But there’s a lot of ground between this $25k “replica” and one that’s asking $100k. I’m just suggesting that you can get one that has the right dimensions, is pretty close to how an original was made, and has the right engine in it.

I think the story goes that it was both. It was over heating so they propped open the hood to see if that would cool it down. Not only did it do that, but it wound up having a performance benefit as well (can’t remember if it was a better top speed or some downforce...) so they just manufactured some permanent props…

Yeah, it’s a lot cheaper than most replicas, but for good reason: it’s not a replica. You can’t stretch the wheel base of a car 9 inches and then call it a replica!

Makes more sense.

I’m with Patrick on this one, don’t sleep on the Pangaea Green. Explorer Pack, tow hitch, and am I crazy or is $233 a pretty solid deal for a winch..? MSRP $60,625.13.

Ok, that makes a little more sense. So consider me off-road ignorant, but surely you can lift an independent suspension vehicle and therefore give it more travel? Maybe not to the same extent, but you have to be able to get something out of it right?

Good grief I hope to own a 3.0 CSI one day. And I get the allure of the Batmobile version with its rarity, but a clean one like you have pictured above looks so much better.

Thank you. Seems a bit ridiculous to complain about the wheel travel of a stock vehicle by comparing it to two images of heavily modified ones.....

They kind of are in the off-road world. I love this offering from fifteen52, even though I admit that the idea of a “boutique” steelie is kinda funny.

Literal copy/paste from my response above:

My Abarth, nor my co-worker’s 210,000 mi Abarth has had a single issue. I don’t understand where all the reliability complaints come from...

Got a 2013 last year with every option other than the 17" wheels and only 13,000 mi for $12,800! Probably over-paid a little, but it was at a dealership and was the cheapest one in the country for that kind of mileage.

This is what’s missing here. You can’t get a FiST for Abarth money. Well, I mean, I guess you can, but it’ll have (literally) twice the mileage.

I don’t understand the reliability comments on these. We’ve got 41,000 completely trouble-free miles on ours and I have a co-worker who has done 210,000 in his 2012 without issue!

Our’s is a 2013 but we bought it in May of last year with only 13,000 mi on it! From the time we got it until about 2 weeks ago, she had a 60 mi round trip commute 5 days a week (now down to 2 days/wk). So in the short time we’ve had it, it’s now at 41,000.

Holy cow, I work about a mile from that airport haha. Is there anything useful that I can do..?

That’s a great spec! Did you add the carbon accents after the fact, or are they optional in the US now? I also forgot they were doing the black lights on the Abarths now. Always thought it was weird that the Turbo go the unique lights early on. Here’s my wife’s ‘13:

Yeah I don’t think I’d ever seen a lifted on until the article. Or, I had, but didn’t realize it because of how much more normal it makes it look for some reason.

Oh sweet mercy I’ve always loved Laguna Seca Blue...

This was a great article David.