ˆ First Ride: Trekking Fiat 500 makes SoCal stop

tags : featured , fiat 500 , fiat cinquecento , fiat500 , fiatcinquecento , jim magill , jimmagill

Jim Magill's little Fiat 500 made a stop in SoCal this weekend and we were among the lucky few who got some seat time in it. As we recently blogged, Jim shipped his microcar to the States all the way from Belfast, Northern Ireland to help raise some cash for the Northern Ireland Children's Hospice, and to meet with some fellow Fiat tifosi along the way. As part of the plan the Cinquecento is being driven to some high profile events to show it off and help spread the word about his cause. In the OC this past Saturday morning, the car attracted a ton of attention at a weekly car show, even sitting in the shadow of a few Zagato-bodied Lancias and Alfas. While the nearby Isettas made it seem positively huge, the tiny Fiat was still appreciated for its frugality and miniscule footprint. After the show we went for a spin and stopped to take a few pics of the car next to a handy Smart ForTwo.

posted : 8/8/2008 @7:40:31 PM

ˆ Fiat 500 makes trek across America

tags : fiat , fiat 500 , fiat 500 america , fiat 500 coast to coast , fiat 500 united states , fiat 500 usa , fiat america , fiat jim magill , fiat united states , fiat usa , fiat500 , fiat500america , fiat500coasttocoast , fiat500unitedstates , fiat500usa , fiatamerica , fiatjimmagill , fiatunitedstates , fiatusa , jim magill , jimmagill

The jury in Turin might still be out on whether to export the miniscule Fiat 500 to North America, but one adventurer got tired of waiting and took things into his own hands. Jim Magill shipped a Cinquecento from Northern Ireland to New York and embarked immediately upon a trek across the United States. Magil says the car garnered an inordinate amount of attention in Manhattan before they hit the road for Washington, across the heartland through Chicago and De Moines, running through Salt Lake City and Oregon before swinging down through San Francisco, the Bonneville salt flats, Death Valley, Las Vegas and finally... whew... Los Angeles. Although Jim and his co-driver Alan have now returned across the Atlantic, the car is staying behind to make appearances in Pebble Beach at the concours and the Woodward Dream Cruise in Detroit. Check out the images in the gallery below to see the 500's foray into and across the United States.

posted : 8/7/2008 @9:25:46 PM

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