The fiery Fiat 500 Abarth is back

A twenty first century Fiat 500 Abarth is here to spice up the range of Italy’s hottest export

A twenty first century Fiat 500 Abarth is here to spice up the range of Italy’s hottest export.

Until now, the cute Fiat 500 has been available with two petrol engines and one diesel, all offering brisk and economical urban driving.

But the Fiat 500 Abarth will blow them into the weeds with its firecracker of an engine serving up 135bhp and 152lb/ft of pulling power.

It may only be a 1.4-litre motor, but turbocharging helps it to produce its healthy power figure, and its expected 8 second 0-60mph dash.

You will see it coming too – it has the most aggressive look of all the Fiat 500s so far.

The front bumper has a large gaping intake, sporty fog lamps, wider wheelarches, side sills and a lowered ride height.

At the rear its bumper is fitted with a racing car style diffuser to reduce drag and improve stability and there are twin exhausts, tuned for a sportier sound.

View more pictures of the Fiat 500 Abarth

You will also notice the Fiat badges have been replaced by the Abarth trademark scorpion badges.

Inside, the Fiat 500 Abarth will feature unique instruments and the addition of a gauge measuring the turbo boost.

Also new are LED dashboard lights which signal to the driver the perfect time to change up to the next gear.

We were invited to drive the Fiat 500 at its UK launch, and you can read our full review.

The Fiat 500 Abarth makes its debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March, alongside cars including the Alfa Romeo 8C, Land Rover LRX and new Ford Fiesta.

Auto Trader will be there, so come back then to read all our news from the show.

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