Overview

THE Fiat 500 has been working out.

A red-hot version with a turbo-charged engine and upgraded chassis is now available alongside the regular model in Australia. It is the first Abarth, Fiat’s performance sub-brand, to officially be sold in Australia despite a heritage stretching back to 1952.

The 500 Abarths sold here are special Esseesse models, which means they come with a kit of performance upgrades on top of the Abarth treatment, pre-fitted before they arrive. The 500’s 1.4-litre has been heavily modified and now runs a turbocharger that cranks up the power peak to 118kW and torque rises to 230Nm.

That’s a lot given this 500 weighs little more than 1000kg.