No.
It is this Abarth.
And frankly, that may be the most entertaining part of the 695 Edizione Maserati. At first glance it appears to be a compact Italian city car, but look more closely, and especially listen to it, and you quickly realise that this is something rather different.
The 695 Edizione Maserati was created as a special collaboration between Abarth and Maserati and represented one of the most distinctive versions within Abarth's personalisation programme of the period. This particular car is number 333 of only 499 examples. This was not simply a case of adding a few badges and different wheels. Abarth went considerably further to give the car a character of its own.
It starts with the colour.
Pontevecchio Bordeaux comes from Maserati's colour palette and was applied using a special multi-layer paint process. In sunlight the colour gains remarkable depth and changes subtly as you walk around the car. The special 17-inch wheels also carry clear Maserati inspiration, while numerous smaller details reveal themselves the longer you spend looking.
The same theme continues inside. Specific materials, unique finishes, special instrumentation and numerous 695 details make it immediately clear that this is not an ordinary Abarth. It feels a little more sophisticated and a little more luxurious, without losing any of the playful character that makes these cars so enjoyable.
Thankfully.
Because underneath all that Maserati influence, this is still very much an Abarth.
The 695 produces 180 horsepower and is fitted with the celebrated Monza sports exhaust. And what a sound it makes. At low revs there is a deep growl, while under acceleration it becomes increasingly urgent and energetic. Suddenly every tunnel becomes a perfectly reasonable excuse to drop a gear.
We would almost like to send Fiat a small piece of advice: make every new car sound like this and perhaps profitability will take care of itself.
This particular example spent many years in a residential neighbourhood close to Munich's famous Nymphenburg Palace. Hardly the natural habitat for an abused little performance car, and today that background still shows.
With only 57,000 kilometres recorded, the car remains in remarkably neat condition. The bodywork presents beautifully, the interior is impressively fresh and the overall impression is of a car that has always been treated with considerable care.
Its history is equally reassuring. Maintenance was carried out through dealers, while the original service books remain with the car and have been correctly stamped. Exactly the sort of documentation you want to see with a numbered limited edition.
But ultimately, the best part is still starting it.
That is when everything makes sense.
Number 333 of 499. Pontevecchio Bordeaux. Maserati DNA. 180 horsepower.
And a soundtrack far larger than the car itself.
Brilliant.
* The limited edition with Maserati DNA
* When you think you hear a Maserati - What a fantastic sound
* 17 years in a residential neighborhood near the famous Nymphenburg Palace in Munich
* Mint condition
* The color is Maserati's Pontevecchio Bordeaux
* Dealer maintenance with the service books
* "To Fiat - Make all your new cars sound like this and you'll be back in the black"
- Fuel
- Body TypesCabriolet
- TransmissionAutomatic
- Exterior Colour
- Number of doors
