Fiat 500 - The Original Small Car - James May's Cars Of The People - BBC

Top Gear

James May takes a spin in one of the original small cars, the very mini, Fiat 500.

Taken from James May's Cars of the People

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[mrtomlovin]

My parents drove a 500.
For their honeymoon.
700 km thru Italy. Back and forth.
With luggages.
Buying souvenirs and stuff for friends and family along the honeymoon.
Including a chandelier. Which they bought when the journey was almost at the beginning.
That car must be some kind of tesseract.

[viktorianas]

Italians... had to make the car as cheap as possible - yet still did not compromise on style and looks.

[Helmut-Von-Liechtenstein]

I remember becoming obsessed with this car because of Lupin The third. The car looks like a lot of fun

[bassamry]

this video alone beats the current Top-Gear

[ericdragone]

I keep expecting either Hammond or Clarkson to interrupt in a Lamborghini, imploring him to stop being so sensible

[TheSFMCreators]

Growing up makes you realise James was the best presenter all along

[hellcat]

I have seen people in america that are wider than that car.
Edit: I seem to have to add that it's intended as a joke cause there are a lot of butthurt people responding in the comments. Sure it's true, but it's still a joke.

[thetman]

"Absolutely chuffing piccolo!"

I don't think a more British statement has ever been uttered.

[lordjay]

boys: hey that's Luigi from cars!
men: hey that's Lupin the 3rd's car!

[TheItsmegp]

I remember this car in Greece. Back in 1972 we were four 6ft + teens with long legs cramming into a Fiat 500 taxi.

[joshjlmgproductions]

70 hp in a car like that? That must be actually decently quick.
Edit: Oh, 17...

[AlpineCorpus]

Know there’s a few Lupin III fans hovering around here.

[cagasbura]

as an Italian, I really appreciate James pronunciation of Italian words

[Any_Friday]

One of the finest cars ever built, pure simplicity. I wish modern cars would learn to find a line between simplicity and complexity

[Nick-GR]

Simple, smart, innovative, cheerful and fun to drive. Italian engineering in a nutsell.

[Rasbiff]

I remember being in Rome and seeing more of these original 500's than I had expected. A lot of them were beautifully maintained and driven by older, dignified Italians.

[marcellovia.]

I used to own one and now I drive a new Fiat 500. Loved my 1968 Fiat 500 and my 2018 Fiat 500 also.🇮🇹

[polloloci]

I have 1971 500 that I drive in the USA and people go absolutely bonkers for it.

A few extra things to know:
-12” rims
-498cc engine
-Transaxle without synchros (so you have to rev-match)
-5 gallon fuel tank
-Less than 2 quarts to change the oil
-Top speed is around 50-55mph, but at that speed the cloth top is going crazy.

[piperalpha]

My school teacher had one of these gems. I remember on a school camp she we were driving down a country road with all the school kids standing on the front seat hanging out of the sunroof. Oh happy days.

[DrCharlesMontague]

This was a remarkable transition in this episode, from the dreary Beetle and Trabant to this beautiful Fiat that immediately makes you feel optimistic.