Following the introduction of Abarth-tuned versions of both the Fiat 500C and Punto Evo at the Geneva Motor Show, the Scorpion brand is preparing to roll into Paris with even hotter versions of both.
Carrying the EsseEsse moniker, both models get a substantial boost in output and a variety of upgrades to match. In the case of the 500C – the semi-convertible version of the popular retro hatch – we’re looking at 160 horsepower (up from 138 in the “base” Abarth 500C) for a 7.6-second sprint to 62 mph. The Abarth Punto Evo EsseEsse, by comparison, is tuned to 180 horsepower, resulting in a run of 7.5 seconds.

Both feature an array of upgrades to the suspension, brakes, rolling stock and more, plus Blue&Me connectivity and Record Monza exhaust (for the 500C) and Sabelt racing buckets (for the Punto). Full details can be found in the press release after the jump, but we’ll have more for you from Versailles at the end of the month.

For every car, there’s a prospective customer. And for a car like the Fiat 500C, a cutesy retro mini with a pseudo-cabrio sliding canvas roof, we hardly need to point out who that target demographic is. But as if to highlight what a difference the little things can make, the Abarth version is another beast entirely.

By “little things”, here we mean stuff like a 140-horsepower, 1.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine, a five-speed sequential paddle-shift transmission and a badass two-tone paint job. All that may not sound like much, but when applied to a little thing like the 500C, it represents the difference between the stock Fiat’s potential customer and the car nut who takes her out for an evening on the town.

If the collaborative minds at Fiat and Chrysler deem us worthy, we’d enthusiastically count ourselves among the Abarth 500C’s potential customers. But for now we’ll just have to enjoy admiring it on the show floor here in Geneva where it’s just been unveiled, and we have the photos to prove it along with more details in the press release after the jump.

Romeo Ferraris, as in the Italian tuning firm and racing car builder, has announced that it will take part in the ’6 Hours of Vallelunga’ endurance race in Italy on November 22 with its specially developed Fiat 500 Abarth competition model. The carbon-fiber bodied Italian hatch with the humongous rear wing packs a heavily modified 1.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine that produces a whopping 360 horsepower.

The Team Romeo Ferraris Fiat 500 Abarth will be driven Aldo Cerruti, Michela Cerruti and Mario Ferraris.

We remind that according to Chrysler’s business plan, the sporty Fiat 500 Abarth is scheduled to arrive on U.S. shores approximately two years after the standard version of the Italian mini, sometime in 2012.

Sure, Fiat’s rejuvenated motorsport and tuning division is all about cars, but form time to time Abarth likes to extends its reach on other sports also, even if it’s only for promotional reasons. The brand with the Scorpion logo has now teamed up with boatmaker Sacs and designer Christian Grande to create the Powershore Abarth SP (Sport Prototype). Based on the Sacs Strider 12S, the racing powerboat is propelled by three 350HP Yamaha V8 outboard engines, specially built for this version.

The powerboat has also been adorned with Abarth racing graphics from the deck to the interior, driving seats, stowage compartments, controls and dashboard.

Powershore Abarth SP – Technical specifications

Length ft: 12.30 m

Width ft: 3.64 m

Propeller draft: 0.7 m

Fuel tank capacity: 900 l

Water tank capacity: 120 l

Wastewater tank capacity: 51 l

Weight with engines: approx. 5.7 t

Sleeps: 2

Engines: 3 x 350 hp Yamaha

V8 – 350 engine – Technical specifications

Power (HP)

Displacement: 5330 cc

Cylinders: V8 (60°)

Valve gear: 32 valves DOCH

Timing: VCT (Variable camshaft timing)

Fuel system: electronic injection (Multi-Point EFI)

Weight: 365 Kg

The Fiat 500 Abarth has certainly caught the attention of the tuning world in Europe. Making its world premiere at the ’09 IAA in Frankfurt, the Hamann Largo is one of the most impressive tuning proposals for the Fiat 500 Abarth yet, putting to shame the official 180HP+ Ferrari-badged Abarth 695 special with its heavily modified 1.4-liter turbocharged engine that makes a jaw-dropping 265 horsepower at 5,630 rpm and 348Nm pr 257 lb-ft of torque at 4,200 rpm. Pretty impressive if you consider that the base model makes a mere 135HP and 206Nm.

Hamann has yet to disclose performance figures, but we reckon that 265 ponies in a car the size and weight of the Fiat 500 should a spectacle worth seeing – don’t know about driving though…

A sport exhaust system that includes an end muffler with four pipes, a pre-muffler with a metal catalyser and a sport manifold along with a high-performance brake system with internally ventilated brake discs and 4-piston callipers up front and optional 257mm discs at the rear, as well as a sport suspension that lowers the car’s centre of gravity by up to 60 mm complete the list of performance mods.

True to Hamann’s nature, the Largo features an aggressively styled bodykit with new fender extensions that broaden the car body by 30mm at the front and 35mm at the back, beefy side skirts, front and rear aprons and a diffuser at the back.

The Largo rides on 18-inch alloy wheels wrapped in high-performance sport tires measuring 215/35 ZR18 or optionally, 225/35 ZR18.

As for the interior, changes include but are not limited to, an aluminium pedal set, a door mat set and embroidered logos. Pricing and more details are to be announced at a later date.