Click image for photo gallery
This morning, we brought you a Fiat-provided doodle showing a super-deformed 500 Abarth meant to give us a gist of what to expect when the Italian automaker pulls the cover off the Scorpion-emblazoned performance variant. What we didn't expect was that we'd be seeing official images on the same day we posted the sketch. Thanks to Carscoop (and one of its generous readers), we've got exactly that.
The first four (of many, we're sure) official images show the Nuova 500 dressed in the equivalent of a tracksuit and running shoes, with a full bodykit consisting of a new front spoiler, side skirts, and rear bumper with a nifty-looking diffuser insert through which a pair of rolled exhaust tips peek. Black, Scorpion-emblazoned 5-spoke wheels with silver and red accents sit inside the hot hatch's flared fenders, while the endlessly-cool Abarth shield adorns the nose, rear quarters, and hatchback lid. Flashes of red make their way onto the rearview mirrors, brake calipers, and side stripes, too. Inside, the leaked cutaway drawing shows us read seats with matching door panel inserts. The whole thing is very butch...like a little bulldog puppy, and it's bound to be one of the stars of the show when the doors are thrown open in Geneva. We can't wait to see it in person.
[Source: Carscoop]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
geo.stewart @ Feb 17th 2008 7:46PM
way to butch that car up.
very nice commuter car that any car guy can have and not need to justify.
duders @ Feb 17th 2008 7:53PM
Throw an abarth emblem on anything and I'll buy it. This is especially cool because from what I recall fiat plans on selling these in the states at some point. And when that happens I'll be first in line and pay anything to get my hands on one of these.
Doug @ Feb 17th 2008 8:42PM
Um, rear quarters = doors... :D
RT @ Feb 17th 2008 9:37PM
Based on style alone, I think I would take this over a Mini Cooper S.
Alan @ Feb 17th 2008 10:12PM
A while back, the CEO of Fiat said that they 'may' sell it here, and that he'd be watching to see how well Smart does in the States. But after that, another suit from Fiat was much more cautious about if we'd ever see it here. I would most certainly love to see an Abarth, or just a plain old Fiat, over here.
DKB_SATX @ Feb 17th 2008 11:17PM
120-140 hp 1.4L, around 2200 lb... TASTY. :)
Tom @ Feb 17th 2008 11:35PM
A recent blog entry put it at 150-180 hp http://www.autoblog.com/2008/02/17/geneva-08-preview-fiat-500-abarth/
DKB_SATX @ Feb 18th 2008 12:07AM
Battle of the rumors! I was quoting the Carscoop article. 180 is obviously even better. :)
Tom Fjord @ Feb 18th 2008 2:05AM
Everytime I see the name "Abarth" written, I think of Barth from "You Can't Do That On Television".
Philip @ Feb 18th 2008 3:52AM
Simply Awesome.
Eric N. @ Feb 18th 2008 4:06AM
God I want this car in the states! Come on FIAT!
Mike @ Feb 18th 2008 6:07AM
Different wheels please, otherwise very nifty.
dwain white @ Feb 18th 2008 8:29AM
Did anyone else scroll by this and think it was a next generation Volkswagen Beetle? You all know you did!
Andy @ Feb 18th 2008 12:13PM
Looks like something from the animated movie "Cars". Does it talk?
GOT @ Feb 24th 2008 7:47AM
I... WANT... ONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!
[drools] This thing is cool on so many levels... [/drools]