All of us here at MOTORLUST have had our fingers crossed for the last two years hoping that the Fiat 500 will eventually make its way to the United States. We keep getting teased with on again off again news from Chrysler about the viability of the car. We wonder how much longer Chrysler will be around and if there is any other way the car can get here. Please don’t tell us we are going to have to sit in a Chrysler dealership while waiting for an oil change or maintenance work.

This latest press release has us thinking that we might just be willing to put up with 1970s era waiting rooms to get our 500. Abarth has just released photos and specs of the 500 R3T Rally Car. It has been homologated to run in the R3T group, which is classified as forced induction cars with less than 1600cc displacement. It is a stepping stone for many young drivers but is also popular with teams of lower budgets, who still want big levels of competition.

The tiny off-road terror is rated at 180hp and weighs in at a scant 2400lbs. Not too bad for a car with a full cage, two seats and fire suppression system. Power comes from a 1.4-liter four cylinder being fed by a Garrett GT1446 turbo. The Abarth is front wheel drive with a 6-speed sequential gearbox with a twin disc clutch and limited slip differential.

2010 will also mark the debut of the one-make Abarth Trophy rally series featuring the 500 R3T. The details have yet to be announced, but you expect young drivers and privateers to line up for this one. The 500 should make a perfect platform, combing performance, reliability and low costs. Now if we could just get a couple over here for daily drivers.