Fiat's Teeny-Tiny Topless Car - Driving an Italian convertible is one of the great joys in life. Less so when it’s raining, but even then it’s not always that bad.
The 2012 Fiat 500C is the drop-top version of the company’s new bella macchina subcompact, and a retro-modern take on post-war Italian economy car design. In a world of New Beetles and new MINIS, not to mention 1960’s-inspired Mustangs and Camaros, tapping into nostalgia was an easy move for Fiat upon its return to America, after pulling up stakes a quarter century ago.
Introduced in 1957, the original 500 was the product of a nation where the materials to make cars and the fuel to run them were expensive and in short supply – sounds a little familiar, no? It was small and frugal because it had to be, but bellissimo because it was Italian. If there’s one place on earth where style always trumps substance, it’s the land of Fellini.
Good taste is one thing, but there’s no accounting for bad timing. So I won’t blame Fiat for the May deluge that hit the greater New York metropolitan area as its first batch of Cincquecento Cabriolets came ashore. Nevertheless, a 120-mile drive from the wet, cobbled streets of Soho to the even wetter, windy roads of the Hudson River Valley weren’t what any of us had in mind when we signed up.
Thankfully the true beauty of the 500C is that it’s not all that different than the hardtop. Less of a true convertible than a rolling sardine can with the center of its roof peeled off, if not for the heavily insulated fabric top used to cover the opening, and a smaller glass rear window, you wouldn’t notice the difference between the two. Since much of the car’s structure remains intact, it wasn’t necessary to put in a lot of bulky reinforcements, so interior space remains the same as the donor car. That’s uncommon in a convertible, and notable for one with very little room to spare.
Driving an Italian convertible is one of the great joys in life. Less so when it’s raining, but even then it’s not always that bad.
The 2012 Fiat 500C is the drop-top version of the company’s new bella macchina subcompact, and a retro-modern take on post-war Italian economy car design. In a world of New Beetles and new MINIS, not to mention 1960’s-inspired Mustangs and Camaros, tapping into nostalgia was an easy move for Fiat upon its return to America, after pulling up stakes a quarter century ago.
Introduced in 1957, the original 500 was the product of a nation where the materials to make cars and the fuel to run them were expensive and in short supply – sounds a little familiar, no? It was small and frugal because it had to be, but bellissimo because it was Italian. If there’s one place on earth where style always trumps substance, it’s the land of Fellini.
Good taste is one thing, but there’s no accounting for bad timing. So I won’t blame Fiat for the May deluge that hit the greater New York metropolitan area as its first batch of Cincquecento Cabriolets came ashore. Nevertheless, a 120-mile drive from the wet, cobbled streets of Soho to the even wetter, windy roads of the Hudson River Valley weren’t what any of us had in mind when we signed up.
Thankfully the true beauty of the 500C is that it’s not all that different than the hardtop. Less of a true convertible than a rolling sardine can with the center of its roof peeled off, if not for the heavily insulated fabric top used to cover the opening, and a smaller glass rear window, you wouldn’t notice the difference between the two. Since much of the car’s structure remains intact, it wasn’t necessary to put in a lot of bulky reinforcements, so interior space remains the same as the donor car. That’s uncommon in a convertible, and notable for one with very little room to spare. ( foxnews.com )
The 2012 Fiat 500C is the drop-top version of the company’s new bella macchina subcompact, and a retro-modern take on post-war Italian economy car design. In a world of New Beetles and new MINIS, not to mention 1960’s-inspired Mustangs and Camaros, tapping into nostalgia was an easy move for Fiat upon its return to America, after pulling up stakes a quarter century ago.
Introduced in 1957, the original 500 was the product of a nation where the materials to make cars and the fuel to run them were expensive and in short supply – sounds a little familiar, no? It was small and frugal because it had to be, but bellissimo because it was Italian. If there’s one place on earth where style always trumps substance, it’s the land of Fellini.
Good taste is one thing, but there’s no accounting for bad timing. So I won’t blame Fiat for the May deluge that hit the greater New York metropolitan area as its first batch of Cincquecento Cabriolets came ashore. Nevertheless, a 120-mile drive from the wet, cobbled streets of Soho to the even wetter, windy roads of the Hudson River Valley weren’t what any of us had in mind when we signed up.
Thankfully the true beauty of the 500C is that it’s not all that different than the hardtop. Less of a true convertible than a rolling sardine can with the center of its roof peeled off, if not for the heavily insulated fabric top used to cover the opening, and a smaller glass rear window, you wouldn’t notice the difference between the two. Since much of the car’s structure remains intact, it wasn’t necessary to put in a lot of bulky reinforcements, so interior space remains the same as the donor car. That’s uncommon in a convertible, and notable for one with very little room to spare.
Driving an Italian convertible is one of the great joys in life. Less so when it’s raining, but even then it’s not always that bad.
The 2012 Fiat 500C is the drop-top version of the company’s new bella macchina subcompact, and a retro-modern take on post-war Italian economy car design. In a world of New Beetles and new MINIS, not to mention 1960’s-inspired Mustangs and Camaros, tapping into nostalgia was an easy move for Fiat upon its return to America, after pulling up stakes a quarter century ago.
Introduced in 1957, the original 500 was the product of a nation where the materials to make cars and the fuel to run them were expensive and in short supply – sounds a little familiar, no? It was small and frugal because it had to be, but bellissimo because it was Italian. If there’s one place on earth where style always trumps substance, it’s the land of Fellini.
Good taste is one thing, but there’s no accounting for bad timing. So I won’t blame Fiat for the May deluge that hit the greater New York metropolitan area as its first batch of Cincquecento Cabriolets came ashore. Nevertheless, a 120-mile drive from the wet, cobbled streets of Soho to the even wetter, windy roads of the Hudson River Valley weren’t what any of us had in mind when we signed up.
Thankfully the true beauty of the 500C is that it’s not all that different than the hardtop. Less of a true convertible than a rolling sardine can with the center of its roof peeled off, if not for the heavily insulated fabric top used to cover the opening, and a smaller glass rear window, you wouldn’t notice the difference between the two. Since much of the car’s structure remains intact, it wasn’t necessary to put in a lot of bulky reinforcements, so interior space remains the same as the donor car. That’s uncommon in a convertible, and notable for one with very little room to spare. ( foxnews.com )
- 2012 Fiat 500C
- Base Price: $20,000
- Type: 2-door, 4-passenger convertible
- Engine: 1.4-liter 4-cylinder
- Power: 101 hp, 98 lb-ft torque
- Transmission: 5-speed manual, 6-speed automatic
- MPG: 30 city/38 hwy (man), 27 city/32 hwy (auto)
What do you think of the 500c?
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