I think we may just be at a point where the Fiat 500 Abarth has gotten too popular for its own sake and Fiat is looking for alternative ways of delivering Abarth performance to the fans.
The good looking Fiat Punto is one excellent starting plate but the Evo version it already has is a bit wet. What we have here is an Abarth Fiat Punto that is ready for the straight jacket.
Imagine if one was to team up the killer performance levels of the Abarth brand with the popularity of the Fiat Punto Evo.
Or let’s do this another way. Stop imagining, watch the photos and just take a few moments to skim through the specifications this hot hatch will have.
It’s called the Abarth Fiat Punto Evo EsseEsse and it is important for two serious aspects. Firstly, it’s most likely to be the last hurrah version we see of the current Punto before a new model takes its place sometime within the next couple of years.
Secondly, this is as fast as the Fiat Punto ever gets so it’s going out with a bang.
At the heart of all this new performance is the same 1.4 liter Turbocharged petrol engine. With the help of turbo swap to a Garrett GT1446 fixed-geometry unit and recalibrated ECU, it ends up developing 180 horsepower which, in turn, offers new stats.
The 0 to 62 mph sprint lasts 7.5 seconds and the top speed of the Abarth Fiat Punto Evo EsseEsse is now a respectable 135 mph.
Stopping after such acceleration or at such a high speed will be done courtesy of newly added and considerably improved Brembo brakes with a cross drilled all around system.
Crazy fun stuff from Abarth over, here comes the sensibleness from Fiat. The new Punto Evo EsseEsse is Euro 5 compliant, emits of 142 g/km of CO2 and averages 47.1 mpg.
Helping these aspects is Fiat’s TwinAir technology, a Stop/Start system as standard and a Gear Shift Indicator that can tell you when to change gear in order to drive more economically.
Pressing the sport button however will make that same GSI system tell you when to hit the next gear on a performance run.
That sport button also sharpens up the dampers and updates some of the chassis settings in order to give drivers of the Abarth Fiat Punto Evo EsseEsse a more responsive feel.
As an added bonus for the sensible types, Fiat dealers can sell you the Abarth EsseEsse Punto Evo as a kit, up to one year after the purchase of the “normal” car.
