At first glance, it looks like a Fiat 500 Abarth on an aggressively questionable regimen of anabolic steroids. Look closer, though, and the optical illusion shatters instantly. What appears to be a hyper-ambitious city car trying to flex at a local cars and coffee is actually the Bonetto B1-4WD, a full-blown, carbon-fiber pocket rocket that ditches all original factory badging along with its sensible city-car manners.
To transform this unassuming Italian hatchback, the bodywork was broadened by an astonishing 15 centimeters on each side, adding a full 30 centimeters to its total track width. Flanked by massive rally-spec fenders, cavernous cooling vents, and a functional track-ready rear diffuser, it wears its aero intentions on its sleeve.
The real magic of this special 500 happens when you lift the lightweight hood. The original 1.4-liter T-Jet engine went away, replaced by the iconic 1750 TBi heart borrowed straight from the Alfa Romeo 4C and Giulietta Quadrifoglio. Pumping out 350 HP through a six-speed manual gearbox, this is no longer a grocery getter; it is an unleashed Italian tactical weapon.
The centerpiece of this build is a sophisticated variable torque-split all-wheel-drive system. Torque dynamically shifts from a respectable 50/50 baseline up to a tail-happy 20/80 rear bias.
Keeping all those aggressive horses under control are two self-locking differentials and a four-way adjustable Öhlins TTX suspension setup. Heavy-duty Brembo brakes featuring massive 355 mm front and 330 mm rear discs with six- and four-piston calipers provide the necessary stopping power, while an integrated roll cage safety structure and bespoke forged wheels round out the build. This absurd creation is fully street-legal.
The genius behind this hyper-500 is Alessandro Bonetto, born in 1986 in Avigliana near Turin. Raised under the motorsport wing of his rally-driver father Marco, Alessandro spent six years in the Abarth racing department before co-developing legendary projects like the Lancia ECV1 alongside Beppe Volta.
Today, through BDL Motorsport and Bonetto CV, his atelier is famous for crafting bespoke exotics, including technical contributions to the legendary 505-horsepower Kimera EVO37 restomod.