The production of the Abarth 595/695 premium hot hatch based on the Fiat 500 chassis is almost over, but Giannini Automobili is in no hurry to say goodbye. The company had spent five months developing a posh body kit and a serious engine upgrade for the car, and it is available starting this week.
Although the Abarth donor car is also considered “custom” and “tuned” to an extent, the new Giannini Spettacolo blows it straight out of the water. It rocks a completely new front bumper with enlarged air intakes, a splitter, a radiator grille and a hood cover with F1-style vents in it. A view from the side reveals longer side skirts and widened fenders concealing 18-inch carbon-trimmed wheels. Rounding off the bold styling attempt is a rear end that manages to come across as sleek and bulky at the same time with its rounded outlines and two massive exhaust tips above the diffuser.
Power is still sourced from the standard 1.4-liter turbo engine, but the tuner manages to ramp up the output to a record-high 250 PS (247 hp / 184 kW), as well as 360 Nm (266 lb-ft) of torque. The whole car weighs just under a metric ton (2,200 lbs) thanks to the extensive use of carbon, so it easily hits 100 km/h (62 mph) in five seconds and doesn’t stop accelerating until 280 km/h (174 mph).
The production is expected to be capped at 200 units priced from €133,000 (U.S. $144,000), donor vehicle included.