Jalopnik: 500

2012 Fiat 500 Abarth Will Cost $22,000

Raphael Orlove — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 12:30:00 EST

The starting MSRP of the 2012 Abarth 500 will be $22K, not including a destination charge, when it goes on sale. A John Cooper Works Mini, by contrast, starts at $30,600. More »

Jennifer Lopez's Fiat 500 broke down on the block

Matt Hardigree — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 12:00:00 EST

I'd be sick of posting about Jennifer Lopez/Fiat disaster if it didn't keep being hilarious. The latest update? The Fiat 500 she wasn't actually driving broke down during filming. This is getting too easy. More »

Fiat says Jenny too busy for the block

Matt Hardigree — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 16:30:00 EST

A representative for FIAT confirmed to Jalopnik that Jennifer Lopez wasn't in the Bronx for a commercial about her being from the Bronx. The reason? In this "increasingly mobile" world, J. Lo is just too busy for the block, so they shot her wherever she was. More »

2012 Fiat 500 Abarth: Finally, we get the good one

Matt Hardigree — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 08:59:00 EST

Fiat's been promising a Fiat 500 Abarth for those of us who don't own capri pants, but we've wondered if it would be the wimpy 135-hp lame one or the Bunga Bunga 160-hp version. Wonder no more. This new econobox is as wicked as Berlusconi. More »

Gravity-defying Fiat 500 does a complete vertical loop

Tom Joslin — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 10:00:00 EDT

Is there a better way to advertise your increasingly expensive product while promoting the 2011 Autorai show than having British stuntman Steve Truglia do a complete 360 degree loop in a Fiat 500? Shell couldn't think of one, which explains the video you see here. Even though the only English to be found in this video comes from the British stuntman, weird car stunts clearly transcend language barriers. More »

Lightly disguised Mini Coupe takes to the 405

Justin Hyde — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 15:30:00 EDT

Caught prowling the 405 in Los Angeles, this is the Mini Coupe that's expected to cross a stage in Frankfurt this fall minus BMW's corporate swirly wrap. How many models does Mini need, anyway? More »

U.S. to get sexified Fiat 500 Abarth in 2012

Justin Hyde — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 16:01:00 EST

The spicy Abarth version of the Fiat 500 promised for U.S. shores early won't be the one on sale in Europe now, but a "next generation." Also, it's got a hard date. 2012. Express your wishes below. More »

2012 Fiat 500: First Drive

Justin Hyde — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 12:30:00 EST

The Fiat 500 set to invade American shores after a several-decade hiatus isn't the same car that's caught on in Europe. It's better, with more engine, revised suspension and upgraded safety. The Mini Cooper just got pwned. More »

First U.S. Fiat Commercial: Yeah, We Got B-Roll

Matt Hardigree — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 17:15:00 EST

The first U.S. Fiat dealership opened last week, meaning it's time for Fiat to explain to America why they're no longer the "Fix It Again Tony" brand. Sadly, their first commercial is just senseless b-roll of happy active people. More »

The Porn-Inspired Fiat 500 Ad Chrysler Will Never Show Us

Matt Hardigree — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 15:30:00 EST

Unlike the refreshed models Chrysler's trying desperately to pass off as "new," the Fiat 500 will actually be something original to this market. The advertising for it, though, is unlikely to be as original or sexy as what Europe gets. More »

Fiat 500: A Little Italy In New York

Ray Wert — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 15:15:00 EDT

Popular Mechanics spotted this new U.S.-spec Fiat 500 in New York ahead of the U.S. market launch in January. They also let slip there's one in their garage. Color us nonplussed until Chrysler's Italian masters unveil the Abarth version. [PopMech] More »

Get Out Of My Corn You Damn Rally Driver!

Ben Wojdyla — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 14:30:00 EDT

I grew up on a farm. Occasionally drunks would swerve off the road and take out huge swaths of corn. Never once did a rally driver plow through our fields. Especially in a Fiat 500 Abarth. More »

Indy 500 Movie May Begin Filming This Year

Sam Smith — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 15:30:00 EDT

A movie about the first Indianapolis 500, written by the man behind Hoosiers and Rudy, might begin filming this year in Indiana. Will it suck? Just pray for no Stallone. [Indy Star via Hemmings] More »

1966 Fiat 500

Murilee Martin — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 09:00:00 EDT

Welcome to Down On The Street, where we admire old vehicles found parked on the streets of the City That Rust Sorta Ignored: Denver, Colorado. Here's an Italian machine that befuddled my new neighborhood a few weeks ago. More »

Fiat On Two Wheels!

Sam Smith — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 17:15:00 EDT

No, seriously, this is a Fiat Abarth Trofeo racing on two wheels. Did you catch that? We can't really be any clearer. Steely-eyed Cinquecento stuff, this. The best part? He saves it! More »

ESPN: "$500 Craigslist Rally Car" Didn't Cost Much More Than $500

Sam Smith — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 16:45:00 EDT

ESPN magazine talked to Bill Caswell, the man behind our $500 Craigslist rally car story, to get the skinny on what he needed to make it happen. He's also on the network's blog. Here's what it takes, kids. More »

One Small Step For A Fiat, One Giant Leap For Electric Cars

Wes Siler — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 16:30:00 EDT

Ignore all the lying hybrid supercars: The Atomik 500 shows how electric power can be both clean and fun. As a bonus, it's faster than the Fiat 500 it's based on and is capable of... space travel? More »

Chrysler: Fiat 500 On Sale In U.S. By End Of Year

Matt Hardigree — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 14:21:00 EST

The Fiat 500 will go on sale in the U.S. by the end of the year, according to Dodge Car Brand CEO Ralph Giles in a speech to the Economic Club of Chicago a few minutes ago. More »

Electric Fiat 500 Elettra Pokes Nose Out From Vintage Camo Cover

Ben Wojdyla — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 09:30:00 EST

Here's a first glimpse of the Fiat 500 Elettra, the long-touted electric version of the Fiat 500. We spotted it with it's sexy nose poking out from under this cool vintage 500 car cover. More »

Who Thought This Was A Good Idea?

Ben Wojdyla — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 10:00:00 EST

The folks at Fiat, the automaker "saving" Chrysler, thought it would be great idea to drop a press release headlined "500 Gets In The Pink." Har, har, har, it's a pink car and a crude double entendre! More »

"Good drugs," thought Sabrina, "But I'd hardly call them great drugs."

Matt Hardigree — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 17:45:00 EDT

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The Fiat 500 has seen sales rise in the UK because of European Cash For Clunkers legislation. This woman doesn't seem to care, but the tiny hippie? He loves it. Photo credit: Oli Scarff/Getty Images More »

Japanese Ironsmith Creates Bulldozer Out Of Fiat 500

Ben Wojdyla — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 08:30:00 EDT

If you need a bulldozer and you're in a pinch, would you combine a vintage Fiat 500 with tracks and a blade? Japanese ironsmith Kogoro Kurata did, building this beast. More »

Oh Noes! Cute Panda Crashes Fiat 500

Wes Siler — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 16:00:00 EDT

What better way to advertise your eco-friendly credentials than by putting a bunch of cute animals through crash tests? We just wish Fiat would give the Walrus its bucket back. More »

500 HP Ariel Atom V8 To Cost At Least $160,000

Wes Siler — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 13:20:00 EDT

Want to outrun Bugatti Veyrons in an open-wheeled roadster? It'll cost you at least $160,000. But with a 0-60 time of 2.5 seconds, with the Ariel Atom V8, you'll at least be getting your money's worth. More »

Supermodel Jodie Kidd Eco Test Drives Fiat 500

The Auto Insider — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 13:30:00 EDT

Sexy Brit Jodie Kidd is one part celeb racer and one part supermodel, making her the spokesperson for the Fiat 500 Eco Test Drive promotion currently being run in the UK. More »

Fiat 500 Barbie Edition: Celebrating 50 Years Of Shallowness With Jewels

Matt Hardigree — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 16:30:00 EDT

Barbie turns 50 this year. Fiat is celebrating this anniversary with the special Fiat 500 Barbie Edition, a bejeweled and pink hatch. More »

Fiat 500C: Officially Dropping Top Before Geneva

Matt Hardigree — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 09:40:00 EST

The Fiat 500C loses the blur and top ahead of the 2009 Geneva Motor Show. Does it make you jolly? More »

Fiat 500C: First Blurry Look

Ray Wert — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 09:15:00 EST

Fiat plans to reveal the 500 Convertible Monday. They're teasing us this morning with a first look over at their website. Unfortunately, it's merely pencil sketches and blurry photos. More below to... enjoy? More »

2010 Chevy Camaro: Official Daytona 500 Pacecar

The Auto Insider — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 19:00:00 EST

We told you it was coming. Now it's official. Our good friends at Camaro5 have the first live shots of the 2010 Camaro Daytona 500 Pace Car taken at the track. More »

Fiat 500 Cabrio: Tradition!

Ben Wojdyla — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 13:00:00 EST

The new Fiat 500 Cabrio, spotted for the first time, appears to keep tradition alive with a top that maintains the sardine can roof-line of the original Topolino. More »

And Now For Today's Moment Of Zen

Ben Wojdyla — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 18:00:00 EST

Fiat 500 Cabriolet Coach Spied With Its Top Closed

Wes Siler — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 10:20:00 EDT

We knew there was going to be a Fiat 500 Convertible, but we didn’t realize Fiat was working on one of those full-length, Citroën 2CV-esque cloth sunroof things. The ahead-of-the-curve opinion-formers over at Next Autos seem to think the car will receive the clunky Cabriolet Coach designation, but we’re not sure if all those chrome letters would fit on the back of the diminutive Cinquecento. More »

Castagna Combines Electricity And Water To Create Fiat 500 Tender Two

Wes Siler — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 13:30:00 EDT

With yacht-owning merrymakers in mind, Castagna has turned a perfectly serviceable Fiat 500 into an electric tender. To do so, they scrapped the engine in favor of an electric motor and batteries (capable of 87 mph), removed the doors and cut off the roof. Quickly discovering that the de-topped 500 had a tendency to fold in half over bumps, they raised the doorsills to brace the chassis. The interior has been redone in wood and a blue/white striped cloth, all the better to accent the Chanel sailor outfits its elderly, leather-faced owners are sure to wear. We expect to see one submerged off the Monaco pier in the near future, surrounded by fishes zapped dead by its waterlogged batteries. More »

Cardboard Fiat 500 And Hot Rod Almost As Cool As Cardboard DB5

Ben Wojdyla — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 12:00:00 EDT

Just because the James Bond cardboard Aston Martin DB5 was pretty awesome doesn't mean that's the extent of Chris Gilmour's cardboard car art. In fact he's also cobbled together a Fiat 500 and a really bitchin' hot rod out of fibrous corrugated paper. We're assuming the Fiat was created as an attempt at a stiffer suspension, better ride characteristics, and greater crash protection. The hot rod? Well, that was probably built just because hot rods are cool, even if they're made of cardboard. More »

Fiat 500 Sacrificed By Audi Q7 To Encourage Crash Compatibility Standards

Ben Wojdyla — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 13:20:00 EDT

This week ADAC, the German auto club, tried to convince automakers to consider small car crash compatibility when designing larger cars by obliterating a Fiat 500 with an Audi Q7. The point ADAC was trying to make is not that the Fiat 500 is unsafe — it actually scores five stars in Euro NCAP testing where the Audi Q7 only garners 4. Rather, the really awesome, slow-motion crash footage is intended to encourage automakers to engineer big cars with small-car crash survivability in mind. We don't know if it'll work, but you can just keep sending out crash test videos, ADAC. We'll keep scoring them to The Blue Danube. [Drive] More »

Blue Steel: $2500 Tata Nano May Become Slightly More Pricey

Ben Wojdyla — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 10:00:00 EDT

Ratan Tata wowed the world when he revealed his company's Tata Nano, the miniscule two-cylinder, four-door runabout designed to go to market with an equally tiny $2,500 price tag. Now, due to pressures from rising commodity prices, Tata may be in jeopardy of missing that now famous 1-lakh goal. Steel prices have jumped 30% since the car's initial unveil in January, while the cost of plastics, silicon and fuel oil have risen as well. So what's next for the bottom line? More »

Not-Available-Here Econobox Shootout: 500 Vs. Hornet Vs. Cube

Ben Wojdyla — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 09:40:00 EDT

We're all now apparently destined to give up our delightful gas-guzzling luxury boats (again) and dump our super-sized SUVs in favor of wearably small fuel sippers. It seems, thanks to news yesterday that the Dodge Hornet's still in the mix and planning to head stateside, that at least a few automakers are trying to make them interesting, or are at least making them look interesting. Unfortunately none of them are yet here. But of these unbuyable-here (and in a couple of cases, anywhere) econoboxes, we're wondering which ones you're most interested in — hit the jump. More »

2009 Ford Ka, Revealed!

Ben Wojdyla — Fri, 30 May 2008 08:20:00 EDT

After what feels like the world's longest production run — in reality a mere 12 years (seriously!) — the Ford Ka is finally getting an all-new model, and here's the car doing the replacing. As we reported way back in 2005, the 2009 Ford Ka will be based on the Fiat 500 in a bit of magical platform prostitution, and though that's a good start, the 500 definitely has some room for improvement. We hope Ford has worked its small car suspension magic on the little bugger cause the 63 HP 1.2-liter, 100 HP 1.4-liter gas and 75 HP 1.3-liter Multijet diesel engines won't set the world on fire in the same way a tossable chassis can.
More »

Fiat 500 Convertible Confirmed, Jerry Seinfeld Spotted Helmet Shopping

Wes Siler — Thu, 22 May 2008 18:20:00 EDT

Topless Fiat fans rejoice, a Cinquecento drop top is on the way. No word on when exactly we (or Europe, rather) will get it, but expect to be able to enjoy the wind in your hair, the sun on your face and the mocking stares of homophobic passersby combined with retro Italian styling by next summer. The 500 god-we're-hoping-they-don't-call-it-Spyder will wear a cloth top, chosen to keep both price and center of gravity low, which is good news for Jerry Seinfeld's East Hampton neighbors.[via JustAuto] More »

Pictures of Entire 1952 Indianapolis 500 Starting Grid Found

Ben Wojdyla — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 10:40:00 EDT

As much as we like open wheel racing and modern car designs, there's something far more awesome about vintage racing cars. This is undoubtedly the opinion of one Jim Rogacki, an engineer from Buffalo, who, while digging around for vintage car parts, managed to run into an amateur Indianapolis 500 historian. After shooting the breeze for a while, Jim convinced the man to let him scan his fantastic collection of photos for all 33 cars in the 1952 starting grid. We swiped a couple, but go take a look at the very neat complete collection and the story behind it over at Jalopy Journal. More »