MotoringFile Most liked posts in thread: First US Ad For the Fiat 500

Would have been nice to see more of the car. I had one of those when stationed in Italy, but then, so did everyone else.

Jim

 

Not completely horrible for a first ad but it was hard to tell if it was a car commercial or one of those Tampon lifestyle ads......

I'm sure the 500 will take a share of the market but ever beat Mini? Me thinks not. Mini's success is due to more than just being a great little car that is a blast to drive, it has a heritage that spoke to the enthusiasts. Did the Beatles ever race around in 500s, did the 500 ever win a Monte Carlo rally, the Italian Job movie past and present, etc? All things that enthusiasts recognized and then add in the fact that they were sold at and built by BMW and you just had a winner out of the box....

Besides all that, the Mini just has something about its styling that speaks to you in a good way! I can't hardly tell if the 500 is coming or going, it was ugly in the day and its ugly today...

 

Great Ad

Like the car, or not - That's a beautiful piece of advertising!!

 

The 500 had a tribute song written about it by the british band, Lush. The Abarth version won first place in the Liège-Brescia-Liège rally and has a pretty strong heritage in racing. And, oddly enough, the Fiat 500 is used as a getaway car from a big bank robbery in Monaco in the movie, The Castle of Cagliostro.

While probably not to the same extent as the Mini, the Fiat 500 does have a place in "pop culture".

I think the Fiat 500 designers did a great job maintaining the classic vintage look. I personally enjoy the look of the car. If I won the lottery, I'd love to race-prep one and hit the track :lol:

 

I need to see more versions of the car but at first glance I think it is kinda homely...

 

I think they can look pretty awesome (especially in track form) . Vintage, cute, sport...many of the same endearing aspects as the MINI





And a cooler Fiat 500 video:

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZT2fWcfkqeg&feature=player_embedded[/ame]

 

I think it's a cute little toadlette. Nothing wrong with more small cars being on the road. Overall I see it as a good thing.

I remember Fiats & what horrible turds they were. Let's hope 20 some years of development have improved their quality.

 

If you think about it, there was not much to a lot of the old imports. Just body, seats, wheels and motor, but the roads and the way there were driven in Europe was a bunch different then here. The Cinquecento I had was in bad shape, body wise, so I put a couple of none working lights on the grill, a rusted, basket type roof rack with the spare strapped in it in the top and used brown spray paint to cover the rust on the sides which looked like mud splatter. Looked like a real rally car of the day, until you tried to make it go faster then 60. :cornut:

Jim

 

One can only hope they have improved the quality... When a teenager I lusted after the X1-9 until it finally got to our shores, test drove it and think my mini bike had more get up and go.....then there was the plastic coated newspaper they called upholstery which couldn't withstand a hard stare......

But hopefully it will be good and keep the powers at Mini on their toes...

 

It's interesting...

that the cars that we think of as crap really lasted well in Europe. Peugots, 131 Bravas and lots and lots more drove forever over there. Here they died fast. Wonder how much of it was that there wasn't really any knowlege in the service departments....

It took a bit to sort a 124 spider I had, but after it was sorted out, it was a heck of a fun car and didn't take much to keep up and running.

Anyway, I think all of the new cars suffer from some of the echo of the past reps. Diesels are much, much better than they were, yet every article has to mention the crappy diesels we had here in the 80s that were crap. Cars that lasted a long time in Europe are always compared to the quality of thier American experience in the 60s and 70s. As if any car company builds cars like they did 40-50 years ago!

I'm looking forward to getting to drive the new 500. I think it will be fun!

Matt

 

I am glad that FIAT is no longer a Fix It Again Tony lemon. While living overseas, they seem to be a really popular brand, and have really stepped up their game.

 

I like the look of them but that commercial is kinda boring.

 

Well, the chief designer (Frank Stephenson) had some experience in that area!

 

^ Yep he does....

IMO he did another nice job.

 

Hey folks,

I dont post much but, I respond to come of the comments on this.

Let's be open to new things, let's make new friends, let's MOTOR. I thought being a member of the Mini Community was about all of these things- in a word, "inclusion". Seems every time a new car comes out we all snub our superior Mini noses at it. I am a car guy and I love small sporty cars, always have. I've had many old British cars in my life from MGs to Austin Healys to Triumphs to Minis and that was back in the late 70's-80's. By the standards of the day, everyone thought those cars were pieces of crap. My friends and family used to make fun of me for driving them. But, to me nothing was sweeter that the sound of a tuned MGB with a Monza exhaust system on a winding road in the fall with the top down after tinkering with it all weekend. I get the same felling in my "worked" 2005 R53 when I spool up the supercharger coming out of a hard turn in the same conditions. Well, my R53 is paid for and my deposit is aready in on a 500 and I'll be one of the first to get one. It will be parked in my garage right next to my Mini (I'll never sell it, I love it that much). I never thought in a million years when I was young I would ever get to compair two cars like these while they were still new, much less own them. So when I get it home and post my first comparison write up, all you Mini "snubbers" better back off. I am sure there are many among our community who can relate to my story.

Cheers and Happy Motoring

P.S. If you happen to see a new red Fiat 500 when they first come over to the shores, give him a friendly "Mini wave". It just might be me... Can't wait for the Abarth.

 

tmors424, we are an opinionated bunch.:arf:

All part of the "open" discussion here with no harm intended. So no worries.

After all, my dark silver JCW, is the single best color MINI has every made, bar none, hands down.:beer

 

I agree with MM (see...we can share opinions )

 

And we can all agree on the best MINI color.

 

Exactly!

......except space blue is hands down the single best color ever!