We won’t blame you if you have forgotten about the good-old Abarth 595 series, especially since the company has shifted focus to the fully electric Abarth 500e. Still, the last ICE-powered Abarth is not ready to give up just yet, serving as the base for a new special edition called the F595C, limited to 160 units exclusively reserved for Japan. Based on the cabriolet version, the F595C doesn’t feature any visual updates over the standard model, so the only difference is the presence of an electronically retractable fabric top. At the back, we find the vertically stacked quad pipes of the rather loud Record Monza exhaust, a signature trait of the model.
For the exterior, buyers have the option
between the Rosso Passione and the Grigio Record shades, which according to
Abarth proved to be quite popular in the standard range. Both colors are
combined with a set of multi-spoke Maserati-style 17-inch alloy wheels finished
in black. Inside, the only exciting touch is the premium sound system by Beats
which is usually reserved for the more expensive 695 series but is now included
in the standard equipment of the F595C.
The Abarth F595C also features the same
turbocharged 1.4-liter four-cylinder engine which in this case makes 162 hp and 210 Nm of torque. Power is transmitted to the
front axle exclusively via a five-speed manual gearbox as Abarth chose not to
offer the automatic for this particular version. Abarth will make 80 right-hand
drive and 80 left-hand drive versions of the F595C, equally divided in batches
featuring either the Rosso Passione or the Grigio Record colors. All of them
are offered for the same spicy price of ¥ 4,750,000 (US$ 33,350), for a limited
time of 12 months. This makes it cheaper than the fully electric Abarth 500e
which starts from ¥ 6,300,000 (US$ 44,213) in Japan.
Abarth didn’t officially comment on the
forthcoming demise of the 595 series in Japan, but we guess it will be the
right time to say goodbye next year. The 2023 MY was the last for the European
and Australian markets, as the Scorpion brand prepares to go EV-only in 2024.