Nope, closest must have been Project 2 Cars with a low level steering wheel on a table with a kitchen chair and I understand that this doesn’t qualify.

Throw in some European Ford chassis tuning and I’d most definitely drive one too!

I don’t know, maybe it’s me thinking about Super Nintendo and Mario Kart, but I am having a hard time taking seriously this emotorsport thing malarkey.

The Giulia is the best handling sports saloon on the market. A thoroughly underrated car.

The regular models are fine city cars indeed, but avoid the automated manual!

I understand all of this. But I disagree.

Maybe in the US, but in Europe there is/was far more choice of “entry level drivers cars”. Cars like the Twingo RS (defunct by now unfortunately), the 130bhp MX-5, the ST-Line Fiestas, the UP GTI even the Picanto GT-Line or i10 N-Line.

I used to drive a Mk1 Cooper S with the supercharged Chrysler engine.

I din’t understand the hate on this car.

Because buying brand new cars is idiotic! Let someone else take the depreciation hit!

I discarded it precisely because I drove one.

90m2 flat.

The Twingo was the one big on excitement, but something as manic and as mental as it would probably have gotten tiresome very quickly. The Abarth couldn’t hold a candle on it.

The car you are thinking of, already exists. Sort of. It’s the Abarth 695 Biposto.

I only drove the entry-level Abarth so I limit my opinions to those.

If you mean the electric version which has just been launched, it isn’t really a replacement since costs more than twice as much as a current ICE 500.

We get several iterations, 145bhp, 160bhp and even 180bhp I think.

Barcelona actually, but yes.

Here it is a 1.2 litre, 69bhp engine...

I test drove a basic Abarth 500 9 years ago.