The engine in the original Fiat 500 would be hard-pressed handling the spin cycle on your Maytag washing machine. So 60 years after rolling off the production line it would be considered a form of torture to expect much more out of those 479ccs of Italian splendor.

No problem, that’s why we have evolved the engine swap. There is no better way to add light years to a car’s technology than swapping to a more modern powerplant. It is also a way to give the vehicle in question previously unimaginable power gains.

The stock Fiat 500 engine is rated at 13 horsepower; that’s right one-three horsepower, so imagine its shock when a Subaru STI engine was bolted in place.

Kudos for this builder from Denver, Colorado for taking their game off the beaten path by installing a Subaru EJ25 in the hind end of this 1957 Fiat 500. Not just any EJ25, but a full-tilt STI version. The Subie engine adds a few inches to the back of the 9 foot, 9 inch Fiat, but its tube-frame chassis ensures proper balance and power application.

The boxer four has been enhanced with a Turbonetics T3/T4 turbocharger with custom piping, a GReddy Profec B boost controller and a horizontal-mount STI air-to-air intercooler. The combo is tuned via a Stinger EMS set-up and the engine funnels the power through a Porsche G50 transmission. The sales literature claims 300 horsepower at the wheels, which is a big-time game-changer.

Best of all, this wild ride is up for sale, so if you want to experience a truly fiery Italian with tons of personality and the brute power to live up to its promises, check it out at MotoeXotica.