NF500 / bologna motor show

The orange Fiat 500 you see here has taken on quite a journey, after traveling through China, Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, Poland, Czech Republic, Germany, Austria and finally Italy to appear at the 2007 Bologna Motor Show.

But that was just the return leg of an incredible adventure which saw the 1.3 multijet turbo diesel Fiat 500 cover over 16,000 km to reach Beijing in the first place, and the return leg was completed in less than a month! The Overland Challenge saw the Fiat 500 accompany a vintage 1907 Itala, recreating (in reverse) the 100th anniversary of its victory in the 1907 Beijing to Paris race. Then Rocco Errico and Beppe Tenti decided that wasn’t enough, and drove all the way back to Italy again.

You can read more about the big adventure on this very website, the Parigi-Pechino website and the official blog of the Fiat 500 team on the Fiat 500 website.

The Fiat 500 1.4 Sport Fiat 500 shown here is a special edition created by the Fiat Style Centre in Turin, paying homage to both Valentino Rossi and 1957, the year the original Fiat 500 was born. The car will be displayed at the 2007 Bologna Motor Show which takes place from the 7th to the 16th December.

The hand painted livery celebrates 1957, the year of birth of the first Fiat 500 by taking inspiration from the twist of rock’n'roll, electric guitars, Elvis and Rita Pavone. Mixed with the retro inspired tones and shapes are pastel shades of blue and pink, mixed with the Tricolor to represent “Made in Italy”.