Lara de Matos

HINK back to a moment during your childhood, where you found yourself consuming a classic ice-cream sundae dripping in strawberry syrup and chocolate sprinkles while out at a theme park, before putting your courage to the test on the hair-raising rollercoaster ride.

Such is the sheer childlike pleasure that a turn at the wheel of the new Fiat 595 Abarth brings. You may even find yourself shouting out “weeeeeee” as you zip along.

To the uninitiated, at first glance, it may look like little more than a sleeker, shinier – and in the case of the test car I was offered – red popsicle replica of its predecessor.

But there’s no mistaking that Scorpion insignia. It’s the mark of Abarth that tells you this beauty has a serious sting in its tail. Out on the open road, the lightest of touches on the aluminium covered pedals sees the clock shoot over the 120km/h mark (let’s leave it at that ambiguous figure – or the metro cops may just come calling), with a Torque-Transfer Control (TCC) system that automatically ensures equal distribution between the front wheels helping to drastically reduce the possibility of understeer

Twhile simultaneously allowing for a firm grip.

The responsive handling is further enhanced by the 595’s threemode Electronic Stability Control (ESC) and smooth clutch.

For those to whom all that jargon reads like a papyrus scroll peppered with hieroglyphics, in layman’s terms, to quote Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman (yes, I’m going there): this baby corners like it’s on rails!

And thanks to the advanced safety features that include seven air bags, steel cage channels and crumple zones, you can race along with relative peace of mind.

The interior doesn’t disappoint either. High-back leather bucket seats, an adjustable flat-bottom steering wheel and low seating add