Abarth 695 Esseesse Is Out Of American Reach
The Abarth 695 Esseesse joins the pantheon of amazingly cool cars that will never be sold in the U.S. because of “reasons”. It’s really unfortunate for us over here in America-land but hey, no one can stop us from needlessly torturing ourselves by learning everything about this car anyway right?
Fiat moved their brand over to the states a long time ago and anyone currently living here can go to a dealership and pick up a brand new 500X, 124 Spider, or a Spider Abarth.
However, it seems like the Italian brand is still keeping the really good stuff for themselves. The Abarth 695 Essessse is just the latest example.
Based on the extremely popular Fiat 500, the Abarth 695 is a limited edition variant with extra power, a big wing, slick wheels, and a racy interior.
This car is inspired by the original 1964 model of the same name when Abarth tuners tweaked a Fiat 500 by increasing it’s engine displacement to 690cc and total horsepower to a whopping 38. The extra power allowed their project to hit a top speed of 87mph which, for the time was pretty quick considering the car’s engine displacement.
Performance
This 2021 model has a tad bit more grunt than its 60s-era grandpa. The 2021 Abarth 695 Esseessee has a 1.4 liter turbocharged engine that makes 180 horsepower which is the same powerplant found in the “normal” Abarth 695.
However, some weight has been shaved off due to the use of an aluminum hood rather than the standard steel one which saves 10kg (22lbs).
There is also the very large rear wing to speak of. It is adjustable between zero and 60° degrees of angle. At a speed of 124mph, Abarth says the wing will provide up to 42kgs (93lbs) of downforce.
In essence, the Abarth 695 Esseesse saves just enough weight and makes just enough power to make it endlessly fun to zip around on a track.
Interior
The interior will be a display of the car’s exclusivity. The front seats will feature “one of 695” embroidery on the headrests and the rest of the seat stitching will be color-matched to the car’s respective exterior paint.
The dashboard will be wrapped in Alcantara with a “695 Esseesse” logo laser-cut in the lower-right corner because why not use lasers? Finally, the car will come with an exclusive carbon fiber shift knob.
Exclusivity
All together it sounds like an incredibly fun hot hatchback package. Alas, as we’ve previously mentioned, we’ll never get the chance to try it for ourselves in America. This car will be exclusive to the European market.
Furthermore, even if someone lives in Europe, this car won’t be easy to get. Only 1,390 models will be produced; 695 of them will be sprayed in “Scorpion black” and the other 695 will be adorned in “Campovolo grey”.
Maybe one day the marketing department at Fiat will see some value in selling these fun, limited, variants in America. Until then, looking at pictures will just have to do!
Do you think the Abarth 695 Esseesse could sell 1,390 units in America? Let us know in the comments or tweet to us at @MotorworldHype.