No, this isn’t one of Carlo Abarth’s hot little Fiat 500 buzz-bombs, although even those only went up to 38 hp (the 600 was the basis of the real Abarth terrors). The 500 Sport was Fiat’s attempt to add a little Latin zest to the basic 500, which had a riding-mower like 16.5 hp (@4000 rpm) and a top speed of about 50 mph. The Sport upped the ante with 21 hp, at a breathtaking 4500 rpm (not all Fiats were high revving). Just the ticket for Tony to terrorize the local roads, although an uphill one like this one wouldn’t exactly be the best place to show off the 500 Sport’s prowess. The 500’s thrashy aircooled vertical twin was designed for one thing only: ultra cheap and ultra-slow basic transport, and just didn’t lend itself to tuning Italian style like the 600/850’s water cooled fours.
So what if it’s ultra-slow? You’re forgetting to figure in the average Italian driver’s ability to turn the daily commute into the Targa Florio.
ahah! Actually the 500’s twin was designed even for another task: taking lots of abuse, you wont break those engines, not even with a pick…
I’m crazy about that Union Pacific paint job!
Okay, it’s a long time since I’ve seen a colorized black-and-white photo, but I think that’s what we’ve got here. Look especially at the low-resolution work on the weeds in the background.
It’s a saturation issue, like you’d see in “Parade” magazine that came with the Sunday paper………back in the 60s or 70s.
That picture makes me want to run out and buy a helmet and racing goggles to wear when I drive my non turbo Lebaron. Just like Walter Matthau with his Ferrari in a “New Leaf.” It’ll go with my new Hart, Shaftner, and Marx suit, the best you can get in ready to wear.
Driving slow cars fast is fun. The old VW’s that you could floor all day long without breaking them were a lot of fun and I’ll bet this was too.