Over the years, I owned a 1968 Dodge Coronet, 1976 Plymouth Roadrunner, 1972 Plymouth Duster 340, 1996 Nissan 200SX SER, 1993 Honda Civic SI, 1989 Turbo Lebaron Coupe, several more Shelby Chargers. I did several small modifications to each of these cars but nothing like what this car has seen.
Since I always loved hot hatches and small cars and when Fiat announced a return to the US market, I had to get the Abarth. I was deciding between the Focus ST, Mini Cooper S, and the Abarth. Once I test drove one, the feel and sound sold me on the Abarth. It was little and wicked, and everything I wanted!
I wanted an Abarth in Rosso (all Italian cars should be red) with 17” forged wheels and red leather. I found the car at a Fiat dealership in Fort Wayne, Indiana with 8,000 miles on the odometer. It was close to new condition.
I said I would not commit to cutting up the body so widebody was out of the question. The instant I saw LBWK was doing the Abarth I was committed. I bought the body kit before it debuted at Tokyo Auto Salon. I was the first in the world with the kit outside of the actual LBWK car.
The kit arrived the second week of February. Work started immediately and I quickly found issues. The gas cap for the EU spec cars is located farther back than the North American cars. I had to cut the kit up a move the gas cap location forward. Also, the diffuser on the Series 3 Abarths are narrower than the Series 4 cars. I cut the diffuser in half and added 2 inches of width to it. Once I got the kit test fitted, I took it to Quality Auto Body here in my hometown for paint and they turned it around in about 2 weeks. The car debuted the first weekend in April at the Italian Car Gathering in Boerne, Texas to a great response. All work on this car other than the paint has been done by me so it is very satisfying to hear people’s reaction. People look and smile but once they are drawn in they pretty much all think it’s a cool little car. Historically I use the car periodically for a high-performance driving event but now with the kit on the car is 90% a show car. I try to make it to Slammedenuff in Gatlinburg, Tennessee for the show and to spend a day driving the legendary Tail of the Dragon (US 129). On the show circuit the car is pretty dominant. Accumulating 60+ awards over the years in the Euro class that many times places me against Ferrari’s, Lamborghini’s, and Porsches. LTMW (US Liberty Walk authorized dealer), Prazis Exclusive Design, Klutch Wheels, MTX Audio, Eurocompulsion, and Braum Racing have all helped out making this become a reality. Future plans include a total engine overhaul with the goal of 400+ BHP. I always make small tweaks year over year and have projects constantly in the works. I’m sure in the next 2 years I will look into a livery change as nothing ever stays the same.
