Geneva Preview: Fiat 500 Abarth

Exactly one year after the rebirth of the brand and the company, Abarth returns to the Geneva Motor Show for the public launch of the long-awaited 500 Abarth. In this more detailed press kit, Fiat’s sporty subsidiary has also included five high-res images of the 500 Abarth which you can check out right after the jump. Before we get into the mechanical details, let’s see how Abarth’s design team managed to turn the cute-looking 500 into “mighty-mouse”. The Italians added a full bodykit that consists of a new front and rear bumper, side skirts, a roof spoiler, a rear diffuser, red caps on the exterior mirrors, twin exhaust pipes, a restyled bonnet and larger, 16’’ or optionally, 17’’ alloy wheels. Furthermore, Fiat claims that the 500 Abarth’s beefy bodikt is fully functional as it helps to reduce drag and increase grip at high speed.

Inside, according to Fiat as there are no official pics out yet, the 500 Abarth features special instrumentation with sports graphics, a three-spoke steering wheel with shaped thumb rests and a ‘flattened’ bottom, aluminum pedals and ‘one-piece’ type bucket seats. The 500 Abarth is powered by Fiat’s 1.4-liter Turbo petrol engine that generates 135 bhp at 5,000 rpm and a peak torque of 206 Nm at 3.000 rpm in ‘Sport’ mode (180 Nm at 2,500 rpm in ‘Normal’ mode). Abarth has also equipped the 500 with an electronic Torque Transfer Control system (TTC) that helps eliminate torque steer.

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