NF500 / 500 Events

TV presenter Alex Zane and new pop group the Crane Brothers were among the attractions that had the crowds rocking at the Fiat 500 PicNic in North London at the weekend (Saturday 5 July).

Both Zane and the Crane Brothers headlined the day of entertainment, at Alexandra Park, where lucky Catrina Kennerley, of Battersea, London, won a fabulous Fiat 500.

What a prize! You should have seen Catrina’s face,

said Zane.

She was absolutely delighted. It was a great way to round off a fantastic day.

Crane Brothers’ frontman Tim Arber said:

We were absolutely thrilled to have the chance to perform at the Fiat 500 PicNic. It was an incredible day and a great crowd to perform to. A real honour to have been part of it.

The London event was part of a series of global parties celebrating the hugely successful first year of the Fiat 500. Budapest, Milan, Munich, Paris, Tokyo, and Cape Town were among the chosen cities that welcomed thousands of people – brought together by the new car.

The Fiat 500 PicNic also featured:

• Support band Adelphi Rhode
• Big screen TV coverage of the weekend’s top sporting action
• Beach volleyball and Space Hopper races
• Chill zone with Tai Chi, aromatherapy and head massage
• Kids’ zone with clown, magician and bouncy castle
• Fiat 500 Owners’ Club display

Fiat Group Automobiles UK marketing director Elena Bernardelli said:

We at Fiat were absolutely delighted to see so many people enjoying themselves.

The award-winning Fiat 500, which has received countless honours this year, adds an extra important one this weekend – its first birthday celebrations.

Although it only arrived in the UK in January this year, the popular supermini was first launched in Italy on 4 July 2007, and the Fiat Group is celebrating its anniversary with a series of bold, elaborate parties across the world, including the UK.

The date of this landmark occasion is especially significant as last year’s Italian launch of the car was exactly 50 years after the original introduction of Dante Giacosa’s classic post-war 500.

The UK party, hosted by TV presenter Alex Zane, is called the Fiat 500 PicNic and takes place at Alexandra Park, North London. It’s designed to be a traditional British summer outdoor gathering, but with a special 500 twist.

With invitations extended to more than 5,000 specially-invited Fiat 500 drivers and potential owners, this Saturday’s (5 July) PicNic initiative, which was conceived to share the passion and emotion of the huge Fiat 500 community, will feature live music, delicious Italian food and drink, outdoor games, big-screen sports coverage and special ‘chill-out’ zones for participants.

The London event is part of a series of global parties celebrating the hugely successful first year of Fiat’s iconic city car. Athens, Budapest, Copenhagen, London, Milan, Munich, Palermo, Paris, Rome, Rotterdam, Tokyo, Valencia, Hel, Liège, Zurich, and Cape Town are the chosen cities that, either in parks or on beaches, will welcome thousands of people brought together by the new car.

Music, art, and fun are the ingredients which will guarantee a successful event involving new Fiat 500 owners and those who are still waiting to get one (222,000 have been ordered so far).

This is a global initiative that we in Britain are delighted to be involved in,

says Andrew Humberstone, managing director, Fiat Group Automobiles UK.

It is everything that the new Fiat 500 stands for – fun, excitement, freedom and the knack of bringing people together in a great atmosphere – and I am sure the event will be a great success.

The London party will feature four special themed zones – Energy, Entertainment, Chill and Children. The Energy Zone offers outdoor games, fun races and a volleyball competition, while in Entertainment there will be live music, jugglers, a giant screen and Fiat 500 interactive car configurators to try.

The Chill Zone is designed for relaxation with Tai Chi, head massages and hammocks all available, and the Children’s Zone will feature face painting, street theatre and games.

From 15th to 18th May, Abarth will be taking part in the 26th edition of the ‘Mille Miglia 2008’, a historical re-enactment of the ‘finest race in the world’, to quote Enzo Ferrari.

Abarth will have its own exhibition space at the Mille Miglia Paddock in the Fiera di Brescia, home to the world premiere of the ‘500 Abarth Assetto Corse’: the small yet powerful car due to feature in track races from next year, designed to rekindle the spirit of the ‘595 Abarth’, a car created by Fiat and engineered by the mechanical genius of Karl Abarth. To bring home this point, an historic 595 Abarth will be displayed side by side with the new car, along with a new 135hp 500 Abarth model, which will go on general sale from next July.

Abarth’s participation in this event, so unique and packed with tradition, symbolises its strong relationship with the past and significant link with the origins of the brand. Abarth cars from 1949 (the year when Abarth & C. SpA was set up) to 1957 (last edition of the 1000 Miglia race) were the stars of what has now become one of the most famous races in the world.

Full Abarth press release and technical specifications follow:

Abarth returns to track racing, and it has chosen to do so with its new ‘500 Abarth Assetto Corse’, the baby supersports car from Abarth, due to be produced in a Limited Edition (49 cars).

The new vehicle, designed by the Fiat Group Automobiles Style Centre and produced by a team of Abarth Engineers and Designers will be the star of track races from next year and its creation confirms Abarth’s racing vocation.

The Assetto Corse version of the petite 500 Abarth takes up the baton from its forerunner, the ‘595’ that notched up numerous successes and great victories from 1963 and led to the coining of the description ‘small but deadly’.

The cars sports a full racing outfit: wide track, white 17’ special ultralight racing wheels, low ride, sports racing mirrors and a place for a number on the sides. Available in pastel grey with red Abarth side stripes, the ‘500 Abarth Assetto Corse’ reveals an assertive front end that houses a badge bearing the Abarth logo and, below this, wide bumpers complete with an aerodynamic spoiler and screen-printed grilles to replace the plastic louvres on the standard production version. In addition to the classic bonnet clips, the bonnet houses two carbon air intakes bearing the Abarth scorpion logo.

The rear part of the car features a white winged spoiler, a badge bearing the Abarth logo and a twin exhaust pipe.

The Abarth identity is expressed to the full with a thunderbolt logo on the side representing the brand’s racing image and a red band and four white chequers on the roof, just as on the winning Abarth 850TC version of the 1960s.

Inside, the ‘500 Abarth Assetto Corse’ is equipped with a roll-bar type-approved for racing that is completely hollow to make the car lighter and faster. The car weighs approximately 180 kg less than the road version. The anatomical seats, the steering wheel (special for racing) and the carbon door panels make the 500 Abarth Assetto Corse a real baby sports car with a indomitable character all of its own .

Abarth has also thoughtfully provided a clothing set for the driver, that will be delivered in an original Abarth-branded leather bag. Owners of the ‘500 Abarth Assetto Corse’ will therefore be resplendent in overalls, helmets, gloves and shoes, all meticulously branded with the ultra-new ‘Assetto Corse’ logo produced for the limited edition of the car.

500 Abarth Assetto Corse Technical specifications

500 Abarth 1.4 16V turbo 200 bhp ‘ASSETTO CORSE’

• Engine - 4 cylinders in line, 4 valves per cylinder, 1368 cc.
• Power output: 200 KW (147 KW) at 6500 rpm.
• Peak torque 300 Nm at 3000 rpm.
• Garrett GT 1446 fixed geometry turbocharger.
• Special reinforced water and air sleeves.
• Transmission - M32 6-speed gearbox
• Suspension - Front: McPherson strut, special racing shock absorbers, coaxial spring with nut for adjusting height of car.
• Suspension - Rear : inter-connected arms, special racing shock absorbers, springs with nut for adjusting height of car.
• Steering - Electric power steering with racing tuning.
• Brakes - Brembo radial front calliper with four pistons M4X40.

Unfortunately Abarth have not released official photographs of the vehicle at this time (other than the computer images above), but Italiaspeed have a nice collection on their website.

There’s been a few posts about this on the new Fiat 500 forums here at NF500, so we thought we’d give one of Fiat’s latest Italian initiatives a little more coverage here too.

The Fiat 500 Pop Up Store is a temporary store devoted entirely to the new Fiat 500, is open now and will remain so until July 31st 2008. So if you’re in the area, you might want to pop buy and check out the Fiat 500 goodies on display.

Apparently the Pop Up store has set its intentions on being much more than a simple car showroom, and will offer free wi-fi to visitors, as well as numerous special events related in some way or another to the Fiat 500, some directly, and some artistically “inspired by” the Fiat 500.

If you reach Milan before August you’ll find the store Located in De Tocqueville No 11.

Exactly 50 years on, a group of Fiat 500s will once again return to historic Liege in Belgium – leading a 10-day celebration of one of the greatest endurance rallies ever.

The Fiat 500s, dating from the 1950s, are part of a stunning entry list confirmed by organisers of this July’s Liege-Brescia-Liege rally which, in 1958 was unique. Then, the challenge comprised 3300km of gruelling roads, including treacherous mountain passes through the Alps, Dolomites and Yugoslavia, driven flat out – and all in cars of less than 500cc.

This year, when the rally is reborn as part of the 50-year celebrations, Fiat will be providing support in the form of a transporter full of new Fiat 500s, the vehicle that shows small cars can be fun to drive while offering fuel consumption of just 4.7 litres per 100 kilometres (50 mpg). Any classic microcar breaking down during the rally and not able to be repaired swiftly en route, will be swapped for a new 500 so that the crew can continue to enjoy the event.

Rally organisers and technicians will also use a fleet of Fiats, which will offer receptions for competitors at overnight stops along the route, including Liege, Karlsruhe, Cortina d’Ampezzo, Ljubljana, Bolzano and Brescia.

Liege-Brescia-Liege 2008, organised by ClassicRallyPress Ltd pays tribute to this pioneering attempt to prove the practicality, durability and usability of tiny cars that were often dismissed as ‘city cars’.

In 1958, 36 cars entered the event but only 13 finished, and they included all seven of the 500s that started the rally. The 500s eventually placed 1st, 2nd, 4th, 6th, 7th, 9th and 13th.

A 1958 report showed that the total engine capacity of all 13 cars that finished the event was less than that of one typical American car of the time – yet the 13 cars had transported 26 adults 2000 miles over tough terrain, non-stop for three nights and two days.

This may be considered the first environmentally-conscious car rally, and the 2008 event sets out to prove once again that you can enjoy an unforgettable drive across many of Europe’s most beautiful mountain passes even in a small-engined car that is frugal on fuel.

The Liege-Brescia-Liege Rally 2008:

Starting from Liege on 11 July, the celebration rally covers the same 3300km/2000 mile route as the 1958 event, including Europe’s toughest mountain passes, combining evocative names such as the Stelvio and Gavia with less well-known but equally challenging roads like the Vrsic in Slovenia. Overnight halts are: 11 July Karlsruhe, 12Munich, 13 Cortina d’Ampezzo, 14 Ljubljana, 15 Bolzano, 16 Brescia, 17 Bolzano, 18Munich, 19 Karlsruhe and 20 Liege.

Cars that would have been eligible for the 1958 event will compete for awards in classes of 250cc, 350cc, 425 and 500cc – an additional ‘Spirit’ category welcomes cars up to 700cc and of a type built up to 1968, again divided into capacity classes. The rally is organised by ClassicRallyPress Ltd with the support of the Royal Motor Union of Liege, which coordinated the 1958 event.

Geneva hosts the global premiere by Fiat Automobiles of the Concept car 500 Aria which Fiat claim furthers the exploration of new “ecological” frontiers in the automotive sector.

Manufactured on the base of the Fiat 500 – the first model in its sector with the entire range of Euro5 Ready motors – the Concept car 500 Aria adopts all the latest generation, and indeed future technology, resulting in a significant reduction of consumption and emissions. The Fiat 500 Aria has extremely low CO2 emissions, a record value of 98 g/km.

The prototype vehicle is equipped with a Diesel 1.3 16v Multijet Euro 5 powerunit (with anti-particulate DPF filter) combined with robotic Dualogic shift (distinguished by a transmission and control box with the best containment of consumption).

In addition, the 500 Aria includes a Stop&Start system, allowing the temporary switch-off of the engine and it’s subsequent ignition, typical of urban journeys. In particular, uniting the Stop&Start system and the Dualogic shift, around a 10% (urban cycle) reduction of the consumption is obtained. Fiat predict the technology used here will make it into mainstream production during 2008. So if you’re considering a diesel Fiat 500 for its eco credentials, you may be inclined to hold of a little while before pulling the trigger on your new purchase.

The prototype’s interior foresees the use of recycled materials, for example, the recycled rubber used for the floor is composed by rubber granules deriving from used tyres, bound together with polyurethane binders. The seats have been upholstered with recycled and woven leather (called “mataleather, and supplied by the Matamata company) whilst the fabrics - guaranteed by the Ecolabel brand – are in polyester and in a design similar to the raffia palm with natural whirls (supplied by the Apollo company).

“Mataleather” is born out of the re-use of leather amalgamated with natural lattice and subsequently worked in sheets like real leather. The “DNA” Braided leather (the material used on the 500 Aria) is worked on until it forms a textile of real ecological leather, composed only by natural re-used fibres.

In regards to the textiles, Ecolabel is the European eco-quality brand that rewards the best products from an ecological point of view – the whole life-cycle is taken into account – whilst maintaining at the same time high performance standards.

Lastly, some important interior components – from the samplers to climate control and the control shield, down to the panel fittings – are made in materials composed by thermoplastics and natural fibres.

One day, all mainstream cars could be made like this.

So, we’re back at base after spending a rather cold evening at the official UK launch of the Fiat 500, and we thought we’d share some of the experience with you. Unfortunately our live-link didn’t even get going, let alone die mid-transmission as we expected, so we couldn’t report from the scene, but here’s a few thoughts after the fact.

We arrived in good time after catching a train in from oop North in Milton Keynes, and found our way to the gleaming beacon that is the London Eye with no fuss at all. Outside the queues seemed busy, and quite confused with people dashing here and there, trying to establish what gate they were supposed to be at, if they were a VIP or not… but we rapidly made our way in and had a good look around.

There were a number of new Fiat 500s on display, some unlocked so you could crawl all over, most locked tight. The display was a little unusual in layout, and appeared a little mishap, but people were finding corners to chat with friends, and a decent crowd gathered at the stage before the Virgin radio DJ and compere for the evening took to the stage around 7 pm.

The gathered posse of people were treated to the usual marketing talk and plenty of videos and commercials for the 500 shown on the enormous screen at the back of the stage, and eventually the evenings audio entertainment got underway. The two bands before the 8 pm unveiling (The Vibrant and The Feeling) did their bit to a pretty small but appreciative audience, as ever the enthusiastic ones huddled at the front of the stage, while the rest of us stood shivering towards the back watching on, sipping on our free hot drinks (thanks Fiat) while taking in the sights and sounds.

The evening was slickly presented, and all the acts went down well, the only complaint in the entertainment department would be the acts didn’t have very long on stage, even Mika, the headline act (alongside the Fiat 500 itself, of course) only managed a handful of tunes before making his way from the stage. Following Mika’s departure a VJ then took over, but by that time the place was almost deserted as most people had seen what they came for, and it was a school night after all!

I’ve been fortunate enough to attend several events of a similar nature to the Fiat 500 launch, and although you can’t complain when things are free, I’m afraid I will have to take issue with a few things I think Fiat could have done better. For a start, one big problem was the rather damp reception the Fiat itself seemed to get at the ‘big’ 8 o’clock unveiling. Part of this, I’m absolutely certain, is because for all the build up and hype leading up the ‘big reveal’, everyone there had already had the opportunity to look at and crawl all over the other Fiat 500s that were already on display. So to the crowd of people watching, there was no big reveal. What would, to us at least, have made more sense would have been to use the rather excellent classic Fiat 500 covers to keep all the Fiat 500s present under wraps until 8 o’clock launch, that way people may have actually been intrigued and a little more excited about seeing the car on stage.

Another problem with the 8 o’clock crescendo was people literally didn’t know where to look. The London Eye itself was apparently supposed to be the focus of attention, but that was adjacent to the stage with the audience in the middle, on the stage various pyrotechnics and flashing lights were all kicking off, and you could sense a little bewilderment in the crowd as they look back and forth between the London Eye and the stage, trying to take everything in at once. It, like a lot of the evening, felt a little messy and even poorly managed to us.

Overall, I would say the entertainers and musicians did a professional job, the radio DJs managed to get through their lines competently, if perhaps a little under enthusiastically.

I’d love to come back from the evening and be buzzing, write a glowing report of the car and the night, but I think it was a bit of a missed opportunity many things could have, and should have been done better. It’s like the ideas where there, at least in part, but the execution was a little half hearted. I’m sure it will look good on TV and sound impressive on the radio, but for us being there, it was fun, the venue fantastic, but could have been so very much better.

If you were at the London Eye event, or indeed at your local dealer’s launch event, we’d love to hear how you enjoyed yourself too.