The Fiat 500 is still very much in production and continues to charm at least a portion of the world with its adorable looks and small size. In the US, the Fiat 500 ended its sale in 2019, although the 500L and the 500X continue to be sold. And for anyone looking for slightly more fun, there’s the Fiat 500 Abarth that does not exactly take the Fiat 500 to race car standard but does add a bit of hot hatch to the mix.
The Fiat 500 Abarth is also cheaper now, adding to its appeal, and looks better than before, although, it's not as powerful as its competitors. Talking about power, the standard 1.4-liter turbocharged inline-four engine makes 140 horses but with upgrades, it can be taken to 160 and 180 horses respectively.
But if you really want to go bonkers with the Fiat 500, Italy’s Motore Centrale has cooked ups something that will blow your mind and turned the hitherto hot hatch Fiat Abarth 500 into something that literally spews fire.
Interested? So here goes more about the RWD Fiat 500 that has gone viral for being one pocket rocket, and has been seen drifting like an animal…
Let’s Talk About The Lunatic Power
Lucarelli Monza seemingly concurred with Jeremy Clarkson, who once said that the Fiat Abarth 500 had potential but needed more of that “Abarth Lunacy”. And so, here’s the Motore Centrale R230 Stradale that has a very highly tuned 1.4-liter inline-four with a Garrett Turbocharger, along with new and bettered fuel injectors, pistons, and one big intercooler. All this goes into making a cool 230 horsepower and 243 lb-ft of torque which does not sound too much in numbers but is like rocket fuel for the tiny Fiat 500.
According to various sources, this makes the Fiat Abarth 500 “Motore Centrale R230 Stradale” zip 0-62 mph in 4.7 seconds, making it as quick as the BMW 1 Series M Coupe. And the top speed is an equally lunatic 150 mph. Scary, right?
To handle all that nutty power, the car now rides on a beefier Bilstein suspension and has better brakes as well. Plus it boasts more racing and tracks stuff from Eibach and K&N; so if you can handle this little surge of energy, it's more than ready to give you all the thrills it can.
A Topsy-Turvy Car?
Forget what a Fiat 500 looks like, from the inside. Because this custom-built pocket-rocket has done lots of things to itself, including moving the engine to the rear and turning it into a rear-wheel drive. Basically, this little car has been turned on its head, originally being a front-engine, front-wheel drive. Despite all the additions to the car, the weight has not significantly increased. Actually, belay that, the weight has been decreased by 100 pounds, if you compare it to the US sport edition, with it weighing 2314 pounds.
But Motore Centrale is not done with the Fiat 500 yet. After making this crazy car, they are now looking to make another even more insane one.
The next one will be called the R280 Pisto, and yes, it will churn out 280 horses, and ride on fully adjustable shocks. The weight of this little pistol will be taken down further and to make it legal, there will be a roll cage in it as well. Apparently, this version of the Fiat 500 will do 0-62 mph in 3.9 seconds, and go to top speeds of 161.5 mph, which is very scary when you sit in a car this size that weighs only a little more than 2,000 pounds.
Are we terrified? Yes! Do we love the idea? Oh absolutely…
Now, Watch the R230 Stradale Drift
Yes, there is a video. And it’s fantastic. Because this little car sounds like an absolute beast, growling and roaring at every nifty little turn it makes. The video has been shared by YouTube user Marchettino who claims, “I had fun with the Motore Centrale R230, a massively tuned 500 Abarth with the RWD system and the middle engine position.”
Here's the video…
According to the user, this car was made by Motore Centrale but in collaboration with Aznom, and it’s one of the coolest cars he has driven. The fans that commented on the video seemed equally blown away and many remarked that every time they saw the car, it only seemed to get better.
You can go to the Motore Centrale website for more details on the R230 Stradale and the upcoming R289 Pisto, along with whichever new brand of insanity they have cooked up in their factory in Monza, Italy. When it comes to this little RWD Fiat 500 Abarth, all fans appreciated the effort that went into converting it into an absolute burst of energy. So while this may not be able to turn into a track star, it does seem to have turned into the best version of itself, and this is why Italian engineering is still one of the coolest in the world.
Sources: TopGear, CarThrottle, YouTube