Fiat to Display 21.7-liter Mefistofele and 500 by Gucci at Goodwood Festival

Fiat’s major attraction in this year’s Goodwood Speed of Festival, which begins tomorrow, will be the famous Mefistofele. The record-breaking classic, which is based on a 1908 Fiat SB4 Corsa, returns after a decade to Goodwood and will be displayed in the “Cathedral Paddock” area.

Mefistofele was a project by Sir Eldridge who wanted to make a record-breaking car. After purchasing an SB4 Corsa, Eldridge went on to lengthen the chassis using parts from a London bus (!) and add a modified 21.7-liter six-cylinder Fiat A12 aircraft engine with 4 carburetors that produced 320 HP at 1,800 rpm.

On July 12, 1924, the car, which got its name from the bangs and smoke it emitted, broke the world speed record at a speed at 234.980 km/h. Fiat’s owner, Gianni Agnielli, bought the car in 1964. After a lengthy restoration process, it is now in perfect working order and is a part of Fiat’s historical collection.

On another note, Fiat will also display at Goodwood the 500 by Gucci, a version of its city car customized both in the bodywork and the interior by Gucci creative director, Frida Giannini, along with Fiat’s own Style Centre.

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Camal’s Retro Sexy Fiat 500 Marcia Corta

What happens when two people who share their passion for sports cars and motorbikes meet under the right circumstances? It depends, but if we ‘re talking about two Italians, Alessio Minchella (designer) and Alessandro Camorali (surface and product development) who met in 2010 while working at Pininfarina, the result is a new company, Camal, and a new product.

The newly formed venture’s main principle was delivering stylish products affordably available to all.The Fiat 500 was the perfect starting point, and the 500 Marcia Corta the end result.

Their goal was to give the little Italian car more character without altering its retro feel like fitting additional headlights that bring to mind old rally cars.

All changes to the bodywork are done in order to comply with the original and quite special feeling of the 500, and ensure adequate air flow to the ducts. Camal is currently looking for partners for production and distribution, with a price close to the Abath kit.

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Fiat Rumored to Bring Bravo Successor to the U.S. Market

The launch of the Fiat 500 in the U.S. market has whetted the Italian company’s appetite, as according to reports, Fiat is now considering the addition of a second model to its North-American range, the successor to the Bravo. As we wrote last month, the next-generation Bravo will take the shape of a small crossover with Fiat looking to emulate the success of Nissan's Qashqai.

The 500's early sales figures have exceeded the firm’s expectations despite initial concerns about relaunching the Fiat brand in the U.S. with such a small car. The partially open-top 500C was added to the range recently, with more powerful Abarth versions to follow in the very near future.

According to Laura Soave, head of Fiat brand North America, the company is now planning a larger model but it will make sure not to compete with Chrysler models.

“Fiat will be the small car brand. It will never have anything larger than a C-segment,” Soave told UK’s Autocar magazine. In other words, Fiat won't sell cars bigger than the Bravo, so it's safe to say that the larger car will be the replacement for Fiat's current C-segment model. One thing is for sure: the future model “will not be a traditional offering,” as pointed out by Fiat Group boss Sergio Marchionne who also promised a radical approach for the car.

Soave added that the Alfa Romeo brand will return to the U.S. (again…) with the 4C sports car, as the Giulia's launch has been delayed because Marchionne rejected the car's styling.

By Dan Mihalascu

* Current Fiat Bravo pictured in the photo above and the gallery bellow

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Designer Imagines what a 2012 Fiat Dino Could Look like

After the axing of the Fiat Coupe in 2000, the Italian brand's range was left without a coupe. And that's where British designer Peter Norris steps in with a new study that envisions a future sports car model for Fiat. However, this concept would not necessarily make a successor to the affordable Fiat Coupe, as the car carries a Pininfarina badge, thus hinting to a more luxurious model.

The study is a front-engine, rear-wheel-drive luxury sports car that aims to embody the essence of the Italian thoroughbred. Judging from the drivetrain layout, this concept would be more of a successor to the 1960's RWD Fiat Dino rather than to the late 1990s FWD Fiat Coupe designed by Chris Bangle.

The coupe sports a sleek profile and a very low roofline, which make the wheels seem colossal. It also has an aggressive stance thanks to the massive wheelarches, while the front end brings to mind modern-day Aston Martins, especially the shape of the headlights and the upright bumper. The rear features C-shaped LED light units and central exhaust pipes that give the coupe an elegant look.

The designer explained that the project started as “a reboot of the Fiat Coupe”, representing a vision of a present day model. An ex-Fiat Coupe owner, Peter Norris changed his mind halfway through the project and switched to a luxury coupe, hence the Pininfarina badges on the car.

“I used to own a Fiat Coupe 16v Turbo, and whilst it frequently broke down and cost me a fortune in repair bills, I just didn’t have the heart to get rid of it. I still turn my head every time one drives past me,” Norris told Carbodydesign.

“The Pininfarina styling inside as much as outside just oozes with Italian flair and really was, and still is different to anything else on the road. Some people have referred to it as a 'baby Ferrari'. So I began sketching out ideas for a Fiat Coupe for 2012. After roughing out the body in 3d I changed my mind and decided that I wanted to build something that was more of a luxury rather than a budget sports car and wondered what a car designed by Pininfarina under its own badge might look like, and so it evolved from there,” Norris concluded.

By Dan Mihalascu

Source: CBD

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Audi-fied Fiat Uno Turbo is a Hideous Eyesore

Along with Peugeot’s award winning 205 (remember the Rallye and the GTi?), the Fiat Uno is considered one of the finest superminis to come out of Europe in the 1980s. And the fact that both models remained in the market with small changes for more than a decade is a testament to that. The Uno’s clean and modern lines were the work of Giorgetto Giugiaro's ItalDesign, which has now passed into the hands of the ever-growing Volkswagen Group.

The Uno Turbo with its 1.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine developing 105HP at launch and 118HP in the refreshed model was the flagship version of the range. And as with any other hot hatch, the Uno Turbo was subjected to numerous modifications, be that in design or performance. That said, we’re accustomed to seeing the Uno Turbo in strange outfits, but what we have here is beyond words…

Found for sale on a online car dealer in Poland, the 1986 Fiat Uno Turbo three-door hatch has been converted into something that is supposed to resemble an Audi, but not in the classy way that another owner turned his Seat Alhambra MPV into an Ingolstadt lookalike.

This here owner combined an Audi A3 face up front with a wide body kit of unknown origins, Fiat Coupe tail lights and…a rear bumper from the first-generation of the Audi TT coupe.

And now he’s selling this automotive Kielbasa for an asking price of 7,900 PLN, which comes to around €2,015 or close to US$2,900. Check out the photos below and write away your thoughts in the comments section.

Link: Allegro via Motofilm

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