In urban Italy, every traffic light is an opportunity for a drag race to the next, and the Latin machismo order of the hairy chest is ordained to whoever wins the block-long run. For decades, Italian car owners have tuned and tweaked their tiny cars to provide an edge in these impromptu street contests, and names such as Abarth on the diminutive flank of the car, or the tell-tale propped-open deck lid would indicate that the driver was packing some serious heat, and should be approached with caution.
Our friends at Autoblog happened upon an old school Fiat 500 at the SEMA show last week that could put even the mighty Abarth versions to shame in a street light contest. Of course, this 427-powered 500, with 725-bhp on tap, may mean you need to pull the chute every time you hit a red. Veloce!
Thanks to Frank Filipponio for sharing the love!
Last Call- The Drag Queens of Italy
About
-
I'm guessing that there is less than 6" of driveshaft there.
-
It's ok, there's probably more suspension travel from the drag slicks than there is from the rear springs.
-
Direct couple to the differential?
-
[Charles to insert joke here]
-
-
When I was stationed in Italy, we crammed four of us paratroopers into a Cinquecento along with the Italian driver one drunken night to get back to the post. It was a hoot. Shoving that badass 427 into this 500 is more difficult and even crazier. Only a true madman would light this thing's fuse. Mamma mia. Che una bomba.
-
You'd be wise to say your Hail Marys every time you let off the brake pedal, much less stand on the gas.
Leave a Reply