What excitement there was around the Fiat 500 at launch in 2007. A super stylish remake of an iconic small car, it was a smash hit from the word go. Same story for the Abarth that followed a year later: lower, louder and just a little bit lairy, the turbocharged 500 was a real hoot. After half a dozen years, the Mini wasn’t the only retro-themed, endlessly customisable city car option out there.
And now, 17 years after that introduction, the Fiat 500 has finally been withdrawn from sale. There will be enough stock to see through any lingering demand that exists for the rest of the year, but no more orders. The only models left on sale were the 500 Hybrid, plus the Abarth 595 and 695. The long-running Fiat will be replaced next year by the new 500 Ibrida (which takes the 500e and equips it with the current hybrid powertrain), with Abarth’s future, for now at least, set to be electric. The 500e is built at Mirafiori, as the Ibrida will be.
So the least we could do, given such momentous news, was see what a buyer keen on a 500 or a 595 (or whatever else the Abarths have been called over the years) might be able to get in 2024. Certainly they won’t want for choice. Search ‘Abarth 595’ in the classifieds and there are more than 200 results; the standard 500s total almost two thousand. Indeed it’s quite hard to imagine what Fiat would have done without the 500 since 2007. The earliest cars are now down at Shed money (some look better than others), although a few have survived nicely: this smart 2008 example has covered just 55,000 with a pair of owners. A cheap private plate and nobody would know it’s almost as old as an iPhone. There are deals around on new ones, too; Fiat’s website says a new mild-hybrid is from £16,800, but this 24-plated car is almost £3,000 less than that.
The Abarth is what PH has always been most interested in, of course. No Sunday Service would be complete without something 500-shaped angrily parping along like a shrunken speedboat. Those willing to accept a few miles can get a 140hp Abarth for a little more than £3k (with a clutch 5,000 miles ago), which feels like quite a lot of fun for the money. Up the budget to £5k and there are some really nice ones around, including low mileage examples in the trademark Abarth colour scheme and those loaded to the gunwales with pano roofs and stereo upgrades. 500C Convertibles are from about £6k, for those after some open-top entertainment.
That’s just the start, however; the Abarth 500/595/695 became (in)famous over the years for ever more powerful, ever more expensive, ever more numerous special editions. The Biposto Rosso Officina was the ultimate, with just 99 made and originally used as Ferrari courtesy cars before the decision was made to sell them. This one is number 11, one of very few right-hand drive cars, and costs… £50k. The mechanically identical (and almost as rare) two-seat 695 Biposto will still cost more than £30,000. Highly prized little cars.
Nevertheless, there’ll be almost as much fun to be had in ordinary 695s and 595s. This 70th Anniversary Competizione looks great in Adrenaline Green with the carbon-backed seats and sat on Eibach springs; it’s for sale at £17k. There are Rivales, Yamaha Editions, F595 Pistas, even one of the EsseEsse 500s used in the Silverstone Celebrity Challenge. Suffice it to say those who want any stripe of 500 are spoilt for choice. Fiat will do well to achieve the same level of popularity the second time around.
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