Abarth 695 Biposto Record - two-seat hatch gains first limited edition

Limited edition of Abarth's crazy hot hatch celebrates one of Carlo Abarth's speed records

The Abarth 695 Biposto is comfortably one of the most ludicrous vehicles we’ve driven over the past twelve months.

Externally similar to other Abarth 500s, the Biposto sheds weight from the standard car, with a dry weight of 997kg, dumps the rear seats for a titanium strut brace, gains a set of OZ Racing wheels and Brembo brakes, coilover dampers and a series of impossibly cool options – including polycarbonate windows and an £8000 dog-ring gearbox with an open-gated gearshift.

There’s now a limited edition too – the Abarth 695 Biposto Record. Just 133 examples of the car will be produced, each retaining the standard 187bhp, 1.4-litre engine. Performance is strong – 0-62mph takes 5.9sec, top speed is 143mph and power is sent to the front wheels through a locking differential.

What it gains is a new coat of paintwork – a vibrant shade of Modena Yellow, with Tar Cold Grey trims – and 695 Record badging on the sides and on the aluminium bonnet.

The badging refers to the 50th anniversary of Carlo Abarth’s acceleration record in a 1-litre ‘Class G’ car at the Monza circuit. That car was a sleek, silver dart of a car, but as excuses for limited editions go, it’s one of the more compelling ones we’ve heard. It certainly beats the Fiat 500 Gucci edition…

Pricing for the limited-run model starts at £36,610 – compared to the £32,990 of the standard car. You can watch our original video review of the Abarth 695 Biposto below:

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