Autoblog

We've always been fond of the Smart roadster, which never officially made it to U.S. shores and proved to be a flop across the pond. But this rendering, courtesy of WorldCarFans, has us thinking that a second attempt might be worthwhile.

If the Abarth roadster ever comes to fruition, it would be an exercise in balancing a lightweight structure with a small price tag. Cost prohibitive carbon fiber couldn't be used, so some other form of composite would have to be employed for the chassis and body panels. Abarth could source the 135 hp, 1.4-liter mill from its own version of the Fiat 500 for power, mount it amidships and call it done.

WCF dons its speculative cap and figures that if Abarth gives the roadster the green light, Europe could see the minimalist two-door by 2013 sporting a £12,000 sticker.

[Source: WorldCarFans]

Fiat has confirmed it will be producing a convertible version of the 500 and although a launch date has yet to be announced, Fiat brand styling director Roberto Giolito revealed that the model is on its way... at some point.

Giolito also announced that the 500 cabrio will feature a fabric roof, and not a retractable hard-top, citing improvements in materials that remove many of the drawbacks associated with cloth roofs. The entire Fiat group does not include any hard-top convertibles, although several have been reported to be in the works, including the upcoming Ferrari California. However, the more expensive MINI convertible, which the 500 cabrio will invariably target in the marketplace, also uses a fabric top.

[Source: just-auto.com - sub. req'd]

Click above image for a gallery of the Novitec Fiat 500

Fiat's retrolicious 500 is designed to transport people with panache, if not punch. Novitec's specialty is both bringing the punchbowl to the party and then spiking it. Sure, the tuner tweaks the likes of Alfa and Ferrari, but the everyman isn't left out either, as evidenced by the new collection of mods it's now made available for the Fiat 500.

500 drivers can add a subtle front chin spoiler, new wheels and tires, and suspension updates to improve the car's already appealing looks. On the performance side, Novitec has come up with an exhaust upgrade and a pair of power packages. The 1.3L Multijet turbodiesel gets bumped from the stock 70 horses to a stouter 83, and the 1.4L gasoline engine gets an even more substantial boost. In standard form, it makes 100 horsepower and 96 lb-ft of torque. With Novitec's supercharger, it jumps to 131 horses at 5,200 rpm and 126 lb-ft of torque at 6,200 rpm.

Yes, these numbers are topped by the upcoming 500 Abarth (quite dramatically, in fact -- the Abarth makes 155 lb-ft at 3,000 rpm), and the factory hot hatch probably makes more sense for new shoppers looking to combine the 500's looks with better power the moment they drive away from the showroom. with the Novitec mods, however, early adopters who grabbed the huggable little hatchback as soon as it arrived now have some power options of their own, too.


[Source: Novitec]

You knew it was strictly a matter of time. AutoExpress is reporting that Fiat intends to bring a convertible version of its popular 500 micro-car to Geneva in March. The only vehicle that has the potential of challenging the MINI's cuteness and flickability will come with a soft-top that will attempt to keep the bulbous rooflines of the coupe model, complete with a glass rear window and doors that are fully framed. But Fiat isn't stopping there. To challenge the Cooper S, the automaker also plans to unveil the 500 Abarth SS in Geneva, packing a turbo'd 1.4-liter four producing 155 hp. Sales of both models should begin sometime towards the end of the year.

[Source: AutoExpress]

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If you drove Formula One cars for a living, what would you drive in your spare time? Well, just about anything you want, given the multi-million-dollar contracts F1 drivers garner these days. F1 teams, however, routinely present their star drivers with their parent company's best rides. For example, while at McLaren, Fernando Alonso had to make room for his SLR by selling off his Renaultsport Megane. But Felipe Massa may have to get a (slightly) larger garage to fit the new custom Fiat 500 that Ferrari presented him in Monaco next to the Ferrari 599 he received previously. But after routinely squeezing into the tiny cockpit of a grand prix racing car, the comparatively vast space inside the tiny Fiat may actually be a step up.

Naturally Ferrari wouldn't give its star driver just any ordinary 500. Massa's has been outfitted with a 120-hp 1.4-liter quattrovalvole four from Fiat Powertrain Technologies, a special brown leather interior to contrast with the pearl white paint and Skydome electric sunroof, and bright red brake calipers peering from behind the 16" alloys. We can't see him complaining, especially since his mentor Michael Schumacher himself has an original 500 in his garage.

[Source: Fiat]

We knew the new 500 was maneuverable, but Fiat's local marketing schemes have enabled the car to go up in the air and down under ground, too. Following the British unveiling of the car on the London Eye, the German debut of the 500 takes it around Berlin's subway on flatbed railway cars.

The subway cars also carry the slogan "Happy New Car of the Year Everybody", highlighting the proverbial feather in the 500's cap of awards, the 2008 European Car of the Year citation. The 500 was only the second A-segment (read: really small) car to win the award, following the 2004 citation for the Fiat Panda, on whose platform the 500 is based. Since the award was inaugurated in 1964, Fiats have won the award nine times, with another three going to vehicles from sister companies Lancia and Alfa Romeo.

We're not sure if we'd be entertained or annoyed to see a promotional subway train carrying the 500s roll past while waiting for our train, but if you're in Berlin between now and the end of the month, head down into a U-Bahn station and see for yourself.

[Source: Italiaspeed]

The Fiat 500 is selling like hotcakes everywhere it's hit the market, but Fiat isn't about to sit back and let the product speak for itself. "Committed to making the country smile for the night", Fiat's British subsidiary is planning to debut the retro-mini in a capsule on the London Eye, the 443-foot Ferris wheel formerly known as the Millennium Wheel on the banks of the River Thames.

The 500, which has been winning award after award, will take flight on the wheel at precisely 500 hours into the New Year, on Monday, January 21, 2008 at 8 pm. The high-flying British premiere is one of several recent firsts for the 500 worldwide, having recently appeared in police guise in Amsterdam and been prepared for the track in Australia.

Follow the jump for the press release and an additional photo.

[Source: Fiat UK]

Click image to view in high resolution

With revenues and attendance declining, Merlbourne's Albert Park circuit is in danger of losing the Australian Grand Prix to another venue Down Under, but the organizers aren't giving up without a fight. With cash from title sponsor ING, which has been pouring big bucks into its F1 sponsorship program, the 2008 Australian Grand Prix is gearing up to be a huge spectacle that will include a V8 Supercars race and even a two-hour KISS concert in addition to the headline Formula One contest. Now the organizers have added another supporting event that will mark the first time the Fiat 500 will be raced.

The race-prepped retro-minis will be the car of choice for the Celebrity Challenge, which pits local Australian celebrities against each other on the race track. Although no information has been provided on what sort of race preparation the Fiats will undergo for the event, we wouldn't expect the modifications to go far beyond basic safety equipment, like a roll cage and racing buckets with competition harnesses visible in the photos.

In addition to being the 500's racing debut, the event will also mark the car's unveiling for Australia and New Zealand, as well as the debut of the right-hand-drive version of the tiny Fiat.

Scheduling conflicts between the Grand Prix and the V8 Supercars series were reconciled to allow the two races to take place together, while race officials denied rumors that they were intent on following Singapore's lead in changing the Australian Grand Prix to a flood-lit night race.

Check out the images in the high-resolution gallery below, and the full press release after the jump.

[Source: ING Australian Grand Prix via World Car Fans]

Fiat's undeniably adorable 500 has closed off the year with yet another award. The retro-licious little supermini already won the car award of all car awards when it took the 2008 European Car of the Year award, which it somehow managed to squeeze into its little hatch packed with the Auto Europa 2008 award, EuroCarBody 2007 and the Auto Trophy.

The latest to pile on the praise is Top Gear magazine, which named the Fiat 500 its favorite City Car in the BBC Top Gear Awards 2007. Rival publication CAR also named the 500 its Car of the Year, as did rival television program Fifth Gear. Ironically, though, James May (a.k.a. Captain Slow) didn't like the 500.

That's a lot of accolades for such a small car, which Fiat is hoping will help turn its fortunes around as part of its recent resurgence in the marketplace.

[Source: Italiaspeed]

We already know that overseas, police cars are not the full-size cruisers we have patrolling our highways in America. But come on, there's a limit.

This Fiat 500, all decked out in police striping and with a little flashing light on the roof, was snapped while parading around Amsterdam with the Dutch police. Unfortunately, the text that came out of the online translator was about as intelligible as a tourist swaggering out of an Amsterdam "coffee shop", but as far as we can tell the car was used purely for demonstration purposes, much like Scotland Yard has displayed constabulary-striped supercars and F1 racers, before the law-enforcement markings were removed and the car went back to civilian duty.

It's a far cry from the Spyker C8 or the BMW M3 that the Dutch police showed recently, but this 500 just looks so darned eager to serve and protect, doesn't it?

[Source: AutoWeek.nl]