Abarth Grande Punto Essesse: You Know You Want To

A fast Punto made faster by this owner, and now only £5K as well

If the word 'Abarth' is mentioned in a car conversation, we'd wager that it would be a fair while before the Punto is mentioned. 595s certainly, perhaps even the new 124, but probably not the Punto. The original Abarth 500s could even be discussed ahead of the car you see here. As well as being a rare car, it's one that's very seldom ever talked about.

White on white is alright!

That seems rather a shame really, as the Abarth Punto has a lot going for it. As well as being fast in Esseesse trim, it looked cool (at least before the facelift) and handled well, albeit without quite the panache of a Renaultsport Clio or Mini Cooper S. That rarity factor shouldn't be discounted now either, the chance to have something a bit different for not that much money a real selling point. Particularly now with the car having depreciated like it has (remember that Esseesse package, with the crates you could keep and use as coffee tables, was £3,500; that's a big chunk of this car's asking price.)

If you've already scrolled down and clicked the ad then you'll know this isn't any ordinary Abarth Punto either. Already souped up with the factory Esseesse kit, this Punto has been treated by its current owner to a remap and a boost to turbo pressure. Apparently it's now wielding 230hp and a bonnet bra as well, one a little more desirable than the other you would imagine.

Now we can make no assertions over the effect of this extra power on the Punto, but it doesn't sound like a totally daft amount. And if you're going to have an Italian hot hatch it should be really quick, shouldn't it? And loud. Perhaps budget a little for some extra chassis tweaks (and fresh tyres), though bear in mind the SS kit did bring new springs and brakes over the standard car.

Bonnet bra fortunately not pictured

Perhaps best of all though, this Punto is just £5K. Five grand! That really doesn't very much for a fast, interesting, rare little hot hatch, a car with just 50,000 miles on it as well. It has a full service history and 10 months left on the MoT as well. This similar car is the same money with a lot more miles, and you can still pay more than double for what is ostensibly the same car. The earliest Abarths were definitely the best looking too. And good luck getting an Abarth 500 for £5K. There's a lot in its favour!

It really is bizarre that the Punto isn't better thought of. The wealth of very competitive rivals won't have helped its case, neither will the presence of that pesky little brother, though for the canny hot hatch buyer this little Punto has a lot to recommend it.

ABARTH GRANDE PUNTO ESSESSE
Price: £4,995
Why you should: Fast, stylish, cheap, rare
Why you shouldn't: Previous-gen Clio 200s

See the original advert here.