New Fiat 500 Abarth?

This is one of the first pictures of the stunning Abarth 500, which will make its world debut at next month’s Tokyo Motor Show. It has the usual pumped-up body panels, flared arches, lower side sills, a big roof spoiler and twin tailpipes at the rear, it looks a lot more aggressive than the standard car. The performance 500 also gets a unique front bumper design to aid cooling.

It has a turbocharged 1.4-litre engine - variants will get 133bhp, with a 152bhp version also planned. However, top billing will go to the flagship 595 Super Sport model, which is expected to deliver 177bhp.

Early reports indicate a 0-62mph in 8.2 seconds, rather fast for such a small car. Buyers will also get uprated brakes, head­lamps and a revised front bumper help to mark it out in the range.

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