If l could add something special to the AGP or A500 it would be the DSG gearbox. l think the Abarth cars would be the perfect template for this type of gear change. Wasn't it Ferrari who first started with this gearbox and don't Fiat own Ferrari!

          all the best 

Ferrari use a semi-automatic manual gearbox. Same as BMW did until the recent DSG/DCT style box. DSG preselects the next ratio, therefore the change is quick and smooth, where F1/SMG is purely a manual gearbox with an automated hydraulic change. DSG is a better system smoothness wise but I believe F1 is quicker, well it is in the latest 430 Scuderia.

I prefer manual in older Ferrari's there is nothing like using a proper Ferrari gated manual, but on a 430 upwards F1 is the way to go for sure as you are buying into the tech. I had SMG on my old M3 CSL and that was excellent when pressing on, less impressive around town but still a good system.

On the A500, I wouldn't see the point, one of the nice things about the car is that it's raw, it revs up fast and revs fall quickly etc, if you start chucking in DSG etc you will end up with a Golf GTi and in my opinion that is actually a bad thing as it would take some of the cars character away. The A500 is proper old school and it's all the better for it!

Fiat already have the dualogic gearbox found on the 1.2/1.4 Panda's and 500's, all it needs is a little refinement and speed up those gear changes a little (ok a lot!) and Robert is your Dad's brother! It can make a boring car seem fun, my Mum used to have a 1.2 Panda Dualogic and it was great fun blipping it up to up a gear and knocking down to downshift, on a country road it was a blast! And it even had manual/auto mode. I'm sure they're working on something similar for the US market considering the 500 will be sold there next year and the yanks are too dim to work 3 pedals at once! (joke, they're just too lazy)