As expected with a high-profile model like the 500, any details about a new flagship performance model would not be kept secret for too long.
Minimal details have surfaced on internet forums, and the Abarth website has kept us guessing. However, it has provided some sketched and promised official info shortly.
We can reveal that the sportier model, which will go head-to-head with another retro stunner, the Mini Cooper S, is fitted with a killer body kit including chunky new bumpers, side skirts, a rear diffuser, wider fenders, large alloy rims, a roof spoiler, little twin exhausts and the requisite Abarth detailing.
And while technical details are unavailable, it is speculated (or perhaps even hoped?) that the newcomer will be equipped with a version of Fiat's turbocharged 1.4-litre engine.
Locally, the Fiat 500 range will be launched on July 4 - precisely one year after its international unveiling.
And Fiat Auto SA managing director Giorgio Gorelli has promised the day "will be a day to remember in local automotive history." Fingers crossed that the Abarth is not too far off?