Fiat Abarth 500 Takes on Subaru Impreza WRX STI on Italian Track [Video]

The Abarth 500, especially when fitted with the 'essesse' performance package that lifts the 1.4-liter turbocharged engine's output to 160-horses, is a capable little beast for its size and price, but is that enough to challenge a previous generation Subaru Impreza WRX STI on the racetrack?

Well, as any driver with some experience on the circuit will tell you, it’s as much about the car as it is about the person sitting behind the wheel. That said, the Abarth 500 shouldn't come close to an STI in the right hands but it's plausible under certain circumstances.

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That's More Like it: Naughty 2012 Fiat 500 Abarth Ad [Video]

After seeing the lukewarm response to its U.S. market commercials on the 500C starring Jennifer Lopez (…or was that the other way around?), Fiat's marketing division put its act together and presented a more appropriate ad for its 2012 500 Abarth, which was unveiled today at the Los Angeles Auto Show.

The new advertisement conveys the message that the 160-horsepower 500 Abarth is a naughty little Italian city car in a cheeky but tasteful way. The 1-minute long commercial concludes with the female voiceover, "The Fiat 500 Abarth. You'll never forget the first time you see one".

You can take a look at the clip for yourself in the video after break.

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Too Close for Comfort: Subaru Impreza WRX Flips Over Right in Front of Spectators in Canada

A fun track day at the Toronto Motorsports Park near the town of Cayuga in Ontario, Canada, almost turned tragic for both the driver and many of the spectators gathered behind the safety wall when an older generation Subaru Impreza WRX flipped over after exiting a corner.

From the video, it looks like the driver of the Impreza took the corner wider and faster than he was ready for and as a result crashed into, or rather ran over, the safety haystack near the wall, which acted as a launching ramp lifting the car into the air only inches away from the spectators. The car then landed on its rooftop several feet away.

According to eyewitnesses, the driver of the Subaru, who was wearing a helmet, was shaken but...not stirred. But enough talking already. Follow the break to watch both the incident as it happened and the aftermath.

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