2012 Fiat 500 Abarth

The Story

I have always been a car guy. Like many car guys however my love for cars went on hiatus when I became a father. Lack of time and money was a the driving factor. In the summer of 2013, I started searching for my next project car. I have always been a small car lover so the Fiat 500 Abarth was at the top of my list. On Labor Day weekend, we drove from our Ohio home to Indiana to pick up a slightly used 500 that had all the options I wanted. My kids thought I was crazy for buying this silly little car. I took them for rides and they learned that these cars were more than a sporty hatchback. I was introduced into the Fiat community through various forums and made plans to make only a few changes to the car. I bought and intake, a larger rear sway bar, and a short shifter adapter. My Fiat was done! In the spring of 2014, my wife and I attended our first Fiat on the Dragon. The people were amazing! I met people, we talked Fiats, we drove spectacular roads. I was hooked! I ended up doing some Italian Car shows and some other small shows. The Freakout came to Pennsylvania in the summer of 2015 and my son and I attended. Did I mention that he now owned a 500T? I guess that silly little car wasn’t so silly! Once again, the people were awesome and the cars were great. Oh and by the way when I said the Fiat was done, It wasn’t. The car was now lowered, with a piggyback tuner, and a SuperSprint exhaust. Now the car was done! In the spring of 2016, we were prepping for the FotD. The we is now me and my Abarth, my youngest son with his recently purchased 500T, my middle son and his 500T, and several other family members. We rented a cabin and now this was a family vacation. Pretty cool how that evolved! And prepping means a new intake, new brakes, more chassis mods, and a CAE Ultrashifter. Yeah its clear this car will never be done! Fast-forward to the fall of 2022, My Fiat and I have done 3 Fiat Freakouts, 7 FotD’s, 5 high performance driving events, a Fiat Twisted Sisters drive, and close to 100 shows. The people are still amazing, the car is still addicting, and people still love it. I now live in Texas. The Fiat still is in a constant evolution. The car has collected 24 awards at various events.