Some time ago I came across this great article by Jeremy Clarkson of Top Gear on the new Fiat 500.
He reckons this little baby is the greatest revival job ever.
And while the car might not have the performance and finesse of its classier counterparts (the new Mini for example), it has all the Italian sex appeal you could want.
The new 500 is a spiffy little number for anyone in Italy who wants to look cool.
It has become the must-have in the vast array of accessories for the “fighettini” (a word meaning ‘fashionista’ for the Italians, but so much more evocative).
Along with collared shirts and woollen pullovers, the put on French ‘r’ for people who want to sound cool, 365 day-a-year sun tanned complexions and possibily all paid for by Papà, the Fiat 500 completes the package, preferably in white.
And the beauty of this car is you can park it anywhere! Where else but in Italy could you get such practical, nifty sexiness? Clarkson does say the vehicle is fine to get from A to B as long as B isn’t too far, but if you want to look good it’s hardly a priority.
Frederic Manby has slightly missed the point in his comparison of the Fiat 500 with the Hyundai i10.
The Hyundai comes off as the more practical of the two and are we surprised?Overseas there might be some debate about the quality aspects of a Fiat, but in Italy the natives couldn’t care less – it’s all about style as it so often is in this country.
And while the younger generation might not realise they’re gadding about in all the best of 1950’s design, Manby’s right when he says it’s the “mix of style and heritage which helps the Fiat wow”.
And according to Clarkson, the little car having made an impact in St.
Moritz, it really does wow.