When trying to make something sound more rugged, angry or powerful, there are a plethora of words to consider. Just ask the people that make shower gel for men. A quick scroll on Boots throws up "black mineral", "hydra power" or "fresh charge" for a man-scented body wash. Because grrr, manly.
Thankfully there's much more to the new Abarth 695 Esseesse Scorpion limited edition being named such than just sounding scary. Most of you probably know that already, though, with the name referring directly to the early days when Abarth's tuning kits made a name for Carlo Abarth himself, establishing him as the OG of tuning mass production cars.
But let's take another look at this one here. This will be the fastest model in the Abarth line-up, delivering 180hp and a top speed of 140mph. It gains this advantage through weight-saving exercises such as an aluminium bonnet and Akrapovi? exhaust to trim off 10kg compared with the 595 Competizione. There's also an adjustable spoiler, which can be moved between the angles of zero and 60deg for any protractor fans out there, plus 17-inch alloy wheels with red centre caps and red Brembo brake calipers.
Its paintwork design is where it really pays homage to Scorpions of old, though; firstly, it will only come in Scorpion Black or Campovolo Grey paint (just 695 models if each, in fact), plus it features exclusive white details in the original style. There are 695 logos on the side and badges on the rear, plus 'one of 695' embroidered into the headrests. Also inside are colour-matched stitching, red seatbelts and a laser-cut '695 Esseesse' logo in the Alcantara dashboard fascia. You'll also find a smattering of carbon fibre, because sporty, obvs.
With just 1,390 cars available (we struggled with 695 times two as well, don't worry) and the enduring popularity of Abarths showing no signs of abating, you'd better get deciding quick - black or grey, black or grey...
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