The Abarth 500's motorsport pedigree descends directly from the brand's historical relationship with Fiat's small cars, and the Assetto Corse represents the highest-specification factory-built variant of the modern 500 platform. The car is produced in a limited run of 49 units. Where the standard Abarth 500 uses the 1.4-litre IHI-turbocharged Fire engine in road-legal tune, the Assetto Corse receives an uprated package featuring a Garrett GT 1446 turbocharger and a remapped engine delivering 200 bhp at 6500 rpm with 300 Nm of torque at 3000 rpm — a substantial increase over the production car. Earlier production versions of the Assetto Corse were rated at 180 bhp before the upgrade to the 200 bhp specification.
The Assetto Corse is substantially lighter than the road car, with approximately 180 kg stripped from the standard vehicle to bring kerb weight down to around 940 kg. To achieve this the interior is entirely removed: standard seats, trim panels and sound deadening are deleted, replaced by a central anatomical racing seat, carbon fibre door panels, and a roll bar. The seating position is shifted toward the centre of the car to optimise weight distribution. A racing steering wheel is fitted.
Externally, the body retains the standard shell but carries a white-finished 17-inch ultralight racing wheel set, sports racing mirrors and a white winged rear spoiler. The bonnet features twin carbon fibre air intakes bearing the Abarth scorpion logo, and the front grilles are replaced by screen-printed mesh. Additional bonnet hold-downs are fitted. The bodywork is finished in pastel grey with red Abarth side stripes, with number-board areas prepared on the doors.
The drivetrain uses a six-speed M32 close-ratio gearbox, and the braking system is upgraded to four-piston Brembo calipers with larger 305 mm drilled and vented front rotors. Suspension is coilover throughout.
Competition versions of the Abarth 500 have been fielded in various club racing categories, most notably the Trofeo Abarth single-make series, which ran on Panta 102-octane fuel and permitted power outputs around 188 bhp. UK specialist Abarth Racing UK, working with Turbo Technics, undertook significant development of the platform, finding that the standard GT 1446 turbocharger was flow-limited to approximately 200 bhp before the compressor shaft would fail under sustained boost. This led to the development of the bespoke S260 unit from Turbo Technics, which uses a larger 42 mm turbine housing in the same external footprint as the GT 1446 and permits outputs of 285–300 bhp on race fuel.
Experience in competition highlighted several platform characteristics relevant to tuning: the Bosch ME7.9 ECU's knock sensor responds to cylinder detonation by withdrawing ignition advance across all cylinders, making temperature management critical to sustained power output. The standard side-mounted intercoolers were found to perform well for circuit applications, maintaining intake temperatures within acceptable limits, while front-mount intercoolers introduced cooling complications that could actually reduce power by raising water and oil temperatures.
Alongside the Assetto Corse, Abarth produced the 500 R3T, a rally variant built to FIA Group R3T regulations. The R3T uses the same Garrett GT 1446a turbocharger with a 29 mm restrictor plate, a sequential six-speed gearbox with multiplate self-locking differential, and a metal-ceramic twin-plate clutch. Its weight is set at the minimum permitted 1080 kg. The R3T and Assetto Corse share the same basic platform but are optimised for their respective disciplines.
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