Sound system generator livens 500e hatch

THE unforgettable note of the Abarth Record Monza exhaust is set to live on in the electrified world thanks to a carefully crafted digital soundtrack.

A switchable Sound System Generator engineered specifically for the forthcoming Abarth 500e will allow owners to experience a familiar playlist, the “roaring engine” of the outgoing turbo-petrol model now reinvented for the digital era.

Matching the speed and enthusiasm at which the 500e is driven, the feature is designed to “amaze and stir up emotions”, says Abarth. It was created in the Stellantis Italian NVH Department studio by the same team that validated the sound of the now-legendary Record Monza exhaust.

Abarth says the project took around two years to finalise, with approximately six months of continuous work and over 6000 hours of analysing and creating the “perfect sound for each phase of the driving experience”.

“NVH specialists dealt with sound enhancement, concentrating on both the creative and technological part of the sound creation process. They worked on the sound and demo development as well as on the different steps of sound looping, from software development to the creation of the sound itself,” explained Abarth in a statement.

“Part of the sound tests and studies were carried out in a semi-anechoic chamber – a room specifically designed to have extremely low noise levels inside, and a high degree of acoustic insulation from the exterior – in order to make accurate and reliable noise measurements.

“Thanks to the reflecting floor, it is possible to recreate an acoustically reflecting surface, just like a road. Specific features make the semi-anechoic chamber perfectly quiet, thus allowing the sound specialists to discriminate the noise from the whole surroundings.”

To ensure authenticity, the current 1.4-litre Abarth turbo-petrol engine was recorded during acceleration, braking, fast cornering and in many other driving scenarios. Abarth says specific sound calibrations were carried out which were then analysed to “extract all the distinctive Abarth frequencies”, creating a new tone that was further enriched by “additional sounds”.

Once formed, the sound was tested first in a studio and then in a static car to ensure output levels were perceived as “immersive” to the driver. Engineers said it was important to balance the generated sound carefully to provide the driver with a “pleasant driving experience, even at higher speeds” and to ensure the produced sound was as “realistic” as possible.

The result is said to authentically replicate the timbre typical of the Abarth internal combustion engine, offering all the “aural information” a driver would expect, from idle, to progressive speed, ignition and even shut down.

“The new Abarth 500e is able to offer all the features of a luxury car in just 3.6 meters without giving up on the irreverence inherent in the DNA of the brand,” Abarth continued.

“Thanks to the Sound Generator, it is the only hot hatch capable of evoking the sound of the historic ICE and providing the acoustic power of a sporty ICE engine which reaches the limits allowed by homologation regulations.”