Fiat 500 Abarth all but sold out thanks to Catrinel Menghia

If you were still considering whether to buy a Fiat 500 Abarth, brought to our attention by Catrinel Menghia and a few viral videos, your window of opportunity is closing quick: Fiat says it's sold out of Abarths for this model year, and won't be shipping more until late this year.

Fiat says that dealer orders for the Abarth have exceeded the planned production run, and The Detroit News reports that after boosting output to 3,000 units, the Mexican plant that builds the Abarth simply can't handle more. (The issue's likely one of parts suppliers, who can't easily boost output without several months' notice.) Based on a nationwide search of Cars.com inventory, there's only about 125 Abarths left on dealership lots -- and that doesn't reflect any that may already be spoken for.

The most obvious question might be to wonder why Fiat would lavish a Super Bowl amount of buzz -- including an ad with Charlie Sheen -- for a vehicle with such a short run. The most obvious answer is that Fiat's not just spending on the Abarth, but reintroducing its name to a generation of Americans who've never heard of it. Even if they don't find the Abarth at the dealership, Fiat hopes a few will settle for the regular 500, sales of which have grown steadily. Not everyone's cut out for life with a supermodel.