Even though the Abarth 500 doesn’t go on sale in the UK until February 2009, it has just been voted Best Hot Hatch by Top Gear magazine.The Top Gear judges described the 135bhp supermini as “frisky and fun” and “an irresistible piece of Italian tailoring” while praising it for its acceleration, grip and handling as well as its...

To commemorate the centenary of the birth of Karl Abarth, the founder of the Abarth tuning company, Fiat are releasing a limited edition Abarth 500 with 160bhp on tap.The Abarth 500 ‘DA O A 100′ (0 to 100, for non-Italian speakers) gets an upgraded version of the turbocharged 1.4-litre engine, giving it a top speed of 131mph and 0-60mph in 7.3...

Although not due to be officially unveiled until the Paris Motor show, the Abarth 500 Esseesse is ready for the cameras, as these images prove.Basically the Esseesse version (or SS) is a tuned version of the standard Abarth 500, with a beefier bodykit and extra hardware under the bonnet. The body kit includes a new deeper front bumper, side skirts, and a...

While the 135bhp Abarth 500 is grabbing all of the headlines, here in the UK there’s a tuning company working on an even more powerful Fiat 500. JCR Racing, based in Hertfordshire, have been working on a supercharger conversion kit for the 500′s 1.4-litre 16V engine.The kit includes a supercharger and new intercooler system as well as a tweaked...

Abarth are celebrating the launch of their hot new 500 by releasing the Abarth 500 Opening Edition. More than a set of fancy stickers, the Opening Edition features significant mechanical changes. The 135bhp 1.4-litre turbo engine has been further tuned to produce 160bhp at 5750 rpm and 170lb-ft of torque at 3000 rpm. This gives the Opening Edition a 0-62mph...

The Novitec Fiat 500 is the latest in a long line of tuned Italian cars from Novitec. They’ve previously tweaked Ferraris, Alfa Romeos and other Fiats, now it’s the turn of the baby 500.First of all Novitec tackled the 500′s engines. The 1.3 diesel gets a mild power boost with a new plug’n'play POWERRAIL 4 control module, pushing...

If the official pictures are anything to go by, fans of little hot hatches should get very excited at the prospect of the upcoming Abarth 500.Following in the footsteps of the Abarth Grande Punto, the Abarth 500 is a substantially tuned version of the Fiat 500. Taking the standard 500 as a starting point, Abarth adds a 1.4-litre turbo engine that kicks out...