Little Fiat, big dream

Racing heritage: The Fiat 500 Abarth 695 Tributo Ferrari has a top speed of 225km/h. Photo / Supplied.

It's being called the Fiat that wants to be a Ferrari.

The hottest version of Fiat's chic 500 is a limited edition that celebrates the history and shared high-performance values of Abarth and Ferrari.

The pocket rocket developed by Abarth boasts 134kW of power and a quick-shifting sequential manual gearbox that combine to give a 0-100km/h time of less than seven seconds and a top speed of 225km/h.

It also has handling, stopping and appearance equipment that have been influenced by Ferrari.

Carlo Abarth and Enzo Ferrari have contributed significantly to the legend of Italian racing. The two men followed similar careers: first drivers, then engine tuners and finally heads of companies that command respect in the world of motor racing.

The two brands have collaborated over the years.

In 1953, the Ferrari 166/250 MM Abarth raced in various international meetings including the Mille Miglia.

However, the tie between the two companies has mainly been exhaust systems designed by Abarth specifically for Ferrari.

The two brands more recently renewed their collaboration to supply a limited run of Abarth 500s to Ferrari's European dealers for use as customer courtesy cars.

This joint programme gave birth to the new car, the Fiat 500 Abarth 695 Tributo Ferrari.

It's distinguished by styling changes and powertrain modifications by Abarth and Ferrari engineers.

The 1.4 Turbo T-Jet 16v engine has been tuned and fitted to a Manual Transmission Automated (MTA) sequential manual gearbox with paddle shifters.

Ferrari-style 17-inch alloy rims are fitted and the suspension and braking have been strengthened to cope with the extra power.

A Record Monza variable backpressure dual mode exhaust gives the right sound and improves engine performance.

The cars are finished in Scuderia Red, with carbon-fibre door mirrors and such details as the wheels and rear air intakes in Racing Grey.

The black leather steering wheel has red leather inserts and a tricolour hub on which the gearshift paddles are mounted.

The instrument panel is specially made by Jaeger, inspired by Ferrari instrumentation. Footwells are covered in non-slip aluminium and the racing pedals are personalised with Abarth's scorpion logo.

The interior has kick plates and a plate bearing the vehicle series number.