Hot ‘Barth time: tuner’s 200bhp Fiat 500
26.08.2009 - Adrian Hearn
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An unpronounceable German tuner has given the world's cutest hot hatch a huge power boost. Tuning wizards Karl Schnorr Kraftfahrzeuge, or Karl as we'll call them, has developed a range of upgrades for the Fiat 500 Abarth with the standard 1.4-litre engine now developing 200bhp – up from 135bhp. That's like adding the 1.2-litre engine from the basic Fiat 500 into the hot Abarth as a bonus.
While no performance figures have been released, we think Karl's Fiat 500 will be able to accelerate from 0-62mph in 6.5 seconds and hit a top speed of 140mph.
The power upgrade costs about £4,400 – bumping the car's price up to £18,000, making it expensive compared to the likes of the Seat Ibiza Cupra and Renault Clio Renaultsport 200. But on the plus side, Fiat 500-loving Elle Macpherson will be impressed with your maxed-out car of choice.
Karl has also developed a set of 17-inch red alloys for the Abarth 500 which can be yours for £950. Pricey, but they look the part with the Abarth decals.
