Unless you were hiding under a rock you’d know that the throwback Fiat 500 was receiving some special treatment from Abarth.

Visually attractive, the package has some substance with a Petrol 1.4L 16v Turbo engine, pumping out 135 bhp (99 kW) @ 5,500 rpm and peak torque of 206 Nm at 3,000 rpm in ‘Sport’ mode (who cares about ‘normal’ mode specs). Suspension has also been overhauled with a change up with springs, dampers and rollbar. Abarth are also set to release a SS Assetto Corsa version of the Abarth so it’ll surely pump up the chest a little further.

Check out the TopGear article here, more pictures and the official press release available after the jump.

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Recently spotted taking some hot laps around the Nurburgring in Germany, the Fiat 500 Abarth looks like it’ll tickle the right areas for the retro warm hatch lovers.

Reportedly sporting a 1.4L turbocharged engine the Abarth will deliver around 150bhp, not too shabby for a car that is much smaller and lighter than it’s probable competitor the BMW Mini.  The car also sports larger rims with low profile sports tyres and will enjoy a sportier tuned suspension setup.

Fiat are on a good thing with the Abarth and given the overall positive reaction to the Punto’s hitting the market there is no doubt this warm but capable hatch will receive interest from performance houses across Europe.

[Source: Cars Online]