It’s 2010: the Ferrari 458 has landed as the F430’s drop-dead gorgeous successor, Lexus has blown us away with its V10-engined LFA (and its £336,000 price tag) and the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport has just set a new production car speed record at a whopping 267.856mph. Meanwhile, at the complete opposite end of the spectrum, Aston Martin’s debut of the Cygnet at the Geneva Motor Show (R.I.P.) has left many scratching its head, while Abarth has something far cooler up its sleeve with the 695 Tributo Ferrari, setting the 2010s up to be the decade of the lux'd-up city car.
Except, it didn't, as the pocked-sized posh box trend would barely make it to the mid point of the decade. You’ll likely see the Cygnet as either a clever or crass workaround to the EU’s fleet emission rules which, ultimately, never panned out, with 132 of the planned 4,000-a-year actually seeing production. At least Abarth’s take on the luxury runabout was built on solid ground, with the Tributo Ferrari boasting more power and upgraded hardware over the then-range-topping 500 Esseesse. Fiat had no trouble flogging them, obviously, and set about creating a new special edition to celebrate one of its many other brands. Sadly, it wouldn’t be Lancia.
What the Italian car giant came up with was the 695C Maserati Edizione, much like the one we have for sale here. The drop-top special was very much formed in the same mould as the Tributo Ferrari, featuring the same 1.4-litre turbocharged four-pot cranked up to 180hp that’s hooked up to Abarth’s ‘Competizione’ robotised manual gearbox. The four-piston Brembo front calipers also match those on the Prancing Horse edition, albeit paired with slightly bigger discs, while specially-tuned Koni dampers and a dual-exit exhaust were bespoke to the Maser tribute.
Of course, what made these pocket-sized homages so special (charming, even) were all the bits and pieces plucked from their pricier cousins. Evidently, that included the Maserati GranTurismo’s iconic Neptune wheels, scaled down to 17-inches so they’d squeeze into the Abarth’s wheel arches, while most (more on that in a bit) were finished in Pontevecchio Bordeaux, a shade plucked from Maserati’s library of exquisite colours. Then there was the interior, brightened up with sand beige leather seats that contrast with carbon fibre dash trim, plus all the obligatory gubbins like the Italian tricolore at the top of the steering wheel and a plaque with the car’s build number out of the total run of 499 cars.
A pretty rare thing, then. Only, this one’s even rarer than that. Out of the total 499 made, only 20 came in right-hand drive for the UK market. And it gets rarer, as this particular car is one of the later ‘Record Grey’ models, finished in the colour you see here and limited to just 50 units, nine of which are believed to have been right-hand drive. Funnily enough, that makes it rarer than pretty much anything Maserati’s put out in recent years, MC12 included.
It’s a properly cool little thing, and one that could be yours for the not inconsiderable fee of £29,950. A fair whack when you consider a standard Abarth 500 can be had for a third of the price, as demonstrated by this 595C Competizione, though it’s a good chunk cheaper than this one-of-99 Rosso Officine. Of course, what we have here is a bit more special - and a heck of a lot rarer - than a standard 500, and one we likely won’t see any time soon given the lack of appetite for small cars these days.
SPECIFICATION | ABARTH 695C EDIZIONE MASERATI
Engine: 1,368cc four-cylinder, turbocharged
Transmission: five-speed automated manual, front-wheel drive
Power (hp): 180@5,500rpm
Torque (lb ft): 185@3,000rpm
MPG: 43
CO2: 155g/km
Year registered: 2014
Recorded mileage: 12,000
Price new: £32,000
Yours for: £29,950
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