First Ride: Trekking Fiat 500 makes SoCal stop

Frank Filipponio — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 11:59:00 EST

Filed under: Classics, Europe, Hatchback, Fiat, UK

Click image for high-res gallery of pics of the first Fiat 500 in the States

Jim Magill's little Fiat 500 made a stop in SoCal this weekend and we were among the lucky few who got some seat time in it. As we recently blogged, Jim shipped his microcar to the States all the way from Belfast, Northern Ireland to help raise some cash for the Northern Ireland Children's Hospice, and to meet with some fellow Fiat tifosi along the way. As part of the plan the Cinquecento is being driven to some high profile events to show it off and help spread the word about his cause. In the OC this past Saturday morning, the car attracted a ton of attention at a weekly car show, even sitting in the shadow of a few Zagato-bodied Lancias and Alfas. While the nearby Isettas made it seem positively huge, the tiny Fiat was still appreciated for its frugality and miniscule footprint. After the show we went for a spin and stopped to take a few pics of the car next to a handy Smart ForTwo. Follow the jump to see what we thought of it.

Gallery: First Impression: Fiat 500

Gallery: Fiat 500 across America

Continue reading First Ride: Trekking Fiat 500 makes SoCal stop

First Ride: Trekking Fiat 500 makes SoCal stop originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 04 Aug 2008 11:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fiat 500 makes trek across America

Noah Joseph — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 10:02:00 EST

Filed under: Fiat

Click to see the little Fiat's big adventure in hi-res

The jury in Turin might still be out on whether to export the miniscule Fiat 500 to North America, but one adventurer got tired of waiting and took things into his own hands. Jim Magill shipped a Cinquecento from Northern Ireland to New York and embarked immediately upon a trek across the United States. Magil says the car garnered an inordinate amount of attention in Manhattan before they hit the road for Washington, across the heartland through Chicago and De Moines, running through Salt Lake City and Oregon before swinging down through San Francisco, the Bonneville salt flats, Death Valley, Las Vegas and finally... whew... Los Angeles. Although Jim and his co-driver Alan have now returned across the Atlantic, the car is staying behind to make appearances in Pebble Beach at the concours and the Woodward Dream Cruise in Detroit. Check out the images in the gallery below to see the 500's foray into and across the United States.

Gallery: Fiat 500 across America

[Source: Little Fiat Big Adventure via Italiaspeed]

Fiat 500 makes trek across America originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 29 Jul 2008 10:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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