Abarth 500C takes its top off in glorious Goodwood sunshine
Two Abarthisti members recount their experiences of the new Abarth 500C and their test drives at the Goodwood Moving Motor Show.
“I admit it – I fell for the seduction of the name. The words ‘Abarth’ and ‘convertible’ were like music to my ears. When the chance arose to drive the new Abarth 500C at the Goodwood Moving Motor Show – its first UK appearance – how could I possibly refuse?
As we rolled out of the exhibition centre I felt as if I was in another world. This wasn’t just any convertible. It was an Abarth convertible. We reached the beginning of the test route and was told it was my turn to drive. I could barely contain my excitement!
As we know, the 500C features a robotised manual gearbox as standard; in other words, no gearstick. In its place is a circular panel with four buttons: Auto/Manual, 1st, Neutral and Reverse. Having driven Ferraris and Lamborghinis with an F1-style shift, I had a good idea of the procedure. I planted my foot on the brake pedal and pressed ‘Auto’. There was no creep to speak of, so, with gentle pressure on the accelerator, we approached the start line.
I pressed the A/M button again to engage manual mode, tightened my grip on the wheel, and waited.
The Abarth 500C leaps off the line and disappears up the hill in a sequence of pops and bangs
The flag dropped, and I floored the throttle. The 500C didn’t scrabble for grip thanks to its electronics working overtime. I reached 60mph seemingly in no time, with the host keeping a keen eye on the rev counter while instructing me not to shoot into the red zone. The car had only clocked up about 360 miles, so I could understand his nervousness.
Keeping my eyes on the track, and my foot on the throttle, I flicked the gear-change paddle. There was a slight pause and the needle moved quickly away from the redline. Into the corner and the ‘C’ held its line well, despite its rumoured softer set-up than its hatchback brother.
Down-shifting and up-shifting before and after each bend was great fun, with the bonus of the throttle being blipped automatically to match road speed with revs. While I generally prefer manuals, the MTA gearbox was a revelation.
While 10 minutes up the hill doesn’t allow you to explore the full experience that a real test drive might, it was enough to convince me. I returned home, and placed an order for an Abarth 500C of my own. You can’t beat the uniqueness of open air Abarth motoring.”
- Exoticaholic
The Abarth 500C at the Goodwood Moving Motor Show
“With the sun shining and a pair of tickets for Goodwood in my hand, what more could you possibly ask for? Well, how about a test drive in a convertible?
As an Abarth 500 owner, I was already keen to see the new 500C in the flesh. And I have to admit, I was pleasantly surprised.
The roof folds neatly without obstructing the view too much. And, from inside, having acres of blue sky above you, and the sound of the popping and burbling exhaust behind you, is quite a compelling combination. Abarth have even managed to keep buffeting for rear-seat passengers to a minimum, too.
The ‘C’ is the first 500 to be fitted with the new MTA gearbox. Based on the same five-speed unit, it has not just a fully-automatic mode, but also a pair of ‘flappy paddles’ mounted behind the steering wheel.
It seems strange at first to press a button on a panel where the gear stick should be, but once on the move I found the trick was not to lift off the accelerator pedal when changing gear. And boy, was it worth it, with the exhaust popping and banging with every shift.
It would have been interesting to see a Bi-colour car at Goodwood. The tan leather interior of one of the demonstrators didn’t appeal to me, but the rest of the spec – including Xenon headlights and parking sensors – seemed like a good choice.
First impressions, then? A thumbs up from me. I look forward to trying one on the road.”
- NinjaUK
1 Comment
Interesting stuff. We saw the Abarth 500 display at the Silverstone Classic Car weekend. We sat in a bi-colour 500C, and went home to check out the car at Vospers in Plymouth.
I’m sorry but I can’t agree with the folk above, we have a 6 speed paddleshift BMW135 M Sport coupe. The BMW gearbox is awesome, the abarth’s is simply dreadful. I’d buy one tomorrow if it had a manual gearbox, but the jerky shift in the 500C is simply loathsome. Oh, and why would want massive bangs every time you shift with the paddles, I know I don’t. So if Fiat are reading this get a proper 6 speed manual in here pronto, and you can be sure I’ll buy one straight away.