2009 Abarth 500

Previously owned by Cat Deeley and Patrick Kielty, who bought the car after he competed in the 2009 Trofero Abarth 500 race series with model Jodie Kidd, the celebrity couple are the car’s only previous keepers.

Not that it seems that either of them drove it hard because despite being first registered on the 17th of November 2009, it is still showing just 31,500 miles on the clock.

Believed to be one of just 100 built that year, it was fitted with a new, factory spec Magneti Marelli Monza performance exhaust in November 2019 at a cost of £1,750, so it still sounds every bit as good as it goes, something that its comprehensive service history contributes to in no small way.

Bought on a whim and in the care of the vendor for the past 9,000 miles over two years, it is only being sold because he now finds himself in need of a bigger car, which makes this your opportunity to get your hands on an ultra-rare and wonderfully provenanced example of one of the decades best hot-hatchbacks.

The simple white bodywork is enhanced by red door mirrors and the familiar Abarth side stripes and scorpion badging. There’s also a rear diffuser and quad exhausts, elements that add some much-needed muscularity to the car’s shape.

And, in what is clearly a contrived segue on the part of your humble scribe, it’s all in great shape, too. With factory fresh shutlines and very good panels, the white coachwork still looks terrific – but then this is a very lightly used example, the likes of which you rarely see come up for sale.

The light lenses and badges are all good too, as is the glazing including the sliding glass sunroof, which opens and closes at the touch of a button, sealing tightly and opening freely (but not Deeley: do you see what we did there?). It’s a very neat arrangement and one that brings plenty of fresh air when you want it and yet no extraneous wind noise when you don’t.

The white, 17-inch alloy wheels are only very lightly nibbled with kerb rash, so little in fact that we imagine you could leave ‘em as they are until money and motivation align and you get them refurbished. That said, they’re fitted with tyres that aren’t exactly premium, so you might like to budget for a set of four name-brand replacements to help you make the most of that sensational chassis.

In summary, it’s hard to believe that this is a car whose next birthday will be its twelfth and blemishes are few: There’s a chip on the nearside door mirror (#15) and you will want to pop a new front numberplate on while you are at it (#79).

NB: there is a note on the 2013 invoice for the payment of an insurance excess. Neither we nor the vendor have any more information on what this was for.

The deeply bolstered front seats look terrific and not just because they’re finished in bright red leather. They’re only lightly creased, most noticeably on the driver’s side of course, a patina that includes just the start of some softening to the outside bolster.

The rear seats are even better, and the red theme is picked up in the door cards and the overall effect is lively without coming even close to looking gaudy.

Additional features include a 50:50 split rear seat, an electric sunroof, air-conditioning, the ‘Blue and Me’ audio system with voice activation and Bluetooth, dark tinted rear windows, and electrically adjustable front seats. Heck, it’s so original that even the coin-holder is still in the cupholder.

The dashboard is dominated by a centrally mounted gear-shift indicator and turbo-boost gauge. This, plus the chunky steering wheel, perfect driving position, and nicely weighted gearchange make for a very satisfying driver/car interface.

The underside of the boot looks like new, with pristine tools and what looks like an unused air compressor.

Wear and tear is minimal. We can see some slight colour loss to the front seats (#31, #32, and #33 show what we’re talking about) as well as to the gearknob (#45). There are some faint scuffs to the base of the front passenger seat too (#21) plus a few marks on the back of the rear seats from luggage (#66) as well as their leather facings (#84).

But, that said, these are all minor and stand out because the rest of the interior is so good rather than because they’re an eyesore in their own right.

The Abarth has been very well looked after, with the following work being recorded:

• 17.11.2009 – pre-delivery inspection by Fiat Marylebone

• 16.08.2011 and 5,535 miles – service by Fiat Marylebone

• 12.01.2013 and 9,112 miles – service plus a fuel system and engine flush and fresh front discs and pads by Fiat Marylebone at a cost of £1,445

• 17.01.2019 and 22,010 miles – oil change by P. H. Cars

• 22.11.2019 and 27,130 miles – service by Dixon’s Automotive

• 23.12.2020 and 31,529 miles – service and a new battery by Dixon’s Automotive

The engine bay is pretty good, being clean and neatly presented. The underside is tidy too but the white sills do show some minor scrapes (#179 and #181) but these appear to be colour transfer rather than damage and we think most of these could probably be buffed off.

We also note some rust to the springs, which will need an eye keeping on them. Again, we note this more because the rest of the underside is so good rather than because they’re especially problematic.

As you can see in the video, it starts very well and ticks over nicely. It also makes a terrific racket when you rev it courtesy of that expensive exhaust system. We’ve taken it for a brief test drive and the boss came back grinning, saying of it: “it’s a lovely little ‘pocket rocket’ and a whole lot of fun from only 1.4 litres!”

The Abarth’s MOT certificate is valid until January 2022. It has a number of expired MOT certificates plus a sheaf of invoices and bills to confirm the work that has been done to it over the past dozen years.

It also still has its original owner’s handbook, fully stamped service history, book pack, and storage wallet.

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of this and other paperwork to support our claim that this car has been maintained to a very good standard.

If you’d like to inspect the car prior to placing a bid – something we would encourage – then please use the Contact Seller button to arrange an appointment.

The Abarth 500 is a wonderful thing, and the Essesse conversion makes a great car into an exceptional one. Faster and better sounding than the standard car, it also has the suspension and brakes to match; we love ‘em and think they’re a far easier car to live with than the equivalent MINI thanks to their better ride/handling balance.

And they’re still an underappreciated asset in our opinion, which is bad news for the vendor but very good news for anyone who’s in the market for one of the most joyous cars of the 21st century.

How underappreciated are they? Well, despite this one’s wonderful condition, impeccable service history, and celebrity owners, we think it’s going to struggle to breach five figures and might even sell for as little as £7,000 to £10,000 and that’s a ridiculously small sum to pay for something that is going to bring so much joy to your motoring life.

And, let’s face it, joy is in short supply right now, so if you can pick up a little for only four figures, you be daft not to, wouldn’t you?

Viewing is always encouraged, within Govt. guidelines of course, and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; to arrange an appointment 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, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.