Geneva Motor Show 2008 Preview: First Fiat 500 Abarth official images leaked

This morning, we brought you a Fiat-provided doodle showing a super-deformed 500 Abarth meant to give us a gist of what to expect when the Italian automaker pulls the cover off the Scorpion-emblazoned performance variant. What we didn't expect was that we'd be seeing official images on the same day we posted the sketch. Thanks to Carscoop (and one of its generous readers), we've got exactly that.

The first four (of many, we're sure) official images show the Nuova 500 dressed in the equivalent of a tracksuit and running shoes, with a full bodykit consisting of a new front spoiler, side skirts, and rear bumper with a nifty-looking diffuser insert through which a pair of rolled exhaust tips peek. Black, Scorpion-emblazoned 5-spoke wheels with silver and red accents sit inside the hot hatch's flared fenders, while the endlessly-cool Abarth shield adorns the nose, rear quarters, and hatchback lid. Flashes of red make their way onto the rearview mirrors, brake calipers, and side stripes, too. Inside, the leaked cutaway drawing shows us read seats with matching door panel inserts. The whole thing is very butch...like a little bulldog puppy, and it's bound to be one of the stars of the show when the doors are thrown open in Geneva. We can't wait to see it in person.