The FIAT 500: An Iconic Italian Car
Two FIATS, three couples, four felled logs.
When you hear (in this case, read) the name “Dante,” do you think of automobiles? Likely not. You think of Dante Alighieri, the author of The Divine Comedy, right? Well, today you are going to add another Dante to your list of Dantes, this one being Dante Giocosa, the Italian car designer who first dreamed up the now iconic FIAT 500. Born January 3, 1905, Dante Giocosa would have been put in Paradiso by Dante the poet. Imagine if Dante the poet, by the way, had a FIAT 500 in the Inferno? Perhaps he would not have wanted to leave? Serious food for thought!
The FIAT 500 gets its name “500” from the size of its engine, 500 cubic centimeters. To be precise, however, a true “500” never existed. A FIAT 499.5 did. A FIAT 594 did. Such a small engine made the FIAT 500 the perfect city car, born out of the new-found economic spirit after the Second World War. The earliest models weigh less than 1,200 lbs and, though incredibly tiny, could hold four (five, if you really wanted to pack ‘em in). The car has a sunroof, which practically makes it a convertible, though this opening also serves the function of allowing a little head room for us taller drivers. The earliest FIAT 500s never neighed more than 20 horse power, but their light weight and low center of gravity allowed them to zip around town. Some can still be found on the road today, though most reside in garages, the prized possessions of many Italian families.
Want some great news? The FIAT 500 is available in North America! FIAT, which is an acronym for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino (Turin Italian Automobile Factory), which now owns Chrysler, has been selling the 500 throughout the world for three years now. Sergio Marchionne, Chrysler-FIAT’s CEO, sees North America as a ripe market for the tiny car. Seeing as the Mini Cooper has seen success in North America, it’s also likely that the 500, with a base price that is $4,000 cheaper than the Cooper, should fare quite well. It's a great-running car that should forever silence that caustic acronym, "Fix It Again Tony," given by Americans to FIAT many moons ago. So, what do you say? Why not take a test drive in 2011? If anything, to be more Italian.
The FIAT 500 gets its name “500” from the size of its engine, 500 cubic centimeters. To be precise, however, a true “500” never existed. A FIAT 499.5 did. A FIAT 594 did. Such a small engine made the FIAT 500 the perfect city car, born out of the new-found economic spirit after the Second World War. The earliest models weigh less than 1,200 lbs and, though incredibly tiny, could hold four (five, if you really wanted to pack ‘em in). The car has a sunroof, which practically makes it a convertible, though this opening also serves the function of allowing a little head room for us taller drivers. The earliest FIAT 500s never neighed more than 20 horse power, but their light weight and low center of gravity allowed them to zip around town. Some can still be found on the road today, though most reside in garages, the prized possessions of many Italian families.
Want some great news? The FIAT 500 is available in North America! FIAT, which is an acronym for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino (Turin Italian Automobile Factory), which now owns Chrysler, has been selling the 500 throughout the world for three years now. Sergio Marchionne, Chrysler-FIAT’s CEO, sees North America as a ripe market for the tiny car. Seeing as the Mini Cooper has seen success in North America, it’s also likely that the 500, with a base price that is $4,000 cheaper than the Cooper, should fare quite well. It's a great-running car that should forever silence that caustic acronym, "Fix It Again Tony," given by Americans to FIAT many moons ago. So, what do you say? Why not take a test drive in 2011? If anything, to be more Italian.