2011 Abarth 500

This 500 Abarth seems to have led something of a charmed life, as the vendor points out; “I got it from a lovely Lady in Wales who had never (to my knowledge) pressed the sport button! In fact, on delivery, the car kept beeping and I assumed there was a fault, it turned out to be a 50mph speed warning buzzer. Consequently, I think it can be safely assumed that it hasn’t ever been ragged.”

This lack of abuse seems to be backed up by an excellent service history, with stamps in the pack showing care from new in 2011 right up to 2023. The condition speaks volumes too as the paint seems to have easily shaken off the car’s 13-year vintage. No doubt this has been significantly helped by the vendor’s claim that the bonnet has been painted, the paint corrected throughout and the panels given a ceramic coating.

As a top-end 500, this Abarth not only looks great but is fitted with almost as many creature comforts as it has stripes. Air-conditioning, traction control and a ‘Sport’ mode are merely the headlines. The vendor also adds that “the car is absolutely factory standard and has not been chipped.”

As already mentioned, the cosmetic care that’s apparently been lavished on this 500 lately has kept it looking its best. Black paint on a car is probably the automotive equivalent of an unforgiving pair of leggings, and just like the aforementioned hosiery, any wobbly bits to the bodywork have absolutely nowhere to hide. This 500 Abarth appears to have got away almost scot-free. Panels all look straight and true and with seemingly very uniform and neat gaps.

That being said, the 13 years of use haven’t passed entirely without leaving their mark. An area of paint imperfection to the offside A pillar (just in front of the mirror) is probably the most noticeable. The usual front-end chips and small marks can also be seen on the bumper, though the bonnet appears to be free of the same, adding cachet to the claim of its recently renewed paint. Looking very closely, we also spotted a few very small dings, one to the offside outer edge of the driver’s door and another to the nearside rear three quarter (just aft of the Abarth badge). There’s also a small scratch (1.5-inch) to the nearside door but this doesn’t appear to be too deep.

The rear brake callipers look to have mildly oxidised, which is greater highlighted by the rest of the component being covered in bright red paint! The rear brake discs are also showing some light grooves, but nothing that looks too serious. The gorgeous 17-inch polished alloy wheels look fantastic, with plenty of shine showing from their polished faces. There’s a little oxidisation appearing on the nearside front however, though there doesn’t appear to be anything awry with the four matching Goodyear Eagle F1 tyres (showing 12/23 dates).

As the Abarth version of the 500 is significantly sportier than its more pedestrian progenitor model, there are several additions in here that up the drama. The most obvious among them are the fantastically figure-hugging front furniture. The deep bolsters have contrasting red piping and stitching – the latter also found on the gear knob, dash pad and hand-brake lever. Abarth mats seem to have kept the pile underneath suitably protected and the red theme continues to the dials, a neat design that sees the rev counter sit within the speedo, the latter chasing the former around the ‘clock’.

There seems to be very little to find fault with in here, with only light creasing to the driver’s seat outer bolster giving any sign of wear whatsoever. For a little car, there’s plenty of instrumentation and ‘toys’, the boost gauge on the dashtop and the Interscope sound system with aux input, for example. There are also a pair of cup holders up front and the same in the back, somewhat contrary to Italian car tradition. We spotted a slightly dirty nearside rear seatbelt and some very light scratches to the bottom third of those big plastic door cards – and a few more on the dash top – but really this is us being very picky. 

Under the bonnet, there’s little to see beyond the usual ‘modern’ car plastic covers. The crackle finish to the engine top is attractive, sporting a huge Scorpion in silver. Otherwise, it’s all lacking drama, and looks tight and inaccessible. Hardly surprising, considering the car’s dimensions. The fluids that we could see (coolant and washer) both looked of good quality and colour and topped up to their appropriate MAX fill marks.

A poke around the offside strut top revealed some water and a little surface corrosion (on the strut top, not the bodywork), though this wasn’t enough to worry the MoT man at the last inspection (runs out in July). Sliding as low as we could go to get a glimpse of this 500’s underside, we couldn’t see anything beyond a bit of surface corrosion to the exhaust, and various brackets, to cause any concern. The floors and sills look solid, but there are plenty of scratches to this FIAT’s under trays.

As with the rest of this together and well-presented Abarth, the history folder is pretty comprehensive. There is the full owner’s book pack, which is always a nice addition, but even more welcome are the numerous and consistent service stamps found within. This 500 has seen Abarth-approved servicing from new, the first of many stamps from Rockingham Cars in Corby, Northamptonshire appearing on 31 March 2011. Annual services follow, largely from the same firm, including cambelt changes in 2016 and 2022 (the latter at 66,873 miles).

When it comes to invoices; there’s a bill for an air-con service from September 2023 (£72), an interim service (engine oil, filter and injector cleaner) carried out in July 2023, including fitting a new nearside front suspension arm with accompanying tracking corrected. Other than the aforementioned 2023 service, there was another recent major maintenance session in July 2020 that saw oil, air, coolant and brake fluid changed (£130).

This cracking little Abarth has a lot going for it, most of which we’ve already mentioned, but we’ll leave the final few points to the vendor. “The car is a hoot to drive. Without sport mode you have a standard 500, press the button and you have a little hooligan! My only reason for selling is that I simply don’t use it and it’s such a shame for it to be languishing in a garage for months. The cambelt and water pump were done this year, and I fitted a brand-new set of Michelin Pilot Sport tyres and laser tracked and aligned the wheels. The AC is ice cold, and everything (to my knowledge) works perfectly. I am also including an unused car cover.”

We estimate that this Abarth will sell for £5,000-£8,000, and is on offer with no reserve, so will be on sale from the very first bid.

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this lot is located with the vendor in Swerford, Oxfordshire. Viewings are strictly by appointment. To make a booking, please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, and read our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.