It’s amazing how the British Motor Show just became a green festival with a lot EVs and gas-sippers debuting. Now Fiat never really developed a Fiat 500 EV but thanks to the NICE Car Company, we now get an electric version of the car. Dubbed as the Micro Vette Fiat e500, an electric version of this ever-popular small car.

NICE didn’t touch the structure of the car aside from slapping on an electric powertrain. The car is powered by lithium-ion polymer batteries that can go up to 70 miles in between charges and can cruise at 60 mph.

With those kinds of numbers, it’s probably similar to driving a pumped up golf cart or something. But is somehow ideal for in-city driving given the size of the Fiat 500. Don’t even think of taking this way out into the countryside though.

It even comes with a full Fiat warranty and is available with the Fiat options. However, the car will only be made to order and for a limited time only.

The closest we got to the Fiat 500 Abarth details was this vague sketch that was made available in the Geneva Motor Show last February. While speculations had it that it will be a mean little machine, it’s only now that we get to check out some of the official numbers and figures.

The car will pack a 1.4L turbocharged gasoline engine that will pump 135 horses. That slapped on to a mini-hatch is enough to shame a mass-market sedan. The car is fitted with a Torque Transfer Control system which will help counteract torque steer - which is most likely to happen in a small car with a lot of power.

And there’s more. Fiat is also creating a limited edition dubbed as the “Opening Edition.” The car will boast a whopping 160 bhp and 179 lb-ft of torque. The car would go 0-62mph in 7.4 seconds. It’s also equipped with drilled discs, stiffened springs and 17-inch alloy rims. Too bad it will only be available in Italy.

The Fiat 500 Abarth might just continue to redefine small cars and hot hatches. The Fiat 500 has successfully made its mark last year and this souped up version offers a bit more. As far as goes, it will definitely give rivals a run for their money.

With all the small and zippy cars out there, two might stand out as the zipper ones - the Fiat 500 and the BMW Mini One (AKA Mini Cooper). Thanks to Fifth Gear, they’ve put these two wee cars in a head-to-head shootout. And guess which car zips ahead first.

Get a cute car, soup it up by putting in a lot of power, and you have a wee mean machine. That’s the novelty of the MINI Cooper S. And probably a lot of other cute hatches out there. Well, that’s what Fiat did with the 500 with the Abarth SS edition and it proved to be quite a hit when launched in the last Geneva auto show.

Now reports has it that Fiat is considering more things for the hot hatch and that includes launching a convertible version of the 500. Okay, a wee hot hatch with the top chopped off. Let me visualize… With the risk of showcasing a shoe, I wonder what the appeal of a little convertible have in the market. Novelty? It’d be a cute car though. With people who love plush dolls and other stuff as potential market.

Why don’t they just stick to producing the SS version that they’ve showcased in Geneva. A lot of people would have a kick driving a hatch being pulled by 155 horses. Heck, I know a lot of old school tuners swapping bigger turbo-charged Toyota engines to their Daihatsu Miras.

The Fiat 500 proved to be a real hit in the compact car market segment even garnering “Car of the Year” awards from several bodies in 2007. It would be successes like those that could inspire car makers to push the car even further. Such is the case with the Fiat 500 with a more powerful version in the Fiat Abarth. Abarth is the name of Fiat’s tuning division which just might make a comeback with this one.

Fiat created a buzz when they sent out e-mail to registered fans about this Abarth site which contains nothing much save for a chalk sketch and a countdown to February 18/19 depending on your timezone.

Not much information can be gotten from the website though the rumor mill has it that this compact might pack as much as 150hp. Now given the 500’s compact frame, light body and 150 horses under the bonnet, it’s bound to be a really zippy car.

Source: Abarth