Wait for it…
£4200 fitted… thats FOUR THOUSAND TWO HUNDRED POUNDS in cheque speak.
It’s not that it’s not worth it. The cost of the parts and labour is about right. It’s just FOUR THOUSAND TWO HUNDRED POUNDS to add to your hatchback that you can’t get a discount on anyway. Your Grande Punto would then cost £17700, thats SEVENTEEN THOUSAND SEVEN HUNDRED POUNDS + any optional extras.
Jesus Christ, that is a lot of cash. I’m getting tempted by the Assetto kit but I can see this costing £2500 fitted – way too much. When you think you could get a simple remap for a few hundred quid and some new suspension springs for a couple of hundred tops it makes the Esseesse kit look ridiculously pricey. The car doesn’t need cross drilled discs, 18″ wheels and a bigger turbo. Remap, exhaust, air filter & lower springs is all I’d really want – you’d probably even have change out of a grand for all that.
That brings the price up to Cooper S + Chilli pack price. Thats alot of coin. I bet it won’t hold it’s value like a Mini!
I’m with you John… Springs first (it’s a little high), airbox, exhaust (not backbox, a full stainless system), and a remap when one’s developed by a trusted company like GSR.
I agree totally. Don’t get me wrong, the full Esseesse kit is very nice and comes with a nice badge for your bootlid but it’s definately not £4300 worth of nice.
Give it a bit of time and before you know it someone reputable (Eibach hopefully) will have a set of springs for the Abarth, you’ll be able to get a remap from GSR which I’d imagine would take it to pretty much 180bhp and a decent air filter/redesigned airbox. Personally at the moment I’d be happy with the Esseesse exhaust back box only as decent full systems i.e. Milltek ain’t very cheap.
Again, given the above but with a back box as opposed to a full system,you’d have good change out of a grand. I suppose the only issue is warranty, that’s where the Esseesse kit excels as it’s 2 years from date of fitment.
Have you seen the video here:
http://abarthuk.com/2008/03/19/abarth-grande-punto-tuning-video/
That’s some mighty fine figures (182ps). I don’t think it stayed like that though or they would be offering it for sale. GSR had issues with the 120 T-Jet relearning the standard map. Perhaps it’s the same. When GSR added the Abarth turbo to the T-Jet 120 they got 162bhp without a remap.
I think I’ll risk the remap when it’s developed. What’s the worst that can happen lol
i thought it was gonna be £3500, why is everything so expensive damn it
Awww lads thats a grand price. Like I said the other day.. come see car prices in Ireland. The base car without the essesse kit is expected to cost €25,000 (STG£19750). Now thats nasty!!!
And the other good news for you guys. At least you can get your hands on the car already.. I still dont know when theyre being launched here
(Great website by the way – Im loving all the info and comments left)
Hi fellas, first post on the site, but been keeping a watchful eye on it when i heard about the Abarth getting released.
I currently have a 1.2 GP, and when i first heard about the Abarth being produced i promised myself one, i am due back from Afghanistan in 10days and the first thing i am going to do is see about getting my Abarth.
Enough of the life story, just wanted to add my thoughts on the cost of the Esseesse kit;
If you settle for the Standard or even the Assetto you know at some point you will be at the lights and someone will pull up in the Esseesse with those beautiful 18ns and you will just know you’ve settled for the B student.
I really cant afford the Essesse any more then i can afford the Standard 155bhp, but you only live once and you should never settle for second best.
I see what you’re saying, and I agree to a certain extent. But this is an Italian car, not a Ford, or a Vauxhall. As they’re gonna be so rare anyway, it will be a pleasure to see another one on the road, either ‘esseesse’ or cooking model.
I’m gonna wave and flash my lights at every one I see. I used to always get the Alfa wave even in my old 147.
And besides, I’m in my thirties now, I don’t much care for traffic light envy.
Dave – How about you buy one here now and pay the VRT on your return? £13500 (€17230) for the car, and I think 24% VRT (€4135). Prob work out a bit cheaper. Is there more to it than that? Or is it a finance purchase like the rest of us?
Hi peoples,
I’m going to be quite lucky here and be able to buy mine outright but, (and this is hard for me being a hard core Fiat fan) I’m not sure if this car is going to be as good as the new Corsa or Clio.
Ok it looks far nicer than the clio/corsa but would it really be worth paying more for a car that may loose value quicker than it’s competitors, not to mention getting blown away buy them.
For me though i want the ss kit but feal i’m being ripped off when you could get a company to chip it and probably get more bhp.
I remember the Uno turbo’s and the Punto gt’s, some of those can get more bhp when chipped than the 20+bhp the ss kit can provide.
Abarth Fiat or Fiat Abarth however you want to say it should in my view be small but mighty, they should spank their rivals arses as they did in the old days or am I wrong here.
I’ve always dreamed of a sort of Puntograle if you know what I meen.
Ah Id just have to sell my car at home here first and then it might be difficult to organise insurance because the car isnt released here yet. Something I’ve thought about though haha.
Does anyone else wonder if they’re gonna be able to keep up with demand for these cars… Abarth I mean?
@Doody
A great comment, I agree entirely. I would pay over £18k for a 4 wheel drive terror. A proper monster that will destroy all. I won’t pay it for some extras on a standard car. I think I know what I’ll be doing… I’ll be having that Mito GTA 1750 when it comes out. It’s gonna be awesome. People keep batting about 230hp, but that was a rumour from long ago. All Alfa have said is that it will be the most powerful car in it’s class. Now do they mean the executive supermini class? Well that’s just the Mini @175hp Or all the other supermini’s – that would mean 200hp. That engine is debuting in the new Lancia Delta at…….wait for it…… 200hp
Can you imagine me chopping in an ‘esseesse’ kitted GP and them only giving me £1000 (if that much) more than the standard GP… I’d be very unhappy to say the least…
@Dave I don’t think Abarth will have a problem.. the Abarth Grande Punto has been out since last October in Italy. Abarth UK only have plans to sell 800 AGP’s in it’s first year. Now the Abarth 500 is a different matter. According to Abarth UK they are limiting the run to 1500 a year – I think that’s downright lies to stoke momentum. It would be nice if they’re right though. I like being part of an exclusive club.
thats ridiculous pricing…as previous poster says, you can get a cooper s with chili pack for similar money. im not a massive fan of the mini phenomenon…but the cooper s is one hell of a car and holds it value like no other – no way would i pay the same for the gp abarth!!! god only knows how much the 500 abarth with ss + a few options comes out to – if it ends up the same or…as looks possible…MORE than a specced up cooper s then fiat have screwed up, or the public have lost their minds – at those prices i’ll have a cooper s please!!
Enjoy your Cooper S… I’d say I’d try and look out for you – but I wouldn’t spot you in the sea of ubiquity that is Mini ownership.
Thanks, I will.