Has Abarth lost its head? Fiat’s performance division has revealed a harder and faster version of the drop-top 500C, and these are the first official pics ahead of the car’s debut at the Geneva Motor Show.

It sports the same retractable fabric sunroof as the standard 500C, but the Abarth cabriolet is immediately recognisable thanks to its radical two-tone paintjob. Customers can specify the roof in either black or grey, while the bonnet, pillars and shoulder line will be completed in the same colour. An extended roof spoiler, bodykit and 17-inch alloy wheels finish off the exterior makeover.

Under the bonnet is the same 1.4-litre Turbo T-Jet engine as in the standard Abarth 500, which makes 138bhp and 206Nm. The huge change is the introduction of a five-speed auto. Paddles on the wheel let drivers take control manually, while a full self-shifting mode is available, too.

An Abarth version of the Punto Evo will also take a bow at the Geneva expo. It’s the replacement for the current Abarth Grande Punto, and the newcomer maintains the performance of the outgoing model, but puts the focus firmly on efficiency.

It uses a turbocharged version of Fiat’s new 1.4-litre MultiAir engine including stop-start. The unit produces 161bhp, yet returns 47mpg and emits 142g/km of CO2. These are improvements of 6.1mpg and 20g/km respectively, even though it offers 6bhp more.

Both models are scheduled to go on sale early in the summer, with prices starting from around £17,000 for the Abarth 500C and £15,000 for the Abarth Punto Evo.

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Submited at Wednesday, February 24th, 2010 at 4:00 pm on Uncategorized by chuck
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