Fiat 500 cute and stylish

The trend of reviving classic successful cars of the past shouldn't be regarded as commercial safety valve for car manufacturers whose design houses are drained out of ideas. VW was to first that got busy reshaping the ultimate classic Beetle who reined streets since 1938. The same path was followed by Ford giving us the new GT and BMW relenting the expensive yet brilliant Mini. It was about time Fiat to answer back and what an answer they gave motorists last year with the sparkling Fiat 500.

Fiat's newborn has nothing to do with the dull Fiat Cinquecento of the 90's. The original design dates back to 1957 when Dante Giacosa responded to an increasing demand for a practical and inexpensive city car by placing the engine at the back very much like the VW Beetle. Fiat 500 was on production until 1975.

The new Fiat 500 was previewed exactly 50 years after the first design was presented, featuring a sexy retro-look reflecting the design legacy of the original. All petrolheads though lay their eyes upon the 1.4 liter Fiat 500 Abarth whose turbocharger will feed the sparkling little gem with 135 bhp and incredible ammounts of torque.

The looks are actually so wonderful, almost in a trecherous way, to make you ignore few flaws the car has. It is actually the basic 1.2 liter engine which will let down a bit and the car's response to speed bumps, holes and all sort of everyday obstacles we come across everyday and will make the ride quite frappe!

From a handling point of view though Fiat 500 unfolds all characteristics one would seek from a small city car, with a cheeky but safe response when pushed a bit harder while it is definitely very practical without being boring. It should be an instant success, a new classic is born since the car is so well placed in the market, targeting a big group and priced around £3,000 less than the cheaper BMW Mini its hard to go wrong.

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