Ferrari Ordered 200 Abarth 500s as Courtesy Cars, and No. 175 Is Live on Collecting Cars

Ferrari never sold a hatchback, but it did order 200 of them. This 2009 Abarth 500 Ferrari Dealer Edition on Collecting Cars is number 175 of 200, finished in Rosso Corsa and showing 41,187 km (about 25,600 miles) indicated. The auction is in the Netherlands, was listed with no bids at the time of writing, and ends Wednesday, Nov. 18.

A Courtesy Car Ferrari Ordered Itself

The story behind the spec is the whole appeal. According to the listing, the Ferrari Dealer Edition cars were originally ordered by Ferrari to serve as courtesy vehicles for approved Ferrari service centers. Other sale listings for the same model describe the same purpose and the same 200-car run, so this is not a one-off claim. Fiat built them on the Abarth 500, which was the company's small-car answer to the hot hatch, and dressed them to look like they belonged in a Ferrari showroom.

That dressing is what makes the specification unusual. Every car wore Rosso Corsa paint with Scuderia-style Grigio Corsa stripes and small Scuderia Ferrari wing shields on the fenders. Inside, the listing describes black leather and Alcantara with red contrast stitching and a body-colored dashboard. This example also has Sabelt bucket seats, a Record Monza exhaust, sport suspension, 17-inch Abarth alloy wheels, red brake calipers, and Magneti Marelli navigation, all of which are described in the listing as equipment on the car.

Not Every Dealer Edition Is the Same Car

Here is the detail enthusiasts should pay attention to. Collecting Cars says it is understood that the first 132 cars built were 100-horsepower Fiat 500s, and that the remaining 68 were high-performance variants based on the Abarth 500 Esseesse. If that breakdown is right, number 175 falls in the smaller, faster group. The Esseesse package was Abarth's factory upgrade for the 1.4-liter turbo four, and it is commonly cited at 160 horsepower. This car is powered by a 1.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder driving the front wheels through a manual gearbox, per the listing.

The caveat is that period sources are not consistent about how the 200 cars were split between power levels, so a buyer who cares should confirm the details on this specific VIN with the seller before bidding. Still, a Ferrari-ordered, numbered Abarth in which a minority of cars carry the Esseesse hardware is exactly the sort of spec sheet this hobby loves to chase.

What to Know Before You Bid

This one is not flawless, and the listing is upfront about it. The online Carfax report linked from the listing shows an incident of damage reported in Romania in April 2014, affecting the front, front left, and front right of the car, with estimated repair costs of RON 13,000 to RON 14,000. The seller notes that the front end has been repainted. The car was originally an Italian-market example, later imported to Romania, and is now in Nijkerk, Netherlands.

On the positive side, the seller believes the mileage is genuine, and the service record is documented. The listing mentions the fuel system and water pump being replaced and a major service in June 2022 at about 31,400 km, plus air conditioning work in May 2024. It also comes with digital service history printouts, the owner's manuals, two keys, and a remote. Mileage is indicated and not warranted, and the descriptions come from the seller, so independent inspection is worth the effort.

Why Enthusiasts Should Care

Plenty of special editions are paint and badges. This one has a real origin story: a Ferrari-commissioned run of small cars, limited to 200 units, with a hot-hatch core underneath. It sits comfortably next to other cars Motorious has covered where the factory story is the point, like the one-owner Ferrari 360 Challenge Stradale or the Talbot Sunbeam Lotus that came only in Moonstone Blue. The difference is that this car costs a fraction of either, and it still wears the Scuderia stripes.

If you want the Prancing Horse look without the Prancing Horse running costs, this is the version Ferrari itself picked. You can view the full listing and photos on Collecting Cars.