The Sign of Made In Italy

9 January 2016 Redazione News, Tested, Tuning

Words by Alessandro Marrone

Photos by Roberto Marrone

Generally, I am a rather timely person. When it comes to work, I always arrive earlier. So, after I left home in the morning, I reach Cervesina (PV) with about half an hour ahead of schedule. A different Monday than usual: instead of the weekly morning meeting, I have the chance to drive on a circuit never tested before, the Tazio Nuvolari, driving a great promise of our beloved Made in Italy, the Cinquone by Romeo Ferraris. The -3 degrees temperature of the morning, makes me move every second and so, after meeting Matteo and Chiara, the boys of marketing that illustrate me the many differences between a simple 500 Abarth and a Cinquone (later, I will list the various models), I begin to look around here and there, starting to live the new working week. Romeo Ferraris is not a new name, in fact, its history begins back in 1959, where it took its first steps as a tuner of the Lancia of the great Giancarlo Baghetti. Over the years, from a simple workshop, Romeo Ferraris has covered all possible fields, not just passing through cars and racing, but also nautical races, without forgetting the great passion for luxury watches and, of course, the great return to motorsport, with their first proper car, which is not only a tuned version on steroids and hundreds of horses, but a real model, regularly insurable and usable on road, reported in the booklet as Romeo Ferraris Cinquone. The Cinquone for the road, which comes from the track version deployed in the Superstars Series, has as a progenitor a standard Abarth 500, from which it takes the body and the engine. All that makes it an interesting car, however, is the work of Mario Ferraris & company, and their great dedication and quest for perfectionism and performance. The cars are brought into the pit lane and I can finally get on board. Mario himself, without wasting time, takes me on the Cinquone Corsa Leggero (that in Italian means Light) and jets out of the pit lane as a maniac, we enter the first corner and I already imagine myself upside down. It only took five seconds to realize that here, it’s another story: the Cinquone, even if with still cold semi slick tires, harpoons itself on the ground and pulls you out of any corner, without the slightest difficulty. We follow a series of laps, while I try to memorize the corners of this fast and wide track: ideal to bring a car beyond its limits, but in perfect safety. Then, it’s up to me and I decide to climb behind the wheel of the Cinquone S, the factory’s intermediate proposal, between the three available from the company based in Opera, near Milan. Thanks to its 210hp, sets itself somewhere between the 160 and 248 of the entry level and the most powerful Corsa. Aesthetically it is, as its two sisters, wider, lower, lighter and shares with the original car, only the roof and the door panels. Everything else is better (hoods, mirrors and dashboard in real carbon), aggressive and above all much more noisy, thanks to a new dual exhaust placed in the middle of the rear bumper with also a new air diffuser. For this track day, I have two models with 5-speed manual gearboxes and the old beloved clutch; time to stretch my legs and throw the most civilized of the two between the curbs of Tazio Nuvolari circuit. The cabin is decently soundproof, there are all the amenities that you can possibly need and every traction controls, that I disable immediately. The steering wheel, thanks to the large 18″ wheels, is communicative, and the relationship between clutch and gearbox is very livable, ideal for surviving in urban areas.

The soul of the Cinquone, however, is racy and after a few laps to get along with the track, I decide to increase the pace. Tires do a great job, but the attitude is what is more surprising, even if you make a couple of mistakes. The brakes, powerful at the right level, do not seem to know fading and, lap after lap, this small bomb holds you by hand, giving you more and more confidence in trying to move the bar of your limits. You can always feel the generous torque of 310Nm: just press the gas pedal, keep the wheels as straight as possible and it spurts away towards the next corner. Exceptional. I will not leave it, but knowing that I have a whole day and, above all, the baddest Corsa Leggera version, convince me to enter the pit. This one is even more striking, has 17″ gold wheels, an excessively noisy exhaust (that’s how we like it!) with valve constantly open, fixed windows, Sparco sports seats, alcantara steering wheel, roll-cage and no inside door panels . With no traction controls activated, I enter the track. The clutch is harder, suspension too; if you just move the steering wheel, the whole car does exactly what you have in mind. It fits semi slick tires, which give you even more grip on the perfect asphalt of the circuit. You feel like you’re driving the racing car that, meanwhile, Mario is turning to the limit of indecency. You feel any ground imperfection, every curb, every pebble bouncing under the wheel arches. The Cinquone Corsa gives you a unique experience, that you could only find in an Exige Cup or in a go-kart (guys, no jokes here). What Abarth was not able to do with any version or tribute, Romeo Ferraris has centered in the middle with their two most interesting proposals and keep in mind that there is something for all tastes. At the level of customization, you can choose between special painting and wrapping with also infinite possibilities for the passenger compartment. This Cinquone is not only aesthetically refined, but thanks to a careful and scrupulous tuning, it’s the result of all the experience gained through years of dedication and hard work, translated in a 1.4 turbocharged engine which outputs 250hp, with a maximum torque of 330Nm, and the possibility to blast far beyond the classic redline of any Abarth. Its progression, the breath of the turbocharger and the fantastic traction across the front axle of this small hatchback, does not find any real opponent with which compare itself properly: it’s in a league on its own. Then, if you think that the Cinquone Corsa Leggero, weighs just over 900kg: evidently following a better diet, compared to all those who have registered at the gym after the Christmas binge. Each upgrade, every Romeo Ferraris’ personal touch, is found only when you take it and push it, just where you never thought it was possible. And even if the Euro needed in order to bring home one are a lot of money, I changed my mind in a few minutes. I wish we were still in early December, to ask Santa a Cinquone and a racing track, all for me.
The path of Romeo Ferraris is an example of how, in Italy, we can do great things, even without having the help from the infinite resources of carmakers. You only need the professionalism and humility of guys like these, who as a small family business, do not waste even a minute of their time or a drop of their energy, but put everything they can at the disposal of a project, that unleashed through the curbs, creates an insatiable addiction. I definitely need to be back there with Mario and his team. ASAP.

Romeo Ferraris Cinquone S

Layout – front-engined, front wheel drive

Engine – 4 cylinder 1.368cc

Transmission – 5-speed manual gearbox

Power – 210 hp / 310 Nm

Weight – 1030 kg

Acceleration – 5,7 sec.

Top Speed – 232 kph

Price – from 62.000 €

Romeo Ferraris Cinquone Corsa Leggero

Layout – front-engined, front wheel drive

Engine – 4 cylinder 1.368cc