It was probably 15 years ago that a little Fiat 500 emitting the most unnatural of sounds overtook me coming out of a Shuto-ko toll booth. There was a big ‘Powered by Honda’ sticker across the back window, which I believe explained why it sounded exactly like a high-revving Japanese bike engine. It was so fast off the line and it just machine-gunned through the gears leaving me absolutely stunned.
I’ve never seen that car again, nor have I been able to track it down online. But now I think I’ve found the next best thing: the Team Ciociaro Corse 500 Maxi.
This is the automotive equivalent of putting a car on a strict diet of anabolic steroids and cocaine-laced slabs of meat. And that meat will have to be accompanied by a spicy Wasabi sauce, as this particular machine has been given a bit of a twist thanks to the man that imports the model into Japan, Takada-san.
So what are we exactly looking at here?
In essence, it’s beautifully simple – the nostalgic 1950s lines of the original Fiat 500 mated to a chassis and power-train developed for high speed corning. It’s called the 500 Maxi.
Despite having road registered the Maxi in Japan, Takada-san primarily uses it for hill-climb events, and with 180hp in a 630kg body with widened front and rear tracks, you can imagine how much of a little weapon it is!
As you might expect, there’s very little that is carried over from a production-spec 500. In fact, it’s only the front windshield and lights that remain, as the entirety of the FRP exterior is custom-built in two large main pieces that are moulded to resemble a muscular take on the 500 body shape.
The front end sports a large air dam and grille section, while a pair of quick-release pins keep the composite bonnet in place. The roof scoop is purely to supply air into the cabin, and if that isn’t enough you can slide open Lexan side windows for extra cooling. As they are in many vintage race and rally cars, Vitaloni mirrors are held in position with a support bar, otherwise they’d fold downwards at speed as the hinge isn’t strong enough to hold them up. That’s Italian engineering at its finest right there!
Both the front and rear cowls have integrated blistered and vented fenders to contain the increased tracks and tiny O.Z. Racing wheels (14-inch front and 15-inch rear).
These are shod in Continental Sport Contact 2 tyres, 195/40 at the front and 225/40 at the rear for massive levels of grip.
