Usually more synonymous with tuning the prestige German brands last year saw Hamann Motorsports tweaking the Fiat 500 and the success of this toe-dipping exercise has seen it now indulge in a much broader modification programme.

Last year, German tuning specialist Hamann-Motorsport confirmed that it not only refines BMW models and other exclusive German luxury automobiles as with a sportive accessory programme for the Fiat 500, the Laupheim-based tuner's technicians left the safety net of their long-established grounds and indulged in refining the trendy small Italian car. Their efforts paid out, they report, refining the lines for the Italian compact car met with the approval of the Fiat 500 enthusiasts. Therefore, Hamann-Motorsport now adds a much broader modification programme, the Hamann Largo, to its portfolio.

Hamann-Motorsport did not have to venture far into unchartered grounds, as the company has been specialised in such sporty modifications for many years already, it merely worked with a much smaller car than usual. The latest bespoke contributions from the tuning experts include the Mercedes SLR Volcano, the BMW X6 Tycoon Evo and the Porsche Cayenne Cyclone.

For the modified design vocabulary of the trendy Italian car, the engineers designed new aerodynamics components made of light-weight composite materials. Perfectly manufactured extensions now seamlessly fit into the car body design and give the Largo a very masculine appearance. A striking eye-catcher is the re-designed front skirt with integrated LED-lights. Special new wing extensions are added at the front and the back. They broaden the car's body by 30 millimetres at the front and 35 millimetres at the back axle. The visual improvements are rendered further by the addition of new side skirts, while the redesigned tail features four exhaust end pipes and a diffuser which Hamann says it has modelled from Ferrari's sports cars. Hamann add that its components are not only designed to convince with their look but also with their aerodynamic characteristics. They thus produce an optimised air duct across the car's silhouette and therefore render additional downforce.

Matching the new and dynamic look of this small automobile, Hamann-Motorsport offers a new design of wheel, the "Largo Forged Anodized". This matt black anodised one-part rim is available in 8.0 x 18 for the front and 9.0 x 18 for the rear axle. In addition Hamann offers matching tyres measuring 215/35 ZR18 or 225/35 ZR18 while due to the new wheel's light weight, the unsprung mass of the car is reduced and this, says the tuner, leads to much better handling and more agility.

Another enhancement for the handling of the 500 Largo is the Hamann-coilover suspension which lowers the car's centre of gravity by up to 60 mm. A specifically developed sport exhaust system turns the supermini into a tough sports car and renders it with a powerful and earthy sound. The system includes an end muffler with four round stainless steel pipes, a pre-muffler with a metal catalyser and a sport manifold. All components can also be ordered separately.

Hamann's technicians have developed a new performance kit especially for the Abarth 500 which sees the engine output increasing to 265 bhp at 5,630 rpm while the maximum torque rises to a useful 348 Nm at 4,200 rpm. This is in addition to tuning packages for the standard Fiat 500 it developed last year. For the 1.4 16v petrol unit, this tuning programme takes power from 100 to 112 bhp and torque from 131 to 146 Nm, while for the 1.3 Multijet 16v turbodiesel power is raised from 75 to 90 bhp and torque from 145 to 185 Nm.

Hamann has also developed a sport brake system for the Fiat 500. The set consist of two perforated and internally ventilated brake discs (diameter 280 x 28 mm) at the front axle in combination with red 4-piston brake callipers and steel-covered brake pipes. The back axle can optionally be equipped with brake discs measuring 257 mm in diameter. Inside, an aluminium pedal set, including foot rests, and a door mat set, with embroidered Hamann logo, complete the changes.