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Thursday, November 8, 2012

The Fiat 500 Cafe Racer in Pictures


The Fiat 500 Cafe Racer displayed at this year's SEMA show was a surprise hit.  The blending of the European hot hatch Abarth with a traditional chopped top American Hot Rod appears at first glance to be at the opposite ends of the spectrum, but the Fiat design team managed to pull it off with their Fiat 500 Cafe Racer show car. The Cafe Racer term is typically applied to motorcycles that have been stripped down to their barest essentials to improve speed and handling. Fiat adapted the concept to a 2013 Fiat 500 Abarth along with a traditional Hot Rod 4 inch roof chop for good measure.

Let's take a closer look with images provided by our friends at Way Motor Works:


The Fiat 500 Cafe Racer wouldn't be complete without a Cafe Racer motorcycle being towed behind it!

In keeping with the Cafe Racer concept, the Fiat 500 Cafe Racer suspension gets lowered.


Side exhaust cut-outs and shaved mirrors and door handles.

Baby moon hub caps are a look back at the heyday of American Hot Rodding.

Because lightness is the hallmark of a Cafe Racer, the inside is paired down to just what you need. Traditional lowback bucket seats and a dashboard, that's it.

The rear seat is out and sheet aluminum added for a clean look.

Detail shot of the old school seat mounting brackets and no carpets. 


Make sure you visit Way Motor Works to check out their line of Fiat parts and accessories.


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All images except number three courtesy of Way Motor Works. Number three courtesy of Fiat USA.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm usually all about the customs we see at SEMA, but I have to say this is the worst I've seen. The car does not convey the concept of the beloved Cafe Bikes...its more like a traditional hot rod chop job. This is not a flattering look for an Abarth. Just my opinion.

Anonymous said...

I'm usually all about the customs we see at SEMA, but I have to say this is the worst I've seen. The car does not convey the concept of the beloved Cafe Bikes...its more like a traditional hot rod chop job. This is not a flattering look for an Abarth. Just my opinion.

Anonymous said...

This should have been the 500lL.