The Scorpion Returns.
This is the sporty new face of Fiat, which is actually the sporty old face of Fiat. Confused? Don't be. It's simply that Fiat is having another go at resurrecting the famous Abarth brand and it's legendary scorpion badge.
Abarth started life in the sixties, tweaking Fiat 500s into buzzing, screaming, high-revving track machines that stunned much bigger machinery with their speed and agility. Think Mini Cooper, but more insane.
Well now, the name established by Carlo Abarth is back, and much like AMG is to Mercedes and M is to BMW, it's now been brought thoroughly in-house, and is designed to serve as a separate high-performance brand. Indeed, this first model, based on the Grande Punto and due to be shown at Geneva next week, has no Fiat badging, only Abarth. That may change for production versions, however.
Under the bonnet is Fiat's all-new 1.4 T-Jet turbo engine, pumping out 150bhp, with a 180bhp version due before the end of the year. We've driven the T-Jet in the new Bravo, and it's a nicely punchy engine that, like VW's similar 1.4 TSI engine, suffers from a little roughness in the pursuit of power. Which sounds perfect for an Abarth, to be honest.
Expect prices to start at around the €25,000 mark for the 150bhp version, rising to just under €30,000 for the 180bhp.
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