Fantastico! The most powerful factory Abarth ever is on its way with the 240bhp 600e

With the world still coming to terms with the artificial soundtrack of the all-electric, all-yellow Abarth 500e, the performance division of Fiat has now teamed up with Stellantis Motorsport to create its bigger brother - the Abarth 600e - which will become its most powerful product yet. We’re going to be bitterly disappointed if it doesn’t appear in the next Cars film, having a heated argument with Guido the mechanic.

Details remain sparse for now, but it will produce around 240bhp through what should be an uprated version of the Fiat 600e's 115kW electric motor and 54kWh lithium-ion battery pairing - almost 90 more than the standard car.  This should also bring the 8.7s 0-60mph time down considerably, while the 93mph Vmax should also nudge past the 100 mark. Yes, the rotty old Fiesta at the corner of your road probably does have a higher top speed.

A limited-slip differential will also be fitted alongside bigger brakes with a larger surface area. Those will enable the newer, softer, Formula E-inspired compound tyres to help you pull even bigger gs around corners. We also expect the current 1,520kg mass to complete a minor Weight Watchers bootcamp, making for healthier readings all round.

Heavy camo still covers most of the pre-production car, but some changes can be spotted. The front bumper looks to have seen a minor refresh, leading to a more squarish look. The side skirts have also lost the deep indentations, presumably to improve aero, while the rear spoiler now has straight, right-angle corners replacing the arced standard version. Despite the camo, the spruced up 600e does look good.

Interior images have also been completely left out, but we do know a new seat design - which consists of four different foams and places an ‘emphasis’ on lateral support - will be employed. We’re expecting wingbacks, or we want our money back.

Speaking of money, the standard 600e retails for a smudge under £33k, so with these dramatic changes on the way, we could well see the Abarth 600e scale the £40k barrier. That’s what an evening out at Winter Wonderland costs these days, and if people are willing to pay for that, we see no reason why investing in a jumped up version of the first ‘true’ all-electric hot hatch is out of question.

The car will serve as a tribute to Abarth’s illustrious motorsport history, and thanks to Stellantis Motorsport’s ventures with hardcore racers like the Citroën C3 Rally2 and Peugeot 9X8 Le Mans Hypercar, we expect this pedigree to shine through with the Abarth 600e. It’ll be interesting to see what sort of fake exhaust noises it opts for with this car - perhaps a mimic of Lightning McQueen’s V8 might strike a chord with the Abarth 500e’s critics?