Weblog Joost – That little yellow thunderstone…

My hair is turning gray now. In my younger years I drove the necessary Fiats (not worn out by the way) and had a lot of fun with the smaller models. Especially the Cinquecento could count on my warm interest. I already had an ‘original’ as a replacement for my Panda, but when the yellow Sporting came on the market in December 1994, my heart really started beating faster. A visit to the local Fiat dealer (with whom I had a very good relationship) was the deciding factor and some time later it was on my parking deck. The 1.1 liter engine just wanted to move forward and also seemed to be a bit quieter. Wider, lower tires, a leather steering wheel: it just drove a little tighter than what I was already used to.

Inside you were also spoiled with sports seats (and I really liked them better than the soft furniture in a larger car), red belts and a sporty dashboard with tachometer and mini red needles. It will not surprise you that you simply ‘put on’ this car. As a single man, what more could you want? Also because he was still nice and frugal. I easily got 1 in 16 with average use. Was that the most important thing? No. Due to the low weight (and my responsiveness), the yellow box at traffic lights was gone very quickly. Especially if you stood next to a somewhat pimped Volkswagen Golf or a BMW 316 (then often without injection), I usually managed to outrun the drivers (with cap) with my modest 40 kW (54 hp) without challenging . And at the next traffic light on the then N265 they were next to me again. Only a little more eager.

Parking? Never a problem. Often I saw a bigger car doubting and then I knew I had found a place. Because where another car hesitates or doesn’t fit, you just slid such a small Fiat in there. I had the yellow Cinquecento Sporting replaced by another Sporting. Well in tomato red, that was a little less noticeable, but I still benefited from all the other properties. And were they city cars? Not really. They have seen quite a few roads in Europe. Roads in Sweden, of course my automotive favorite France and England. And even after those long rides I got out of the nice seats briskly and cheerfully. At the M20 (which I often drove to London at night) the engine had to work on a very long slope. But of course it didn’t budge. The winding roads in the British countryside and through the French vines in the Champagne region: it was simply fun with the Cinquecentos. And on the other hand: I could also easily put the kayak on it. And with the couch flat, it could also do a lot with it, for example the large Hughes & Kettner bass amplifier and bass guitar that I dragged along when I went to play somewhere in the cover band. Also handy.

At that time, we are talking about the late 90s, I still had to roll down the windows by hand, operate the heating (no air conditioning) by hand. Just like the wing mirrors and the steering did not even have power steering. The wipers had a fixed interval setting and all doors simply opened individually with the key. You controlled the speed with the right foot. And that was actually normal. You didn’t realize then that it could be done differently. That was just for bigger cars.

With this experience in mind, I think it’s a pity that these cars have had to leave the field. Yes, the Abarths are still based on the Fiat 500. They do have the genes. Nice and light, nice engine in it, and they look good. And fortunately, an electric successor is also in the picture. Yet it is of a different order. Bigger, sure. Heavier than the 735 kg my yellow ‘Cinque’ brought on the road. Okay, more power, but you miss the light-footedness fairly quickly. We will soon see that. In addition, the ‘new 500’ is less practical (especially in the back) because the roofline is further forward. And alternatives? Then you quickly think of a Volkswagen Polo, for example. Really one size larger. And can you get it in yellow?