The Abarth 695 just won’t die – meet the new 75 Anniversario special edition
After 16 years in production, Abarth’s Fiat 500-based hot hatch is still alive and kicking. This latest version pays tribute to the firm’s 75 anniversary
Another day, another special edition Abarth hot hatch. This time it’s the 695 75 Anniversario, which has been built to celebrate the company’s 75 anniversary and – oddly – Fiat’s 1.4-litre four-cylinder T-Jet engine.
Bar the latest EV version, the T-Jet has been fitted to every Fiat 500-based Abarth since production began in 2008. A total of 1368 75 Anniversarios will be produced in reference to the engine’s capacity.
The 75 Anniversario makeover is a cosmetic exercise. Abarth has applied a unique livery to the car, with gold badging, 17-inch wheels and Abarth stickers set against black paintwork. It also gets an enormous gold scorpion logo on its roof.
The colour scheme continues inside, with the special edition gaining black Alcantara trim on the dashboard and steering wheel with contrasting gold detailing on the seats. These are the carbon-backed Sabelt items available with the base car, albeit with unique 75 Anniversario logos embroidered on the backrests.
Nothing has changed as far as the mechanicals go. The 695’s T-Jet – boosted by a Garrett turbocharger – generates 178bhp and 184lb ft of torque, propelling the pint-sized hatch from 0-62mph in 6.7sec. It’ll run on to a top speed of 140mph.
The special edition gets Abarth’s Record Monza exhaust system with stacked tailpipes and an active valve system, along with Koni frequency-selective dampers as standard. Braking is by Brembo, with 305mm front discs and black-coloured aluminium calipers. The 695’s usual suite of equipment – including a 7-inch infotainment display, a DAB radio, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto – is thrown in too.
There’s no word on how much the 75 Anniversario will cost, but expect an uplift over the top-spec 695 Competizione’s £29,925 list price. Abarth hasn’t confirmed whether it’ll be offered with a manual gearbox either (the flagship 695 is exclusively available with a five-speed robotised automatic).
