“Write something like: Move over Ferrari, there’s a new Pista in town…”

…is an email we imagine was sent somewhere in Abarth’s marketing team recently. Yep, it’s a bold naming strategy so soon after Ferrari delivered its simply sublime derivative of the 488, but Abarth is clearly feeling fighty.

Now, we’ll begin by forgiving you for getting lost in Abarth’s dizzying model range of tuned Fiat 500s. So, here’s a run through…

Base spec is the standard 595 with 143bhp. Then there’s the 162bhp Turismo, the 178bhp Competizione and the range-topping 178bhp Esseesse. Not enough choice for you? Enter the Pista.

It’ll sit between the Turismo and the Competizione, and whilst there’s no more power than the former, a few more racy parts come as standard to bridge the gap. Chief among which is an oversized Garrett turbocharger that helps to offer more torque at lower revs – you’ll get the full 230Nm at 2,250rpm.

Other upgrades include Koni rear suspension and ventilated discs front and rear. Then there’s that fantastic-sounding Record Monza Active exhaust. Lovely.

Outside there’s new matte grey paint with some lime green touches, and inside sit updated seats with some stitching to celebrate 70 years of Abarth.

So, it’s another slightly different variant of the 595. We have to admit, we’re slightly disappointed that there isn’t anything ground-breaking or revolutionary.

Would you, Internet?

STORY Greg Potts