The symbol of the Italian tuning house Abarth is a Scorpion, an arachnid that carries its menace in its tail. In total disregard to that tradition, today’s Nice Price or Crack Pipe Abarth puts its power up front wheels. Let’s see if that, and its various mods make its price feel like the real sting.
Have you ever been over to the Blunder Years sub on Reddit? It’s a gallery in which people share the personal poor choices they made in their youth. It’s obviously cathartic and, as you might expect, a hoot to observe when it’s not you doing the sharing.
You might have felt that way with yesterday’s 2015 Audi A3 TDI. It was shared with us by its owner/seller who had made it uniquely his own. That was by way of a unique stick shift conversion, but its $28,000 asking put it squarely in contention for the blunderdome, and it fell in a sizable 86 percent Crack Pipe loss.
Hey, do you like Anacondas? How about Boas or any other large constrictor-style snake? If you answered with a resounding yes, then you will love the look of the aftermarket intake on today’s 2013 Fiat 500 Abarth. That’s a Eurocompulsion V4.1 Air Induction System thank you very much, and it so freaking big, and so majorly red that at first glance it makes you think a big-ass snake has taken up residence with the little 1.4 turbo four. That’s just one of the mods this 109,000 mile tiny terror has seen, but we’ll see there quite a few more to consider. Taken together, we’ll have to see if the price is justified.
The 500 heralded Fiat’s return to America, and of course the Abarth is that model’s hot shoe edition. The Abarth name goes back well over half a century. It’s the surname of Carlos Abarth who came to prominence just after WWII as Cisitalia’s racing chief. He saw that company fold in 1948, and buying its assets founded Abarth & C S.p.A. the following year. Finances proved an ongoing struggle for Abarth as well, and in 1971 Carlos sold his namesake company to Fiat where it became the marque’s racing arm.
Today, Abarth denotes amped up editions of select Fiat models, and with the 500 that means a 133 horsepower FIRE turbocharged four and C10 5-speed stick. Fatter wheels and tires and remapped electric power steering also up the Abarth’s game.
This one, in Grigio over a charcoal cloth interior has seen some shit in its short but eventful life. The ad notes that 21K/year proved a bridge too far for the Abarth’s gearbox, which failed during the current owner’s tenure.
The box has been replaced with a lower mileage (25K) unit and that has been imbued with a tall guy shifter that pops out of the dash like it’s a randy horse come to have relations. That’s a take it or leave it mod in my book.
The rest of the interior looks to be in decent condition with no major wear on the seats or prominent tactile surfaces. The rear seat has been given the heave ho, which is apparently something people do. The removal does shave 47 pounds off the car and ensures you never have to double date.
The seller describes the car’s condition overall as ‘average’ and ascribes the minor scuffs on the bumpers to parking in downtown Philly. The rest of the body appears serviceable, and that oversized Abarth badge on the nose is a killer detail. Behind that lies an aftermarket intercooler which is piped in with the aforementioned Eurocompulsion (Geez, what a name!) intake. Alfa C4 coils top the new plugs sitting in a heavily oxidized cam cover. Man, I do not miss living in the North East.
Other aftermarket additions include an upgraded pop-off, adjustable Konis in back, H&R lowering springs all around, and ROTA 15-inch wheels with fresh Yokohama rubber. The seller says he has the original wheels too, however they are ‘bent’ and suffer curb rash. It kind of makes you wonder what went on in this car’s life. Snow tires on 15-inch wheels are also available for the car.
The car is said to run great and to be functioning as it should with no lights or OBDII drama waiting to unfold. The title is clean and the asking is $7,500. That gets you a hot hatch that’s a little hotter than average and one with some tales to tell. The question for you is whether or not those tales impact the price. What do you think, is this modded Abarth worth that $7,500 asking? Or, for that much, is this a scorpion without a sting?
You decide!
Philadelphia, PA Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.
H/T to Fauxshizzle for the hookup!
Help me out with NPOCP. Hit me up at rob@jalopnik.com and send me a fixed-price tip. Remember to include your Kinja handle.