Autoblog

At its unveiling at this past March's Geneva show, it was immediately apparent that Abarth had carried off a transformation of the Fiat 500 from a demure retro-hatch into a veritable pocket rocket. But for those for whom the 135 hp turbo four is just not enough, the performance division has unveiled a new limited edition "500 Abarth Opening Edition".

Although the name might suggest a convertible, the 500 Opening Edition is a fixed-roof hot-hatch distinguished by a 160hp engine, dropping a half-second off the conventional 500 Abarth's 0-60 time, now down to a sprightly 7.4 seconds. The Opening Edition also gets red brake calipers behind special 17" alloys in white or titanium finish, tinted glass and a revised interior with red leather and special badging with a serial number plate. Available in either pearl white or Campovolo gray (the latter available with a red-and-white checkered roof), only 100 examples of the 500 Abarth Opening Edition will be offered, complete with a special car cover to keep the exclusive vehicle protected from the elements.

Check out the big gallery of high-resolution images by clicking the thumbnails below.

[Source: CarScoop]

In speaking with a representative at Abath's show stand in Geneva, Autoblog received confirmation that the Fiat performance division its planning its own offering unique from any existing Fiat models. British weekly Autocar is now reporting that Abarth is preparing two new variants, a coupe and a two-seat roadster, but before that will come out with a convertible version of the 500 Abarth.

The Fiat 500 Abarth bowed at the Geneva Motor Show as the brand's second model following the Grande Punto unveiled a year prior, before the SS version debuted in Frankfurt last year. The convertible 500 Abarth is tipped to debut early next year.


[Source: Autocar via Winding Road]

click above for more high-res images of the Fiat 500 Abarth

The slow progress being made towards the full reveal of the Fiat 500 Abarth is nearly complete, but a few more loose lips have revealed official specs that look more than promising. The 500 Abarth will pack more hotness per cubic inch of hatch than most other three-doors in Europe thanks to a 1.4L turbo four-cylinder producing 135 bhp at 5,500 rpm and 152 pound feet of torque at 3,000 rpm in Sport mode. In Normal mode, Fiat has the 500 Abarth producing 133 pound feet of torque at 2,500 rpm. The car also gets Fiat's new Torque Transfer Control system, which sounds like a fancy solution to the torque steer that would otherwise send a car like this veering towards the telephone poles.

What's interesting is that the larger Grande Punto Abarth also uses a 1.4L turbo four-cylinder, though tuned up to produce 155 bhp. This suggests that tuners will easily be able to turn up the wick on the 500 Abarth's engine for havoc-wreaking hatchback hotness.


[Source: Carscoop]

If you get e-newsletters from Fiat, you'll have noticed an ambiguous email in your inbox this Saturday. The email contained an advisory to mark the dates February 18 and 19 on your calendar, next to the Abarth logo for Fiat's performance division. Given that the email was the 500 newsletter, that can only mean one thing: the Fiat 500 Abarth is coming to Geneva.

Before you go lamenting another stylish European hot hatch we can't get in America, remember that the 500 Abarth could make it to our shores. We've been seeing spy shots of the thing running rings around everywhere for a while now, and appetites around the world have been whetted. The sketch you see above appears, in negative and alongside a second sketch, on the Abarth website after a link from the newsletter, and while it's clearly a caricature, it gives a hint at what we can expect from the Cooper-eating little Italian. Expect two variants, with 150 and 180 horsepower respectively, to eventually make the line-up, though we'd expect just the former at the premiere. Stay tuned.

[Source: Abarth]