Well this is a sad day. One of the last cars to fly into the face of modern society by only offering a manual transmission will now be sold with an automatic. When I reviewed the Fiat 500 Abarth, I found it was one of those special enthusiast cars that ticked all the right boxes for the petrol-drinker in your life, and all the wrong boxes for your grandma. It was loud, mildly uncomfortable, and fast as hell. God, I love that car.
But the market has caused the Italian company to cave, and starting with the 2015 model, you can buy your Abarth with a six-speed automatic. First the Subaru WRX offers a CVT, and now the Abarth has a slushbox. Honda, please don’t kill the Civic Si with a two-pedal setup.
If you are too afraid to learn how to drive a proper manual transmission and want to buy a Fiat Abarth, you can pick your new car up starting in July.
