Abarth 695 Rivale 2019 revealed

Abarth, Fiat's in-house tuning arm has unveiled an ultra-limited edition 695 hatch and convertible as a collaboration between itself and luxury yacht manufacturer, Riva.

Just 35 of the special editions will be brought to Australia, all finished in the ‘Riva Blue’ and ‘Tributo Ferrari Grey’ two-tone paint, said to represent Lake Iseo, in northern Italy where Riva was founded.

It is a return of the ‘695’ variant to Australia for the first time since 2016, and manual variants score a mechanical limited-slip differential last seen in the much more hardcore 695 Biposto.

The 695 Rivale is based on the $31,990 595 Competizione, but includes unique 17-inch alloy wheels, xenon headlights, mahogany dashboard and door inserts, blue leather seats as well as a matching blue roof for convertible versions. It also scores a slew of chrome and satin finishes and a numbered badge plate.

The interior is dominated by a unique trim of blue leather and mahogany wood inserts.

It maintains the same 132kW/250Nm outputs from the Competizione’s 1.4-litre turbo four-cylinder, but includes an Akrapovic ‘dual-mode’ exhaust system and Koni 'frequency selective' dampers front & rear.

Starting from 44,990 for the manual hatch, the Rivale is $13,000 more expensive than the car on which it is based.

It is not the first time that the Fiat 500 hatch has been given a Riva Yachts overhaul, with a Fiat 500 ‘Riva’ special edition having done the rounds back in 2015, although not for Australia.

Abarth 695 Rivale price

Do the performance enhancements that come with the Rivale make it a more appealing limited-edition? Tell us what you think in the comments below.