Roberto Giordanelli reviews the modified Fiat Cinquecento market.

Making little cars go quickly instead of buying a quick big-un is madness. It is a madness from which many people (including myself) suffer. The most famous sufferer of this syndrome must be Carlo Abarth. I wonder what he would have done to the Cinquecento ?
We tested two modified Cinquecento's belonging to sufferers of the making-little-cars go faster syndrome. This disease needs a proper name/acronym - suggestions to the editor please. Van Aaken Developments went the turbo route, while owner Johnathan Sage went the conventional route and topped it off with a six-speed gearbox, all work carried out by Middle Barton Garage.
VAD offer several versions of the cheeky Cinque. We tried their 110bhp version of a Cinquecento Sporting. The conversion consists of a Garrett T15 turbo, intercooler, thicker headgasket, cone air filter, additional injector, electronic mappable fueling and injection system, and Bosch super4 spark plugs. The cost.... £1,920.
Sitting on larger diameter and wider wheels and tyres, the Van Aaken car looked to have a firm hold on 'terra firma'. The Minilite style alloys are shod with Yokohama A509 185/50VR14 rubber. Wheels apart the only other outward sign of sign of mischief was a big twin pipe Novitec exhaust.
The interior was standard apart from a calibrated boost gauge and an air/fuel ratio meter, the latter being disconnected. This is a row of pretty lights which give instant of how the fuel is being burned - i.e. rich or lean. These are useful instruments for modified cars, they weigh nothing and warn of impending melt down.
I must say I had my reservations about this conversion. Doubling the power, I thought would lead to handling problems. I was wrong. Apart from being able to spin the wheels on tight first gear turns, the power and its delivery does not upset the chassis. Hard acceleration whilst turning did not bring on understeer followed by lift off oversteer as I had predicted. Even on/off power inputs mid-corner di not upset the suspension, steering or tyres unduly. Torque steer was absent. In the dry traction could only be broken by full power, full lock first gear take-offs.
The turbo supplies a mild/safe 0.7bar of boost, enough to produce 110bhp at 5,300rpm. Below 3,000rpm acceleration is slower than a standard car; the lower 8.5:1 compression ratio (9.6 standard) and additional plumbing reducing low speed efficiency. But once the needle is past 3,000rpm the power surge is heathy without being alarming. Some turbo lag is present but you soon learn todrive around it. Van Aaken claim a 0-60 time of 9.2 seconds with a top speed of 113mph.
Johnathon Sage bought his Sporting new, six months ago. Addicted to small fast cars he simply had to modify it immediately. He preferred the non-turbo route, thinking it was more in keeping with what Carlo Abarth would have done. Middle Barton Garage in Oxfordshire got the job. MBG fitted the following: lowered uprated springs, vented front discs, strut brace and special Fiat wheels (standard size painted black). Standard size tyres - grippy Pirrelli 165/55/13 P700Z's - are fitted. Inside only a Momo steering wheel and Abarth mats are non-standard. And thats about it. Oops I nearly forgot, it also has a 75bhp motor and six-speed gearbox.
This hike in power from the standard from the standard 54bhp to 75bhp has been accomplished by fitting a special air filter, a re-chipped ECU, a special camshaft, a bigger injector and a gas flowed head and inlet manifold. The catalytic converter has been removed and a 4-2-1 tubular exhaust manifold and free flow big-bore, one box system has been fitted. The cost for Middle Barton Garage kit 3 is £1,275 According to Tony Castle-Miller of MBG, big valve heads have been abandoned as they ruined mid-range power.
Sourced from a Punto the six-speed gearbox has its top gear ratio virtually the same (slightly shorter) as the five-speeder. This means that through the range there are more gears to choose from, ensuring that instant response is always available. Using the speedometer and tacho fitted, 5th gear gives 15mph per 1000rpm and sixth gear runs 18mph per 1000rpm. With the rev limiter raised to 7,500rpm, top speed is increased despite the lower gearing.
Predictably noisier than the turbo car, Johnathan's Cinquecento also suffers from a lumpy tick-over... further ECU work is planned. Blipping the throttle in neutral, it is more responsive than its blown brother. With a gear for all occasions you can really get the best out of the 75bhp on tap. 0-60mph takes 11.5 seconds (13.8 standard) and the top speed is 110mph (95 standard). The power delivery is smooth enough, but it does seem a little tardy at low rpm - maybe i'm expecting too much from 1,108cc's. The tacho needle climbs increasingly quickly on its way round the dial. Up to 4,000rpm its progess is nothing special but between 4,000 and the rev limiter it is noticably quicker than standard. Combined with the six gear ratios, the unit makes the most of its 1,108cc, its good fun too.
Handling has been improved too by the shorter, stiffer springs without ruining ride comfort. Minor low speed understeer is still present but dialing it out might bring on high speed oversteer. The understeer helps directional stabilty, losing it might bring on nervousness. Being a a brand new car the standard dampers were retained. Further handling improvements could be achieved by fitting dampers which matched the revised spring rates and by fitting an uprated anti-roll bar (Middle Barton sell everything for these cars).
Due to a newly arried baby girl, Johnathan's car is reluctantly for sale. To buy a new car and create a replica would cost £10-11,000; Johnathan is asking £8,495.
Comparing the two cars is not easy. Power freaks would no doubt opt for the Van Aaken car. My experience with turbo's has taught me that much more than development work is required than with naturally aspirated modifications. I twould be interesting to look into the future to determine the turbo motor's long term reliablity. As for Johnatan Sage's conventionally modified car, reliability will always be there but I always thought the best way to raise horsepower was to increase the cubic capacity. Putting a quart into a pint pot is easy compared with getting a quart out of a pint pot.

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