Fiat has unveiled the special edition 500 "First Edition", a model developed especially for the Chinese market. This special edition is limited to only 100 units and is set apart from the rest because of the creative graphics of five young Chinese designers.
The Fiat 500 "First Edition" will be distinguished by a special three-coat pearlescent white body color, red leather interiors, and a special badge on the door pillar. Under the hood, the model will feature a 1.4 liter MultiAir engine that delivers a total of 101 HP at 6500 rpm and a torque of 98 lbs-ft at 4000 rpm.
"The ’First Edition’ is a special offer exclusively created for Chinese customers and represents a symbol that joins our two cultures. Not by chance, we asked five young Chinese artists to interpret the relationship between our two countries in a creative, original manner, and to fashion a tribute for the launch of the 500 in China," said Lorenzo Sistino.
When we buy a car, we want it to make us feel special. Now that the Fiat 500C has hit our shores, it’s easy to see that this convertible has excelled in this aspect. It combines the fun of a convertible and the ease of use of a compact car. You feel so happy when driving the 500C it should be categorized as an anti depressant. With such a cheap and cheerful car, you would expect it be made of plastic and have the same cosmetic qualities as an outhouse. As soon as you peek inside and out, you are amazed.
The 2012 Fiat 500C promises all the fun and style of the Fiat 500 with a convertible drop top that lets you soak up the glorious sunshine. The amazing thing is a fully loaded 2012 Fiat 500 C is the same price as a base model MINI convertible. We just looked up thew word value in the dictionary and not surprisingly, it showed a picture of the 2012 Fiat 500C.
Last Sunday, the second episode of Top Gear’s 17th season aired and like most of the shows these days, we were treated to some hilarious segments, a rather pointedly pointless car review, some canned and scripted studio jokes, and - for once - a surprisingly fast lap on the Kia Cee’d. Par for the course for Top Gear.
In this episode, James May will tell you things about the Aston Martin Virage that you already probably know. This is then followed by a highly-entertaining hot hatch triple threat madness along the streets of Italy that included finding a dog, an ice cube, and branch from a cedar tree.
Comedian Russ Noble also stopped by for a little chat with Jeremy - an entertaining interview by our measure - after which the former strapped on his helmet for his hot lap on board the show’s Reasonably Priced Car.
The show concludes with a sort of dream of dreams, at least as far as Jeremy Clarkson was concerned: three laps around the Monaco Grand Prix. It probably didn’t matter that the cars they were driving were the same three hot hatches they drove in Italy. At the end of the day - Clarkson especially - had a blast to finally drive their way around Monaco’s world famous street circuit.
If you are a fan of the Pininfarina Design House then Alessio Minchella and Alessandro Camorali are names very familiar to you. Among the cars they have designed the most famous ones are Ferrari 599XX, 599GTO and 458 Italia. In 2008 they have founded "Camal" and the first car to be designed by their little company is 500 Marcia Corta ("Short Gear" in Italian).
A quick look to their car will unveil a design language inspired by classic Abarth models and retro rally cars. The exterior package includes new new front and rear bumpers, sideskirts, spoiler, and competition-style quad spotlight pod. As their concept is based on the 500 EsseEsse, under the hood you will find the same 1.4 liter turbocharged engine that delivers 160 HP. But it will be combined with a new exhaust system.
The 500 Marcia Corta is just a concept at the moment, but Camal is currently looking for partners to help with production and distribution.
The first episode of Top Gear Season 17 is set to be aired on June 26, but for all of those fans that cannot wait another moment to see the Top Gear UK trio at work, BBC has been kind enough to release a teaser trailer of what to expect.
The trailer will refuel your Top Gear obsession by showing clips of Jeremy Clarkson driving the McLaren MP4-12C, James May riding around in the Mini WRC racing car, and Richard Hammond cruising in the Dartz Prombron through city streets. A Porsche Boxster, a Citroën DS3 Racing, and an Abarth 500C will also be making their appearances, plus a short trip to Monte Carlo will help to wrap things up.
We may still have to wait 11 days for the full episode to grace our television screens, but this teaser trailer just cements the fact that Top Gear 17 is starting and will be better than ever.
