Fiat 500: retro-cool or lazy pastiche?
Posted by Paul Horrell at 3:50PM on Wednesday 21 March, 2007 14 Comments
I'm trying to figure out why I'm extremely excited about the new Fiat 500.
See, I don't really like retro. I wish designers would be a bit more creative. Retro is an excuse for them to lapse into lazy pastiche. Besides, I don't really like the idea of rebodying cheap hatchbacks and pretending they are something else.
So I didn't much care for the new Beetle. It's merely a less space-efficient, more expensive, unbearably chintzy Mk4 Golf, a notoriously soggy car to drive. Not my sort of car at all. A novelty that wore off before the first daffodil had wilted in that silly dashboard flower vase.
And the Fiat 500 is just a retro-design rebody of the Fiat Panda. I ought to hate its cynicism.
Right Horrell, argue your way out of that. Well, for one thing it's personal. The original Beetle never resonated with me. There was never one in my family, nor my L-plate history. Round our way it was Minis and small Fiats, and it was the Fiats that really hooked my over-revving young imagination.
For a start, Fiats are Italian, and Italian always connotes more profoundly with sexiness and style than anything out of the British Midlands. But also Fiats have always been related to the most exciting cars in the world. They shared designers and mechanical layouts with Ferraris and coachbuilt Alfas.
It wasn't just the Pininfarina crest you'd find on niche-model Fiats that were on Ferraris. So were the Weber carbs and the Carello indicators and Cromadora wheels. And the sounds and smells.
And all the best Italian small cars are designed to be driven flat-out everywhere, like the Italian behind the wheel has an ultra-urgent appointment to meet: lunch with his grandmother, holy mass, Juventus at home. Sorry to wheel out the national clichés, but there you are.
And this brings me neatly to my current Panda 100HP. It pleads and positively begs you to drive it on the absolute doorhandles, and rewards you richly when you do. The 500 will come with the same mechanical spec.
But it's a lot more beautiful than any Panda. Better yet, the 500 gets a proper bespoke interior. The Panda isn't hideous inside, but it's utilitarian and plasticy. The 500 has jewel-like switches and a wonderful dial-pack, yet it isn't especially retro inside. It's actually rather creatively done.
Design matters. The 500 is a lovely design and it'll be a great small car (because the Panda is) and it'll give you more performance per quid spent than a Mini. That applies whether or not you get the historical resonances. What's not to like?
Course, I won't love it unreservedly until the accessories catalogue contains a temperamental Weber carburettor, Carello spotlights and Cromodora wheels.
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14 Comments for "Fiat 500: retro-cool or lazy pastiche?"
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I love the new Fiat 500 and I love retro, because it comes from a time before I was born. The new Beetle didn't have it and the BMW Mini was never a people's car.
The Fiat 500 has it because it was designed to be close to Fiat's roots - cheap and cheerful small cars with a dash of style. A lot of modern cars don't have much character, so if retro is done well, why not?
Anyone noticed that it looks extremely similar to the new Nissan Micra side on?
I liked the MINI, but not the latest one. The looks are gone, and it's simply a fiesta alternative that looks a bit better and drives nicely. The 500 though. It's cool precisely because the proportions are so right. They're so much better than the MINI or beetle ever were. The latest MINI wouldn't really sell if it weren't for the original. The 500 would. I mean, I need a big car to cart tons of stuff around. But I WANT a 500. Will I still when I see it for real?
Totally agree. The new Bambina is a cool interpretation of what was a very likeable little beast. My first car was a 500 and it is still the most fun I have had for my money! Bring it on!
Anyone noticed that it looks extremely similar to the new Nissan Micra side on?
I love Italian cars. As well as a stunning Alfa, I'm lucky enough to own an original Fiat 500, modified to Abarth 695cc specification, which I've owned for over 15 years. I use it regularly and it continues to give immense pleasure as well as tuning many heads. I'm very excited that the new 500 will be launched in such a landmark year for these tiny iconic cars. I MUST have one! So plan to inquire at my local FIAT dealer, hoping to secure a 100HP model. Looking forward to 'The Stig' taking it for a spin!?
the 500 is sexy ........ no further comments
This car is a sexy little mother ******. The styling is like no other. It makes you want drive it all day. The interior makes some multi - million dollar hotels look like a cardboard box on a windy day. This car has more passion than a passion fruit.
The Fiat 500 is not small & won't be cheap.Only small, cheap fuel efficient practical car(4 seats) on UK market is Citroen C1.Just like new mini is metro sized new Fiat 500 is Panda sized.
It makes you smile, the new Fiat 500, and that's because it has charm and (imagine anglo-Italian accent for this bit) 'charactah'.
It's a warm, fuzzy feel-good car which will turn heads and make people smile at you as you potter to the shops for basil and sun-dried tomatoes.
It is, as they say in Italy, la bella figura.
Ciao, it's a good fun for me, writing from Italy,to see all this excitement about the new 500.
After years of hideous cars it seems like Fiat is really going the right way, doing what it does best: cool, sexy, little hatches!
If the original made it through the top place of the 100 sexiest cars in history, this one'll surely get a spot!
I can't believe so much of the Trepiuno concept made it into the production model- looks like the interior could be a bit different though.
I love cars that leave you with a grin on your face when you get out - and you just get that feeling about this too.
I wanted one when I first saw it and I havent seen nor heard anything that has changed my mind. Want one want one want one!
Both Fiat 500 & the new Mini are oversized compared to their originals.
How many 3 metre long, 4 seater cars are there on UK market? Are modern car designers not capable of designing such vehicles?
Beware the passage of time and the easing of the cars fresh looks.
When it arrives on these shores, in twelve months, we'll be very used to it and probably a little bored. The original comments in the blog will ring true and some people will feel a little embarassed to have been so gushing.
Remember how cool everyone thought the new Beetle was and how wacky people thought the vase was? It didn't take long for that to die off.
The new Mini has fared better because it's a cracking car to drive and harder to knock when there are so many boring motors around. But even then, it's a much less resolved design and to me is a step backwards.
The Fiat is cute, it and pretty girls will look even prettier driving it. But it won't revive the love of the original.