This Fiat 500 has a better power-to-weight ratio than a Dodge Challenger Hellcat.
When the Fiat 500 was born way back in the day, it came with a 2-cylinder motor that produced something around 20 horsepower. It was, to put it mildly, woefully underpowered for the North American car market. That’s why it never really sold anywhere other than the cities for which it was designed.
However, the Fiat 500 is a beloved car amongst enthusiasts. Mostly because there’s just enough room under the hood to take out that 20 hp 2-cylinder and throw in a motorcycle engine and a turbocharger. In this case, the 1,570cc engine from a Suzuki Hayabusa for a total of 250 horsepower and a redline of 11,000 rpm.
And at just 1,290 pounds, this car has a better power-to-weight ratio than most muscle cars you’ll see on the road. It even rivals some supercars.
Other modifications include an absolutely insane widebody kit that almost doubles the Fiat 500’s width. On the back is a double rear wing that spans the width of the original body and is designed to keep its short wheelbase on the road in thin air. This is a hillclimb beast, after all.
Other touches include a brand new custom grille and headlights, a roof scoop, and a vented hood. The interior has been stripped out and the driver's seat placed in the middle to ironically provide the driver with even more legroom than on the original vehicle.
And of course, the unmistakable scream of a motorcycle engine complete with flames coming out the exhaust.
According to HillClimb Monsters, this car was originally built by the late Georg Pucher, but has since been sold to Austrian slalom/hillclimb driver Hans Thalmayr where it races in the E2-Sh 1600 Class. This video was taken at the Verzegnis Hillclimb in Italy where it not only won its class, it only just barely missed breaking into the top 10 fastest cars for the course.
This is the subcompact car that Fiat should really make.