Fiat 126 Flat Out by Andy Saunders 1989

Auto Car | Fiat 126 Flat Out by Andy Saunders 1989 | World renowned car designer, Andy Saunders has chopped his way back into the record books with his latest crazy creation, Flat Out. A radical sports car standing just under 22 inches tall .. and built by Saunders and his two man team in just THREE days!
Saunders, the Turner Prize nominated artist (Car-tist?) from Poole built the car as part of this weeks celebrations for the 40 th Annual Autojumble at the National Motor Museum in Beaulieu, Hampshire.



With his long suffering sidekicks and fellow hot-rodders, Jim Chalmers and Doug Brown, Saunders worked tirelessly through 18-hour days to create the record breaker. Even finding time to create a superb hand stitched leather interior paying homage to classic Italian supercars of the 70s. With Doug being part of Aston Martins interior design team, this part of the project proved relatively easy!
The Worlds Lowest Car genre was actually started by Saunders with the creation of his super-low Mini, Claustrophobia back in 1985. Since then the record has passed to the squashed Hillman Imp Impressed of Danny Curtis and then the vertically challenged Lowlife built by Perry Watkins. The outgoing record holder stood at a mere 23.6 inches tall but took rather longer to build, at some 18 months.
So why did he do it? Andy himself picks up the tale. Well, I hadnt had the record for a while and thought it would be fun to get it back. Turning the whole build into a bit of automotive theatre seemed like a great idea. With everybody loving the raft of auto-makeover shows like Pimp My Ride and American Chopper we felt that the team should do it live to an audience over a weekend. With some 33,000-odd people coming to have a look at the build.. I guess that was the right decision!



Ever modest throughout, and with great acclaim for his fellow spanner-wielding superstars, whats next for Saunders and his team? Who knows?! he asks I wake up every morning with a new idea for a car and some of them just prove too exciting to ignore.
With a back catalogue that includes a road-legal speedboat (yes, you did read that right!) and several stunning prototype cars, whichever dream Saunders chooses to turn into road-taxed reality, it will doubtless be a show stopper.

Source : www.seriouswheels.com

Fiat Marrakech Concept 2003

Auto Car | Fiat Marrakech Concept 2003 | 2003 Fiat Marrakech Concept news, pictures, and information
All eyes at the Swiss show will be on the Fiat Marrakech and Fiat Simba. These two concept cars, built on the 'Project 169' base, exemplify the versatility of the new compact car.



The name Marrakech conjures up a picture of desert dunes and also evokes an idea of holidays in the widest sense of the word: as an expression of pleasurable, carefree days where the fun is as much about getting there as arriving. Its compact shape makes you want to reach out and hug it. At just 3.57 metres long, 1.61 metres wide and 1.48 metres high with a wheelbase of 2.30 metres, it would not be difficult to imagine it threading its way through tiny streets. Its dune-buggy looks would be just as at home cavorting in the open air or on the beach of a smart resort on the Côte d'Azure.



This is no mere coincidence because the Fiat prototype has borrowed certain traits from the famous dune buggy of the Sixties. from its open body to its low, windowless doors (easier to climb over than through), tubework to protect passengers and four drive wheels. The prototype comes with four wheel drive (4x4 system with viscous coupling) and 16' wheels with 205/50 tyres.
An all-terrain look that leaves little room for doubt: the Marrakech is the ideal companion for extreme fun. Friends are welcome to join in too, because it can easily accommodate four people.
The Fiat concept car arouses emotions and guarantees driving satisfaction while giving you the will to live life to the full.

Source : www.conceptcarz.com

Fiat Simba Concept 2003

Auto Car | Fiat Simba Concept 2003 | A name redolent of the Savannah and a vehicle with a shape that speaks of journeys and adventure despite an ability to slip through traffic jams with equal ease. These are the distinctive features of the Fiat Simba, the car that caused such a stir among the public and motoring journalists at the 26th Bologna Motor Show (the model's world premiere).
The Fiat Simba is a revolutionary concept due to its original styling and versatility, a prototype that will open up new horizons in the minicar segment. It is the first example in Europe of an off-roader that is small yet able to combine the idea of roughing it with the comfort and performance of a conventional car.



The Fiat designers were able to delve into the great technical and design heritage Fiat has built up over decades and apply the skills of a company that has led the compact vehicle market for more than seventy years.
With an eye on changing customer profiles within the sector and the good potential growth prospects, we came up with the Simba. This is, in essence, a car with a dual personality that conveys an immediate impression of freshness and fun backed by solidity and sturdiness.



The Fiat Simba, created to entertain yet also to surprise the most sceptical young customer, may be envisaged (and experienced) as an authentic off-road vehicle you could take on a desert rally or drive through dense jungle vegetation. Or it could be a fun small car capable of navigating intricate city centre streets and slaloming through traffic with ease. No obstacles could possibly stand in the way of the Fiat Simba's four wheel drive system (4x4 with viscous coupling) and neat size (3680 mm long, 1730 mm high and 1630 mm wide).
Externally, the prototype is distinguished by crisp body lines and typical off-road equipment: big headlights, spare wheel on the roof, broad windscreen for the best visibility and straight sides for ease of manoeuvring.

Source : www.seriouswheels.com

Oltre Fiat Concept 2005

Auto Car | Oltre Fiat Concept 2005 | The "Oltre Fiat" show car was presented today at the Bologna Motor Show in a spectacular display; this unique model confirms the Fiat Group's technological excellence even in the large four-wheel drive and off-road segment.
It is derived from the Iveco LMV (Light Multirole Vehicle), the new military off-road vehicle that embodies cutting edge technical features and has won the FCLV (Future Command and Liaison Vehicle) contract for the British Army, also being chosen by the Italian Army.



The show car has very generous external dimensions: it is 4,870 mm long, 2,050 mm tall, 2,200 mm wide and has a wheelbase of 3,230 mm. It has "exuberant" styling, developed around a silhouette with straight wheelarches that cut across the uncluttered sides. The door handles have been recessed deliberately, so that they do not constitute an obstacle when driving off-road. In other words, the design concept underlines the car's practical personality, which is taken to an extreme by the vehicle's real performance.



The Crew-Cab version (long cab with an open platform) achieves a perfect balance between the feeling of dominating the terrain from inside the comfortable cab, and the Spartan personality of a pure expedition Pick-up. The tubular structure above the cab enhances the solidity of the whole vehicle, focusing attention on the presence of a complete rollover bar inside the cab. And finally, the adjustable sunshade at the top of the windscreen increases the dynamism of the roof, and recreates the typical structure of vehicles used for desert crossings. The Oltre-Fiat clearly embodies power and solidity, having inherited all the features peculiar to the military model, starting from the permanent 4x4 transmission that allows it to tackle any situation or route. The merit also goes to the generous 50 cm ground clearance, and the highly efficient independent suspension system with coil springs and coaxial dampers.



The vehicle's extraordinary capacity as an "explorer" is also enhanced by the fact that all-wheel drive is engaged automatically when it is needed. All three differentials lock, a system that guarantees optimal wheel grip in all conditions. Thanks to these solutions, the Oltre Fiat can negotiate a lateral gradient of up to 40%, and longitudinal gradients of 80%; it can also tackle fords of up to 85 cm, and this can be increased to 1.5 metres by mounting special inlet and exhaust pipe extensions. And finally, the show car is fitted with high performance, ultra sporty (V speed code), low profile Pirelli Scorpion Zero Asimmetrico 315/40R26 XL (Extra load) tyres.
The vehicle on show in Bologna can therefore perform a wide range of functions; it is equipped with an Iveco F1C Common rail diesel engine, with a variable geometry turbo and intercooler. The 3-litre engine has 4 cylinders in line and delivers a maximum power output of 136 kW (185 bhp) at 3700 rpm, and peak torque of 456 Nm at 1800 rpm. Combined with a six-speed automatic transmission, the engine gives this extraordinary vehicle a top speed of over 130 km/h.



And finally, the Oltre-Fiat show car weighs about seven tonnes, ready for the road and exploiting all its load capacity. It can seat four or five people, depending on the interior outfit, with an overall payload of about three tonnes.
Fiat thanks the following organisations for their collaboration in the development of the Oltre Fiat show car: RRS (vehicle outfit), Pirelli (tyres), Sabelt (seats) and Alpine (audiovisual systems).

Source : www.seriouswheels.com

Fiat 500 Abarth Assetto Corse 2008

Auto Car | Fiat 500 Abarth Assetto Corse 2008 | With the revival of the Abarth tuning division, Fiat is serious about motorsports. They've been racking up victories in the Intercontinental Rally Championship with the Punto, and have even been sponsoring Valentino Rossi's MotoGP Yamaha. And to drive the point home, while the "esseesse" (read: SS) version of the Cinquecento Abarth was the division's new reveal, it was this racing version, called the Assetto Corse, that took center stage.



The Assetto Corse is, of course, based on the same Fiat 500 that's been selling like adorable little hotcakes in every market it's hit so far. But the cute factor is gone, replaced by big air scoops, giant wings, roll cages and little scorpion badges everywhere.



(And we do mean everywhere.) The little racing car that could is packed with a 1.4-liter 16-valve turbocharged four driving 190 hp through a six-speed shifter to the front set of 17" powder-coated white alloys hiding 4-piston Brembo calipers. The interior has a full roll cage and racing bucket, and an aggressive aero package sets the exterior apart from its street-bound progenitors. Check out the hotness for yourself in the gallery below.

Source : www.autoblog.com

Fiat 500 Ferrari Loaner 2008

Auto Car | Fiat 500 Ferrari Loaner 2008 | Fiat 500 and Ferrari: two universal motoring icons which represent Made in Italy, one cute and the other exclusive. This is why the Maranello House has chosen the Fiat model as its courtesy car for its customers, who appreciate Italian style and like unique products. In actual fact, two hundred Fiat 500 have been manufactured exclusively for the Ferrari sales network and will be driving on all of Europes roads.



Based on the Sport version and distinguished by the traditional red colour, the two hundred Fiat 500 specials are fitted with the lively 1.4 6v 100 bhp engine and offer specific tuning and exhaust in perfect harmony with the sporty spirit of the prancing horse: these two features are designed and made by Magneti Marelli, a leading components company in the Fiat Group which has supplied high-tech parts to Fiat and Ferrari for years. The same sporty theme can also be found in some aesthetic details such as the red calipers, sporty pedal set, special black steering wheel with red stitching and 16 alloy wheels with 195/45 tyres.



Compared to the already richly equipped Sport version, the Fiat 500 customised for Ferrari also has automatic climate control, electric sunroof, prestigious Frau leather interior, hi-fi, fog lights, numbered plate on the dashboard and Limited Edition wording on the kick plate. The Ferrari network will thus be able to offer its customers a special car where the choice of every detail is the result of meticulous care and craftsmanship.



With this original initiative, the Fiat 500 model is confirmed both as a real platform on which Fiat is creating exclusive limited editions and as a successful car capable of winning over the general public, as demonstrated by the 222 thousand orders so far received.

Source : www.seriouswheels.com

Fiat New 500 2008

Auto Car | Fiat New 500 2008 | 2008 Fiat 500 Abarth price, specs and more. The 'Abarth' Fiat performance nameplate is growing again, with the introduction of the 500 Abarth Italian sports compact car. Small, light and fierce and out soon from an Italian automaker that is getting sick of making only econoboxes and minivans.



The return of the Abarth series of Fiat sports compact cars marks a new trend for Fiat and its entire umbrella group, which also includes Alfa Romeo. The Fiat group is going upmarket, and its Abarth performance division is creating excitement that will carry customers into Fiat showrooms.



Though the hot hatch is on every automaker in the world's radar right now, there is nothing quite like the Fiat 500 Abarth. This car is tiny, with a curb weight hovering around 2000 lbs and while the turbo I4 is not excessively powerful, it is plenty to get the 500 Abarth moving, up to a top speed of 127 mph.
There is something about driving small cars fast that is one of the most exhilarating joys in life. Look for the 500 Abarth in Fiat showrooms later this year.

Source : www.rsportscars.com

H&R Springs Fiat 500 2008

Auto Car | H&R Springs Fiat 500 2008 | This year's entire production run of the little Bambino has already been snapped up, thus effortlessly picking up again the success story of a car that has already sold 3.8 million units.
With its cute button eyes and slightly bubble-shaped body, it had won many hearts even before it was launched. It's no wonder that H&R-Spezialfedern employees couldn't wait to get started with the little newcomer either. Before its official launch in Germany, the Lennestadt-based company already developed a few additional extras which will allow the 500 to be decked out according to individual taste.
Apart from the improved good looks, the 30-millimetre lower suspension setting also improves the little retro racer's cornering.



With A.B.E. certification, it's all completely stress-free, almost like the original equipment. The chassis specialists in Lennestadt are also offering TRAK+ wheel spacers which make it possible to create the perfect profile with the fender edge, regardless of which wheel/tyre combination is mounted. In this way, the rounded shapes seem to flow significantly better and are no longer broken up by visible gaps. Those with an Italian sports car passion will not be disappointed either. These wishes are more than accommodated by the height/damper adjustable coilover. Whether the 500 is being driven around Monza, the Nürburgring or an urban ring road, the right setup can be found for all eventualities.



Smart rims with a classic spoke design are supplied by the company eMotion Wheels. The 17-inch wheels, called "Desire", are not only a good match to the design of the 500, they also harmonise perfectly with the lower H&R suspension setting. The 205 tyres add a sporty emphasis.
But there's even more - all parts have already been available since the car's launch in Germany. Every proud owner will be able to give his little baby car that extra touch of individuality which is not yet available through the comprehensive accessory catalogue. "Va bene!"

Source : www.germancarforum.com

Fiat 500 Birthday Gift for Barbie 2009

Auto Car | Fiat 500 Birthday Gift for Barbie 2009 | Cute small cars have often had the problem of attracting male customers, and Fiat is not making it any easier. The company has introduced a Barbie Fiat 500 show car meant to celebrate the iconic doll's 50th birthday.
The car company managed to replicate the well-known, bright, Barbie pink lacquer color for the vehicle, with the intention of making it look like the 500 was coated in varnish.

The pink and cream Alcantara seats are laminated in silver, with a glimmer that "bounces as far as the roof panel." Interior bezels, hubcaps, window mouldings, and the attena are lined in crystals. Crystals are also used to replicate Barbie's silhouette on the pillars. A vanity mirror wrapped in LEDs is built in, while a variety of lip gloss is included in the glove box. This insures that a new generation of women will pay more attention to putting on makeup while driving, instead of the road they are driving on. Floor mats lined in silk make us wonder if girls' feet get dirty, too.



One nice feature is the included car cover, which wraps the Fiat 500 nuovo in a portrait of a car from the 1960s.
Barbie's Fiat 500 will be introduced to the public on 9 March 2009, as it races through Milan's bustling fashion district to the La Rinascente department store in the famous Piazza Duomo. On-board will be Barbie, with Ken behind the wheel. Its a good thing Ken doesn't have genitalia. Our testicles shriveled just reading about this car.

Source : www.worldcarfans.com

Fiat 500 by Diesel 2009

Auto Car | Fiat 500 by Diesel 2009 | In detail, the “500 by DIESEL” born by the joint designer of Fiat Style Center – led by Roberto Giolito, author of the new 500 – and DIESEL designer with a head Lars Schwartz. Based on the Sport version, the special “500 by DIESEL” has been performing some aesthetic elements of strong visual impact, starting with the body color of green DIESEL (available the other two colors, black and brown DIESEL).



Moreover, outside, highlight the alloy wheels 16 “with Diesel logo, the brake calipers painted yellow (only version 1.4 of 100 hp), the side moldings with the word DIESEL and specific cap of rear-view mirrors. They two contents are painted steel satin as well as the grille, bumpers and distinctive “mustache” of the front. Finally, the display shows the rear logo DIESEL and five air inlets that reproduce the characteristic detail of the cooling system of 500 historic.



Finally, the “500 by DIESEL” will be available with all three propellers “Euro 5 Ready” in range (1.2 69 bhp, 1.3 Multijet 75 bhp with DPF and 1.4 16v 100 bhp), each with different skills, all fully exploited by ‘Coupling with mechanical changes to 5 or 6-speed transmission (petrol engines can be combined with a change sequential robotic Dualogic 5-speed transmission).
Prices (turnkey) are 15,000 Euros for the “500 by DIESEL” equipped with the 1.2 69 bhp and 17,000 euros for versions with the 1.3 Multijet 75 bhp with DPF or 1.4 16v 100 bhp. 

Source : www.lincah.com

Fiat 500C 2009

Auto Car | Fiat 500C 2009 | A worldwide preview of the Fiat 500C presentation will take place at the next Geneva Motorshow, before its launch throughout Europe this spring. Evocative of “freedom and emotion”, this original ‘cabriolet’ pays homage to the open-top 1957 model whilst offering leading-edge solutions for mechanical units, powerplants and interior comfort. All this in authentic Fiat tradition giving access to higher segment engineering and technology hitherto unheard of.



Featuring an innovative softtop – a fully fledged window to the sky – the new 500C comes in the same size as the basic model (3.55 m x 1.65 m x 1.49 m) and the same three powerplants: the 1.3 litre 75 hp Multijet Turbodiesel coupled to a 5-speed manual transmission and the two 1.2 litre 69 hp and 1.4 litre 100 hp gasoline engines, available with either manual or robotised Dualogic transmission. Providing different features, all three engine types are generously sized, have a brilliant temperament and offer high performance based on sophisticated technology. Standard features include stubborn reliability and environmental friendliness.



Moreover, as proof of Fiat Automobiles commitment to ecology and sustainable mobility, the new 500C incorporates the innovative “Start&Stop” system, a device controlling momentary engine shutdown and subsequent reignition. To this end, at every stop when shifting to neutral and releasing the clutch, the engine is switched off and then restarted simply by selecting a gear.
Created by the Fiat Styling Centre and manufactured at the Tichy plant in Poland, the 500C is of the “open source” design, implying the addition of new functions to a highly successful existing product. Indeed, the Fiat 500C incorporates all the strong points of the basic model, namely top-of-segment safety features, 4-adult seat habitability and generous luggage space combined with excellent loadability also with the soft top fully open, thanks to a clever parallelogram hinge device.



A highly original exercise in design, the softtop of the Fiat 500C stands out for its refined electrically operated linkage and engineering solutions of great quality and finish, such as the glass backlight and the built-in center high mounted stop light. Available in three colours (ivory, red and black), this original soft top will be matched with several bodywork colour schemes, two of which have been conceived specifically for the new car, i.e. a brilliant Pearl Red and a special Warm Grey typical of sports supercars. Last but not least, thanks to the adoption of the innovative sliding softtop combined with a styling concept which retains all-round protection, the Fiat 500C offers a delightful ride in any season of the year. All told, its many special features make this new car one of the best turned out cabriolet models currently on offer in the city-car segment.



The 500C is further proof of Fiat’s undisputed leadership in this vehicle class where continuous innovation ensures that its position as the industry’s standard is maintained. In fact the car sets new levels of in terms of comfort and safety, engineering and appointments whilst maintaining that unique and inimitable “Italian style”. A new cabriolet is born which gives great excitement and utmost driving pleasure, combining captivating lines with the performance of flexible, environment-friendly engines.

Source : www.motordesktop.com

StudioTorino Fiat 500 Diabolika 2009

Auto Car | StudioTorino Fiat 500 Diabolika 2009 | Diabolika, an artistic version of the Fiat 500, shows what Studiotorino means for interior and exterior exclusive personalisation.
Sitting and driving the Diabolika is like to get in a super New edition of the famous comic strips. Here you can become accomplice and protagonist in a contest to share the everyday exploits of Diabolik and his partner Eva Kant.
The driving comfort is emphasized by excellent materials smartly painted on digital printing automotive leather (DPAL) and the precious sewn upholstery which complete this unique car. This time the Diabolika is not pushed by a powerful engine, but by the strength of the imagination.



It is designed and prepared by Studiotorino and Mycrom (www.mycrom.com) in collaboration with the historical publisher Astorina (www.astorina.it; www.diabolik.it). The body is painted with a particular mat black supplied by PROIN.T and sprayed by ADM Painting (www.admpainting.it). Two mat red fins, classic decoration of Studiotorino fine sport cars, characterize this automobile. These colours remind the ones of the original comic strips.
The wheeI system fits the new BORRANI spoked rims (www.ruoteborrani.com), reminding the mythical Jaguar E, Diaboliks personal car.
The 1/50 Diabolika mounts a unique edition of PIRELLI tires, especially hand cut and built with the Diabolik eyes shape. Pirelli will supply the Diabolika with standard tires.



The system is completed by sports drilled disc brakes produced by BREMBO.
An amusing touch completes some details in decoupage technique.
The target is to embellish 50 cars, in order to transform them in exclusive specimens, numbered and signed STUDIOTORINO - DIABOLIK Collection.
DIGITAL PRINTING AUTOMOTIVE LEATHER (DPAL)
The technological innovation of this project is the artistic printing on leather. Maria Paola Stola suggested to transfer the digital printing technology on textile to automotive leather supports. This is the real evolution for the cars interiors setting. The result of this process is a fine leather perfectly identical with the finest single-colour products existing on the market, in touch, smell and wear and tear.



The digital printing technology is a peculiarity of MYCROM, our partner in this project who, following Maria Paola Stola intuitions, studied for the first time the leather digital printing cycle, obtaining an excellent quality superior to any possible expectation.
The experimentation process was supported in all his aspects by MARIO LEVI company(www.mariolevi.it), supplier of the materials for automotive applications. The company SALT (www.salt.to.it), leader in prestigious upholstery realisations and historical technical partner of Studiotorino, sewn the artistic leathers, succeeding in a masterly way coupling in the space the Diabolik characters and contributing to the prototype realization.

Source : www.seriouswheels.com

Fiat 500C 2010

Auto Car | Fiat 500C 2010 | One of the prime candidates for product sharing between Fiat and Chrysler is the diminutive 500 city car that has taken Europe by storm. If the deal holds up, the U.S. can only hope that the 2010 Fiat 500C is part of the model mix. It's a model loaded with personality. And like the original 1957 cabriolet it's patterned on, the stylish new 500C features fixed roof rails with a retractable soft top.



Unlike the original, however, the charming 500C features some innovations like a power mechanism and a unique rear spoiler that houses the high-mounted stoplight. When the top is up, the spoiler resides above the glass rear window, when the top is folded down, the spoiler rests above the rear sheetmetal, always keeping the brake light visible to traffic behind.



European buyers can order the new 500C with a choice of three powerplants, a 75-bhp 1.3-liter 4-cylinder turbodiesel, a 69-bhp 1.2-liter and a 100-bhp 1.4-liter gasoline engines. If the 500C is exported to the U.S. or built at Chrysler's Toluca, Mexico, assembly plant, expect that it would come with just the 1.4-liter four. A car this small undoubtedly will get excellent fuel economy—somewhere in the 35-mpg neighborhood for the U.S. 500C would not surprise us one bit.



In addition to offering a 5-speed manual transmission and a manual with an automatic clutch as an option on the two gas engines, the 500C also introduces Fiat's new Start&Stop system, which allows the engine to be turned off by slipping the vehicle into neutral and depressing the brake. The engine starts automatically when a gear is selected.
The top itself will be available in three colors, ivory, red and black, and matched with several new paint schemes including a pearl red and warm gray. Made at the Tichy plant in Poland, the retro-inspired 500C fits adults in surprisingly good comfort, while accommodating a generous amount of luggage space.

Source : www.roadandtrack.com