A touch of elegance and luxury!
Fiat has traditionally continued its collaborative work with its smallest and Italian style icons. After the fashion labels DIESEL and GUCCI, this time Fiat finds its way to the boat builder from Sárnico in Lombardai / Italy. Both companies look back on more than 100 years of industrial and design art. The Cinquecento, which has been built since 1957, has been sold over six million times to date and has symbolized Italy's dolce vita since the post-war period for Carlo Riva, the founder of the boatyard of the same name. For him the perfect symbiosis. The little Italian will initially be offered to loyal customers in a limited edition of 500 pieces with real mahogany on the dashboard, light leather in the interior and many small details from boat building. He finds support in the advertising clip with Hollywood actor Adrian Brody. The first deliveries are expected in Germany in the coming autumn. Depending on the demand, the continuation of the special edition will then be considered.
Fiat 500 Riva - Limited Italian and the smallest yacht
Sárnico, Riva shipyard on Largo d`Iseo, around 90 kilometers from the gates of Milan. Fiat presents the cooperation between its bestseller, the Fiat 500, and the traditional boat builder to a few selected media representatives from Europe. The protagonist is still veiled in front of the production hall of the shipyard known for its mahogany racing boats. After the final coordination between the designers of both brands, the tasks for the engineers of the car manufacturer were not easy, according to those responsible at Fiat. The mahogany wood known from shipbuilding should adorn the dashboard of the small 500 with the same elegance. At the same time, the car should also remain affordable. The result can be seen. The final prices are expected to be from a list price of around € 18.000. The special edition is not announced with a specific sales start.
Cinquecento with only one color and interior
Exactly one exterior and one interior color are hidden behind the 500 Riva. The current figurehead of the boat builder was the model. The "Aquariva" Super Yacht wears a certain navy blue that can be found in the 500 series. With the special beige leather of the seats and the mahogany wood, borrowings from the best-selling Riva yacht were also borrowed here. Only the choice of engines and gearbox combinations for the Cinquecento were adopted from the current model of the Turin-based car manufacturer. In addition, the customer can opt for a panoramic glass roof or - for fresh air enthusiasts - an electrically foldable fabric roof.
How far the acceptance or demand of the exclusive model of the 500 Riva will go, Fiat evaluates after the first sales. For lovers of Italian design and filigree work, this special edition of the Cinquecento is a treat and an absolute MUST.
Text and image: Stefan Beckmann