"So, brakes that don't work.... what's up with that?"

I second someone else's nomination of Jerry to host US Top Gear. That is, if they can afford $1MM+ per episode.

Looks like Seinfeld should invest in his own restoration shop like Leno has so things like this don't happen. Come'on everyone knows FIAT stands for "Fix It Again Tony"

So, lemme get this straight. Jerry says the "brakes failed" and the police simply chalk it up to mechanical failure without an actual investigation or examination of the brakes. Wow...it must be awesome to have that kind of power.

A Fiat "BTM"?? What the hell is that? Anybody got any photographs of that?

I'm having trouble finding a pic of this car. Any help?

"Then you find out that the brakes are actually milk-bottle tops. They'll stop you . . . once." - Jezzer

Where's the photos of the crash? And the booking photo of Jerry? What about the Nazi hooker that was in the car with him? Man you guys are really letting down the kids at Defamer...

'the hell's a Fiat BTM?

Good to hear he's ok. But I thought he only had Porsches...well I guess maybe NOW he only has Porsches

@RicKaysen: Its the East Hampton concierge...er...police department. They're very accommodating, and not just to celebrities. There is sooo much money out there, and most of it is the low-key-but-owns-half-of-manhattan kind, that the cops give everyone a very wide berth, just in case.

Reporter at sceen: Couldn't you smell something like the brakes burning?

Jerry : What am I, hard of smelling?

Well of course the brakes didn't work. There's no such thing as a Fiat BTM!

Newman.

Wait a minute! Even in a mechanical failure, someone is to blame. If it's a manufacturing defect that causes the failure, it falls back to the manufacturer. Since this is a '67, it would fall back to the owner as "failure to maintain", or the mechanic who last did work to the brakes.

He should have been cited. If my brakes go out, I get a ticket. Why should it be any different for Jerry Seinfeld?

If Jerry can show that his maintainence schedule was adequate, and the brakes failed due to a mechanical defect, drop the charge, but at least charge him. It is a driver's responsibilty to ensure that his or her vehicle is roadworthy.

Kramer filled the brake lines with blood!

@4_Chan!!!!!11!one: Seriously, it's like Beverly Hills out there. They even have the LA traffic.

It's probably that woman who invented all the baby food recipes, which Jessica Seinfeld stole and then made famous. Conspiracies abound.

NO STOP FOR YOU!

@ash78: You know, Jerry is the kind of guy that could get away with some of the shenanigans that we fear advertiser's cracking down on in NBC's Top Gear.

I remember hearing Jerry's recent interview on NPR's Fresh Air, and he talked about how Seinfeld's success gave him the kind of money so he couldn't be bought. The studio could beg him to do another season or do this or that, and he didn't care anymore. So maybe we could get a few good shows out of him before he or the whole show is yanked.

Of course, he'd give Porsche all kinds of dragon love, but it doesn't really bother me when Clarkson does the same to a Jaguar.

That Fiat was previously owned by JOHN VOIT!

Wander what hi Pucker Factor was on the seat

Wow, a Fiat broke? Who would have guessed it?

Lots of comments, but the most important question has yet to be addressed... What the hell is a Fiat BTM???

@4_Chan!!!!!11!one: Just don't think about drinking and driving. They are very strict out there with a lot of checkpoints.

A friend of mine has a ski boat there. Last summer he was renting a cottage on the shore. Man there is nothing cooler than walking out your door and climbing into your boat parked right there and just taking off.

If you're googling fiat BTM, don't go to the Myth Germania site. There's a virus there.

BTM = Bolognesian Touringwagen-Meistershaft

Wander what hi Pucker Factor was on the seat, indeed.

Or on Long Island:

Buttafuoco Teenager Magnet

@dolo54: Thats true. As long as you're not drunk.

The story is bound to reach one of the Fiat forums...maybe they will have an answer for what a BTM is.

This never would've happened if he'd let Puddy work on the car.

@ash78: +1! Great answer. It's got the guinea factor as well as the creepy older dude trolling for trouble factor.

Now what is a BTM? Photos anyone?

Brakes
Tend to
Malfunction

Sounds like everyone in the news biz is covering the coverage; not one journo seems to know to ask "BTM? What the hell is that?" - they're all just regurgitating it from other reports.

If the collective Jalop Google-Fu can't figure it out, there's something wrong with the initial report.

Seinfeld and his lies. Fiats never mechanically fail.

"What's the deal with forty year old Italian cars?"

If the car isn't driven very often, it might have been a good idea to give it a pretty good once-over before taking it out on the highway.

OK - We all know it isn't a "BTM". And I'm sure a number of us also Googled various items to see if someone knows what Fiat Seinfeld owns.

And you probably came up empty, just like I did.

C'mon - The guy's well known for his car collection - and no one know what Fiat model he owns? We Jalopnik devotees deserve better than this...

Seriously guys -- we need input people. We're just as much in the dark here about what Fiat Seinfeld owns as you are. Could it have been a Fiat Dino 2000?

I love how everyone's worried about Jerry. WHAT HAPPENED TO THE CAR??????

j/k

BTW, the the heck's a Fiat BTM?

I bet it goes something like this

Police: What kind of car is that?
Seinfeld: 1957 Osca MT4
Police: A What? (writes down 1967)
Seinfeld: Um a Fiat
Police: What kind of Fiat?
Seinfeld: ... MT4
Police: BTM

This ad is for a Fiat 850 that was allegedly owned by Seinfeld at some point in the past. Perhaps he had more than one/bought a different one? Just grasping at straws, here, but this seems like the kind of thing that could be described as a "2 door sedan." A Dino coupe, while sexy, is not really a "sedan" even to the eyes of the non-cognoscenti.

[bringatrailer.com]

BTM Cheetah? If you say "Cheetah" when you're drunk, it sounds like "Fiat".

@POLAЯ ИIИJA STAЯ: Thank you! I was racking my brain trying to come up with something clever for BTM involving brake failure. Guess I need more coffee.

BTM now stands for Bent Twisted Metal

@Ray Wert: I thought maybe a Fiat Dino as well. Probably a spider.

No more info on the model, but apparently it was "new to his collection":

"Chief Sarris said Mr. Seinfeld told the officer the car was new to his collection, and that this was the first time he had taken it out for a spin."

[www.easthamptonstar.com]

I wonder if it was like that scene in Bee Movie when he's banging repeatedly into the apartment window...

"I'll try the brakes again... and again, and
again-again-again-again-again-again-again-again...

Better
Telephone a
Mechaninc

This is all that I could find. I don't think this is what he was driving though.

[www.jacknob.com]

It says it was a two door sedan. It is only two options.
Fiat 124

or Fiat 1800/2100/2300