We’ve run more than enough shots pointing out how bloated today’s cars are, but hey when it’s a Fiat 500 Giardiniera we can always go another.
The new 500 is retro done well. I see a lot of them around and they continue with pleasantness to the eye. Unfortunately, the derivatives appear like bee-sting-swollen versions of the base shape.
Mini has a better retro language than the Fiat; a classic in its own right. But its variants too suffer from excessive stingage.
Maybe they’re ready for a parallel range with the Clubman face via Marc Newson’s 021C – to get some cleaner two-box action for the more upright models.
And Fiat? A Skoda-beating Niki based on old 500 tech for starters.
This is one of the finer wagons in history. It sustains the beauty of the front end with gently tapering speedlines that don’t go for too long. The current 500 wagons haven’t quite translated as well. My top 5 current shapes Monday.
Further Reading
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The first pic looks like a toy car. Goes perfectly with yesterdays GM clamshell wagons!
Just like how the beater Datsun was the perfect counterpoint to the prewar Swiss concours cars. That’s what’s great about this site.
The 500 and original Mini simply look unreal among today’s cars. As in props set out to baffle the younger folks. A different time, place, and average BMI.
I would have liked to see a modern version of the Giardiniera on the neo-500, but it wold have been a sales bust. Who wants a compact wagon? Actually, if they had, there might well be one in our driveway, as Stephanie loved the neo-500, but wanted and needed more room in the back.
I’m feeling you but a boy can dream.
The closest contemporary Giardiniera is the Fiat 500L which was a flop in North America.
Sure wish Sergio had selected the Panda for US distribution.
What a space hog. He easily could have pulled forward or back to leave enough space for another 500G. Some people….
…and look how close he is to that storm drain! What if a mutant ninja turtle needs to get out to fight crime?! Very selfish.
Nice Fiat!
How many CCs? (Clown Capacity 😉 )
“Don’s top 5 current shapes” sounds like a CC post worth getting “the look” at work for. Only 3 more sleeps!
I have to admit being a bit puzzled (and worried tbh) about how long Fiat have and plan to keep the current 500 going – 12 years now – with next to no visual change and no substantive mechanical change except for the Twin Air engine, which is not quite all we hoped.
Hopefully, there is work going on Turin to develop an electric successor.
Whatever you think of a Mini that is larger than an Austin Maxi, at least there’s a regular turnover of changes.
Judging by the previous 500, Fiat should be making the current one until something like 2030…
And thats a big version of the Fiat 500, minis real ones are still quite common here, Fiat 500s are getting scarce though a local window cleaner was using a 500G as his work vehicle until recently a real attention getter, disappointingly the last time I saw it was at a show this year fully restored.
Yep. We got a 500 ute hereabouts run by a mechanic.
Nice looking Fiat 126, pity Fiat decided not to make it into a FWD hatchback as was later attempted in Poland. Would also be surprised if such a car could carry over the 4-cylinder Fiat 100 Series engine at the front (as in the Cinquecento/Seicento), yet it appears within the realm of possibility for the air/water-cooled 2-cylinder engine to be replaced in the 126 by a 3-cylinder version of the Fiat FIRE engine based on the Citroen ECO 2000 SL 10 prototype featuring a 35 hp 750cc 3-cylinder version of the 999cc Fiat FIRE unit.
Actually miss truly diminutive sized cars like the original Mini and Fiat 500, Japan’s Kei Car segment should have succeeded both in spirit though really need to take advantage of today’s downsized engines above the 660cc limit (to around 750-1000cc) to really appeal outside of Japan.
The 8th generation Suzuki Alto comes the closest in terms of size and weight, despite needing a larger capacity 3-cylinder, better styling and improved rear visibility (no thanks to large c-pillar and small rear window). While the front of the 1st generation and rear of the 2nd generation Daihatsu Mira Gino would be an ideal spiritual Mini successor, especially since it is apparently straightforward to fit Daihatsu K3 / Toyota SZ 4-cylinder engines into the related Daihatsu Mira / Cuore (L700).
The current so-called City Cars are too bloated / blind-spot ridden for my taste, while future versions of what amounts to City Cars are unfortunately likely to resembled the Securefoam filled “cars” shown in Demolition Man.
I still think there’s a place for them in my inner suburban environs – darting amongst the narrow backstreets. That Clubman lives next door, but hardly gets driven.
Also believe there is a place for City Cars, however carmakers appear to increasingly see little justification for them on grounds of cost and regulations (especially if they are the dimensions of the original Fiat 500 / 126 and Mini / Clubman let alone today’s city cars). While electrification of City Cars merely serves to add extra weight in return for limited range, almost reminiscent of the classist motivated UK microcar regulations requiring them to be 3-wheelers and temporarily with no reverse gear.
Drop-In Bio-Fuels such as Butanol that require no modification to existing ICEs appear to be the only solution in reversing the trend towards electrification and thus help save the City Car (in addition to classic and future ICE cars in general).
Would not mind an updated version of the original Mini / Clubman, albeit as a hatchback and taking advantage of today’s technology to utilize potent downsized sub-1000cc engines (to keep up with traffic) and possibly modern automatic / CVT / DCT gearboxes (with air-con / climate-control being one of the few modern concessions).
I commented, could someone kind please retreive it? thanks.
I looked but couldn’t find it, went back several pages in spam and trash…perhaps someone better than me will have better luck…
Sorry Justy, I can’t find it either.
Thanks anyway, folks. Redone. A rewrite n’ edit never hurt this prolix rambler.
The Fiat 500 Giardeniera. Note that it is never badged such, as they found that when the script was attached, it was wider than the car. Though quite why they thought anybody wanted to own a Fiat Pickled Vegetables is unclear, even if the exhaust note does sound like it may have eaten quite a few – raw.
Agree entirely it is one of the world’s finer (looking) wagons. Perhaps it’s the unlikeliness of the base for such an adaptation, in the way a 2-door rear-engined chassis from a Beetle is the most unlikely choice to make the super-cute VW van? (Not that you’d find me dead in either, mind. Or, more to the point, you would! No thanks).
A superb photo, Don. The size difference is properly outrageous. Instantly conjured an image of Mrs. Expensively Blonded in a rush to fetch Sebastian and Emily from St Excluders starting her giant Rangie with a flat footed roar, and the Pickled Vegetable literally disappearing into her engine unbenknownst.
Impossible to believe that that Marc Newson 021C is 20 years old. It’s proof of the adage that fine design does not date. I’m tempted to say someone should make it now, but I recall the public didn’t like it then. Given the curlicueing and angrifying that marks current styling mores, I doubt they would now either.
I think the Mini proved Newson right, except with different end-caps.
I continue to enjoy my 2012 Fiat 500 Abarth, bought new in May of that year. 47k miles, zero issues/problems, lowest cost to run and maintain of any car I’ve owned and it puts a smile on my face every time I drive it.
I came across the Renault Espace II (1991-1996) tucked away in the posh Munich neighbourhood. I marvel at how tiny Espace is as compared to Golf Mk4 (1997-2004) and Transporter T6 (2015-).
That picture is insane. The first Espace shape is my favourite van, and this upgrade kept its freshness, if not crispness. Great comparo.
If you have a spare evening, you could do worse than go through all of the pages of this “Classics dwarfed by moderns” topic: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=140&t=1218324
Last Wednesday when I picked up my Dual 1219 turntable from the guy that serviced it, I saw this in the driveway of a neighbour. Very cute, with a big folding roof.
Nice old school turntable. My friend runs one in his record store.
“The new 500 is retro done well.”
While the new 500 isn’t a bad-looking little car, the one I test-drove about five years ago had a downright bizarre clutch pedal. The pedal face was almost parallel to the floor. It was very unpleasant to shift. That is one of two reasons I’m glad I didn’t buy one.