2016 Abarth Biposto Rosso Officine

Considered the ‘Unicorn’ of modern Abarth Biposto models, this is Number 11 of just 99 examples worldwide

• Not to be mistaken for the regular Ferrari Tributo of 2011, the Rosso Officine models were special Ferrari dealership ‘Service Car’ editions from 2015
• Based on the 190bhp Biposto Abarth, these flagship models came with a strict ‘Not to be sold’ clause for 6 months and were only available in Ferrari Rosso Officina
• Just 283 miles from new, Abarth service history, simply immaculate and collector-quality

Billed quite simply as ‘The Smallest Supercar’, Abarth’s 695 Biposto certainly lives up to its gently boastful soubriquet being the fastest road-going model the company has yet produced. The brief Abarth S.p.A. set themselves was a simple one: screw a numberplate to the one-make race-series 695 Assetto Corse track car and provide a burgeoning customer base, with – as Carlo Abarth himself put it – ‘Sunday on the track and Monday in the office.’

Abarth focused on the two key goals of weight reduction and engine performance. Out went the rear seats, air-conditioning, audio system, door cards, posh headlamps, fog lights et al. In came a Poggipolini tubular titanium roll-cage, cargo nets, 695 Biposto-specific Sabelt seats, Brembo brakes, 18in OZ alloys with bespoke 215/35 Goodyears, Extreme Shox adjustable shock absorbers, an Akrapovic exhaust system, a wider track and a 1.4-litre turbo powerplant lifted pretty much piecemeal from a Formula 4 single-seater.

The Garrett turbocharged 1368cc unit spits out a feisty 187bhp at 5500rpm (the company claiming a 139hp-per-litre ‘record for this category’) and 184lb ft of torque at 3000rpm, dropping 0-62mph acceleration one tenth below the targeted 6.0 second mark and offering a top speed of 143 mph.

The car presented here is a 2016 Abarth 695 Biposto ‘Rosso Officine’, Chassis Number 11 of 99, and is not to be mistaken for the regular Ferrari Tributo of 2011, the Rosso Officine models being special Ferrari dealership ‘Service Car’ editions of 2015. Based on the 190bhp Biposto Abarth, these flag-ship models came with a strict ‘not to be sold’ clause for 6 months and were only available in Rosso Red paintwork. This car was supplied new via Graypaul Fiat/Ferrari of Nottingham and is today still accompanied by two keys, complete owners book-pack, Authenticity Certificate, full unused bodywork sticker-kit, and its Abarth emergency/breakdown pack.

Considered the rarest and most covetable of the Biposto range, this car is in ‘as new’ condition, having covered a minuscule 283 miles from new. With its sticker-kit of stripes not applied (but supplied with it) this really is a mini-Ferrari and ripe for any Italian car enthusiast or collector. A very hard to find model as most are sitting amongst Ferrari collections.

From howmanymade.co.uk website: “It is known 10 Rosso Officine examples were available in Japan, possibly 30 examples went to Italy, possibly 10 examples to Germany and possibly 8 examples to Switzerland. Just 2 examples were sold and delivered to Australia. Car #1 was an Italian car, now living in Manila, Philippines. And #99 is a UK car.”

When they were deemed ready for sale, Rosso Officine models sold for around £45,000 in the UK, marking them out as the pinnacle of Bipostos. With an attractive guide price and from a private car collection, where it was serviced (Abarth) and stored to the highest standards, this is a very desirable mini-exotic.