New car news

07 April 2009 - 12:00

Sink the pink

In an all-time low for taste and decency (and around here, that's a very competitive field), a special, one-off Fiat 500 has been created in honour of a fictional woman most famous for dating a man with moulded plastic genitalia.

In celebration of Barbie's 50th birthday, this Italian blancmange is off on what Fiat is threatening is the start of a major European tour.

The bright pink eyesore was created in ‘acknowledgment' of the plastic doll and built in an ill-thought partnership between Fiat's so-called Style Centre and toy maker Mattel. A birthday card would've been fine, guys.

The 500 Barbie edition comes equipped with an LED-lit vanity mirror, a glove compartment that comes pre-stocked with a selection of lip-glosses, and paintwork that's more than a little reminiscent of nail varnish. There's even an outline of Barbie's famed silhouette on the car's B-pillars (insert airbags joke here).

Speaking of pink monstrosities, here's one driven by Richard Hammond... with a paper bag over his head: