Wednesday 26th September 2012

Fiat 500 roadster concepts

Milan design school showcases possibility of another small Fiat

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If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, Fiat is becoming a Mini sycophant. The original 500 hatch was launched following the success of the new Mini. 500C followed Mini Cabriolet. Mini Countryman arrives, and a Fiat 500L looks likely.

Shorter speedsters seem smarter shock

Now initial sketches have been revealed of a 500 Roadster, presumably to rival Mini's equivalent. Two have emerged from an Italian design school in Milan, one that appears almost production-ready and another more conceptual in style.

The first features the same windscreen as a regular 500 but with the addition of a new bumpers front and rear. The humps behind the rear seats also identify this speedster-style 500.

The other car, with its Abarth livery, is presumably a more extrovert, performance-oriented model. The windscreen is more steeply raked than the other concept and it sits even lower to the road.

Abarth, also available as a rollerskate

Nothing has yet been confirmed about the production viability of these Fiat 500 concepts, but presumably Fiat will pay close attention to the sales of the Mini Roadster in the upcoming months. And ignore what happened to the Renault Wind...

[handbraketurn]

Very masculine.

[GranCab]

It would look nicer in pink ....

[Blackpuddin]

I like it.

[300bhp/ton]

Did Fiat really release this picture?



Umm nothing like keeping proportions accurate then... Lets just reduce that bonnet length by half and place the engine between the front seats and under the dash

[k-ink]

It is far too tall. It does not work. Hence the cheated illustration. In reality this is going to look awkward and very gay.

[Agoogy]

300bhp/ton said:

Did Fiat really release this picture?
Umm nothing like keeping proportions accurate then... Lets just reduce that bonnet length by half and place the engine between the front seats and under the dash

Conceptual sketches have never adhered to scale, proportion, or engineernig reality.... they're conceptual...
There are few cars which have ever materialised without first being a cartoonish concept sketch, save perhaps the odd TVR which I believe were sculpted from clay straight from imagination...?
I actually think the blue one works quite well in an extra chunky, metrosexual Ford StreetKa kind of way

[ewenm]

The productionised one looks ok, better than the equivalent Mini to me. The other one, well it's a conceptual sketch so not much to say really.

[kambites]

I would never have believed it - someone has come up with something uglier than the MINI roadster!

[ewenm]

kambites said:

I would never have believed it - someone has come up with something uglier than the MINI roadster!

Mini did that themselves with the Coupe

[robsco]

Looks a lot better than Mini's ghastly attempt.

[[AJ]]

Please no!

The Fiat 500 is a lovely little thing, completely classless and just as much at home on Avenue Princess Grace in Monaco as it is parked in a Sainsbury's car park. This just looks like a little chav chariot and simply destroys any thread of well earned credibility.

[LaurasOtherHalf]

Can't they just release an abarth corse stradale & be done with it.

It would be like their R26.R, I'd buy one

[Carnnoisseur]

I'd never be in the market for one, but I still have to give it a nod of approval. Seriously funky, I like!!

[Garlick]

Like that.

[robinessex]

Well, at least the Italians still own the company making it. We gave ours away to Germany. And it looks as if we're going to give them BAE next.

[Whiters]

Blackpuddin said:

I like it.

+1 (not the ridiculous Abarth sketch though) I think it looks great and has the potential to be a right hoot.

[300bhp/ton]

Agoogy said:

Conceptual sketches have never adhered to scale, proportion, or engineernig reality.... they're conceptual...
There are few cars which have ever materialised without first being a cartoonish concept sketch, save perhaps the odd TVR which I believe were sculpted from clay straight from imagination...?
I actually think the blue one works quite well in an extra chunky, metrosexual Ford StreetKa kind of way

Yes but then there's taking it to the extremes. And at the end of the day if it's 100% wrong and unachievable, it's not really conceptual unless they are planning on an entire new vehicle.

[jnoiles]

LaurasOtherHalf said:

It would be like their R26.R, I'd buy one

No it wouldn't. It would be like a 2004 Fiat Panda with much more power than its chassis can handle.

[Agoogy]

300bhp/ton said:

Agoogy said:

Conceptual sketches have never adhered to scale, proportion, or engineernig reality.... they're conceptual...
There are few cars which have ever materialised without first being a cartoonish concept sketch, save perhaps the odd TVR which I believe were sculpted from clay straight from imagination...?
I actually think the blue one works quite well in an extra chunky, metrosexual Ford StreetKa kind of way

Yes but then there's taking it to the extremes. And at the end of the day if it's 100% wrong and unachievable, it's not really conceptual unless they are planning on an entire new vehicle.

Conceptual sketches are meant mant to take it to extremes, that's why they're conceptual, is this the first concept sketch you've seen?? No concpet sketch has ever been turned into reality without first applying fact-based engineering know how to them, it's a concept, an idea, a vision...not "chaps I've been passed this drawing from the design boys, it must look like this exactly..."
oh and thought this was apt:

[300bhp/ton]

Agoogy said:

Conceptual sketches are meant mant to take it to extremes, that's why they're conceptual, is this the first concept sketch you've seen?? No concpet sketch has ever been turned into reality without first applying fact-based engineering know how to them, it's a concept, an idea, a vision...not "chaps I've been passed this drawing from the design boys, it must look like this exactly..."
oh and thought this was apt:

Sorry I don't agree. It's not a "new" vehicle sketch. It's a sketch based on a current model, so physical structure, layout and dimensions are already a known thing.

Even more so when it appears they also have conceptual sketches of non Abath variants that 1) match the current models proportions and 2) Are hugely different in shape/proportion to the Abath one.


That said, even if it was a new car, it's still pretty pointless and stupid to sketch something that isn't going to be possible. Styling is one thing but not leaving enough room for an engine is slightly more than a little oversight.