 10,000 track
victories. The Abarth name continued
into the 1980s with the success of the
FIAT Strada Abarth 130TC.
1950-60s – Abarth broke the 5,000 km, 10,000 km, 5,000 miles, 48- and 72-hour records driving
the FIAT ® Abarth 750. The FIAT 500 Abarth covered a distance of 18,186 km at an average speed
of 108 km/h, breaking six international records and strengthening his relationship with FIAT.
The Sixties were a golden age for the Scorpion as the Abarth 850TC won the 1962 World
Championship race at Circuito del Garda and, in 1965 alone, Abarth racers won almost 900 victories.
Optional equipment shown.
ThE All-nEW 2012 FIAT ® 500 ABARTh
MERGES ThE ACClAIMED ABARTh
EUROPEAn TRACK PERFORMAnCE
WITh STATE-OF-ThE-ART AMEnITIES TO
DElIVER ROAD-COURSE CAPABIlITY
WITh EVERYDAY REFInEMEnT.