Abarth 695 70° Anniversario | Test Drive

14 December 2020 Redazione News, Tested

Words by Marco Rallo / Photos by Daniél Rikkard

That of Karl Abarth is one of those stories that show how in certain occasions destiny has pre-established plans. The world of racing would soon became the meaning of his life. Starting as a motorcycle driver, he was so good that sometimes competitors thought he was using juiced-up motorcycles. Later on, when Abarth moved to Italy after the war, he had the chance to start a partnership with Ferry Porsche handling the Cisitalia racing project. This lasted only two years, but the accumulated experience and the fact of being able to dispose of the materials and the remaining cars was the springboard for the beginning of his own career, presented to the world in 1949 under the name of Abarth & C.

After 70 years and enormous successes in the racing world, thanks to the fame acquired as a tuner, Abarth has mainly worked on FIAT cars, raising the bar of performance on models that originally did not stand out for that desire to attack curves that it has always been synonymous with the Italian-Austrian magician. A dutiful introduction, especially towards those who exclusively link the contemporary image of Abarth to the many evolutions of the latest generation FIAT 500, a global success that, especially in Europe, confirms that each of the special models coming out of the gates of the Turin brand plays an important role in the illustrious legacy of the Abarth myth.

Therefore, such a birthday could not have been celebrated without a version that was able to underline how much Abarth cares for the link with its past and that is why the wait to properly drive the new 695 70° Anniversario was pretty intense, until finally they sent one straight to our office. Production limited in just 1949 units – just like the year in which Karl Abarth founded the brand – this is the most extreme evolution of the 500 Abarth, after the crazy Biposto we welcomed a few years ago. In this case we have 4 seats and the possibility of equipping it with an automatic gearbox or with the more engaging 5-speed manual.

To make the 70° Anniversario unique there are a whole series of aesthetic traits that immediately let you understand which version you are in front of, namely the green Monza 1958 color, which is yet another tribute to the past, this time to the color of the first 500 Abarth achieving 6 international records on the Italian circuit, wheel arches and profiles in Campovolo Gray, checkerboard on the roof, 17″ inch wheels and the 12 positions rear spoiler adjustable between 0° to 60°, underlining how the Anniversario is ready to enhance driving fun and effectiveness between curves also thanks to the mechanical self-locking differential. For all this and to put one in the garage a piece with a possible collectible future, it is necessary to say goodbye to € 34,600, certainly not a few pennies especially if we take into account that the 1.4 turbo has not been touched. To get a precise idea of such a car, however, we must not let numbers and specifications be the only argument, there is nothing left to do but drive until the small tank is empty over and over again and that is exactly what we did during the weeks with the little 695.

What is certain is that every Abarth is capable of bringing a smile to the face of those who drive it. Thanks to its small size, it is still a car that winks for everyday use, easy to park in the city and fantastic to drive away from traffic, it maintains that recipe introduced with the first incarnation of the new Abarth 500, here with the same 180 horsepower of the 595 Competizione and with the Record Monza exhaust as standard to wake up the neighbors when you come back home late at night, especially if you have specifically left Sport mode on. It is in fact in this case that the throttle response becomes sharper, the steering more precise and the noise louder, leading you to conduct the 70° Anniversario as if you were fleeing after a bank robbery. So, with the knife between your teeth and your eyes focused on the road, you go in search of those curves that can confirm how much the little Turin bomb is able to limit understeer, almost completely prevent front wheel spinning and enjoy speed cornering that I would never have thought possible, especially taking into account that the car body is still narrow, high and that the seating position still is the infamous one that makes you feel on the car rather than in it – drawback that can be solved with a few hundred Euros, by looking for one of the numerous lowered brackets suppliers that will make the driving position finally ideal even for those who are taller than 1.5 meters.

Abarth means speed, like Nutella means happiness. Don’t be fooled by the fact that under the big scorpion on the front hood is a small 4-cylinder 1.4-liter of 180 horsepower, because there is also a generous turbocharger that releases a maximum torque of 250 Nm at around 3,000 rpm, letting you feel a push in the back and see how the 695 splashes towards the next bend in a sonorous and sensory din very similar to that of the legendary coffins on wheels of the 80s. As an “FF” sports car, this Abarth loves corners, in particular the tightest ones, faced with a very rigid chassis and with the awareness that such a small wheelbase (2,300 mm) allows it to bite on the apex, the moment immediately following the entry into the curve itself.

The 70° Anniversario substantially maintains a good 90% of the 595 Competizione in the cockpit as well, adding a commemorative plaque that confirms its limited production and even if ultimately I would have drooled for something even more extreme as done with the Biposto, after weeks of daily cohabitation I realized that not taking it too far from the concept of an everyday sports car was the best choice to make it truly formidable in the real world, where each of us may need a single car to go to work during the week and attack a mountain pass on the weekend. The upgraded brakes and the fact that it weighs just over 1 ton are extra points that make the XS-sized hot-hatches among the funniest toys around. Quite expensive toys in this case, but still what it takes to draw a huge smile on your face.