When you think of the word ‘supercar’, what usually springs to mind? Something crazy looking from the minds of Lamborghini? Or perhaps a Koenigsegg or a Bugati? A wildly expensive, insanely beautiful car that would be hugely impractical to own, and well out of your budget unless you happen to be a starter at Chelsea Football Club? Well, yes, the traditional use of the term supercar does refer almost exclusively to these vehicles, which, impressive, exciting and stunning looking as they are, are not something many people will get to own in their lifetime, and, if you were to own one, you’d be unlikely to use it for trips to IKEA or, and this is the point here, for tearing around a track for fun.
Can A Small Supercar Really Exist?
The Abarth 695 Biposto, produced by Fiat’s racing mark Abarth, is a car its makers claim is a bona fide supercar. With its race oriented design and precision engineering, it is certainly a very good prospect for those of a racing mentality, but is this small vehicle really set to change the way we think about supercars?
Racing Design
The Abarth 695 Biposto may have a fancy sounding name, but actually, ‘biposto’ simply means ‘two seater’ in Italian (much like the Maserati Quattroporte’s exotic sounding name just means ‘four door’). It is actually quite telling that they chose this feature to name the car, because the fact that it has only two seats when its less sporty brothers are equipped with back seats for kids, dogs, shopping or whatever other boring things shows you exactly where Abarth are going with this model – it is a stripped down, lean racer, just like the supercars it pluckily places itself alongside of. There are no unnecessary features on the 695 Biposto – it is a driver’s car, for driving very, very well and very, very fast. You will find no air conditioning or other bulky parts designed to make drivers and passengers more comfortable – you aren’t supposed to be comfortable, you are supposed to be excited.
Does It Work Off the Track?
This vehicle then, is all about track use, and if you want to get that ‘supercar’ feel the manufacturers promise, this will be the only place you can test the Abarth to those kinds of limits. The benefits of traditional supercars off the track are not there with this car – people won’t stop and stare, and women won’t fall over themselves trying to get a ride in it. It looks like (an admittedly stylish) small Fiat. However, it is possible to register this car for legal road use if you do want to take it out into town, and while you will not really get the advantages of its performance in these situations, and will feel the lack of space and creature comforts the racing set up requires, it is endlessly easier to park and drive around than anything you may have considered a supercar before.
If you are serious about driving and want a car that will perform exceptionally for you on the track and can also be used for ‘normal stuff’, then this is about as practical as anything calling itself a ‘supercar’ is ever going to be!