Abarth 595 Original Price Guide

The original Abarth 595 was a tiny, furious thing: a Fiat 500 with its 499cc engine bored to 594cc, a free-flow exhaust, revised carburettor jetting, and the kind of power-to-weight ratio that made it a genuine menace in its class.

The Car

Carlo Abarth’s genius was taking Fiat’s smallest, cheapest car and turning it into a competition winner. The 595 produced between 27 and 32bhp depending on specification — laughable numbers until you remember the car weighed around 470kg. The SS (Super Sport) version with its distinctive humpback exhaust and alloy wheels is the most desirable. The 595 won its class consistently in hillclimbs, rallies, and circuit racing across Europe throughout the 1960s.

Buying

Genuine classic 595s are rare and increasingly valuable. The Abarth conversion was originally sold as a kit that could be fitted to any Fiat 500, so provenance verification is essential. Many standard Fiat 500s have been retrospectively converted to 595 specification — some sympathetically, others crudely. The original 595 is the car that inspired the modern Abarth range and gave the brand the foundation for its 21st-century revival. It sits alongside the 1000 TC as the definitive expression of Carlo Abarth’s philosophy: take something small and cheap and make it extraordinary.