NF500 / hot hatch

Special thanks to KevinB who originally posted these images on our New Fiat 500 forums.

The photographs, taken by a super sleuth based in Poland, show the recently revealed Abarth version of the popular Fiat 500 strutting its stuff on the streets among everyday traffic.

While these images in themselves reveal nothing new about the forthcoming hot hatch version of the Fiat 500, it is always nice to see future models mixing it on the street, apparently in the latter stages of development and testing. The only visible disguise here is the clever(?!) covering of the Abarth badges, which may fool some, but it wasn’t fooling Kevin’s spotter, or us for that matter, nice try Fiat.

[Disclaimer: We may have added the NF500.com stickers shown in the windows ourselves]

Images of the hot new Abarth version of the Fiat 500 have hit the web, via motoring blog site Carscoop, ahead of the planned release dates for information and images later this week.

Here’s a sample of the chunky, scooped goodness Abarth will bring to the 500, which will be shown to the public for the first time at this years Geneva Motorshow early in March.

Further details are expected this coming week from official sources, but the photos do reveal all concerning the exterior styling of Fiat’s baby hot hatch. One interesting absent feature are the much commented bonnet scoops, seen on several test vehicles, which could perhaps be being saved for the even hotter Abarth SS version of the 500.

Auto Express are rather sensationally claiming to have the inside line on the forthcoming Fiat 500 Abarth.  Or rather Fiat 500 Abarths.

For they claim not only are Fiat working on 135 hp 500 Abarth and 150 hp 500 Abarth S versions of their new baby, they’re also planning on unleashing a genuinely hot 200 bhp Super Sport version, relaunching the traditional 595 SS moniker.

According to the publication, Fiat are also promising to match the output of the hot new 500 range with a sports chassis, wider wheels and track.

We’ve no idea how much weight to lend to this story, but if Fiat did ever launch a 200 hp Abarth it would certainly take the car to a whole new level, and put the power and performance up their with many bigger “hot hatch” rivals.