Test Driven: 2013 Fiat 500 Abarth
Posted: January 31, 2013 Filed under: Cheap Fun!, TEST DRIVEN | Tags: 1.4L Multiair Turbo, 2013, 500, Abarth, Fiat, Hot Hatch, Italian, manual transmission, Mind over motor, reliability, Road test, Scorpion Badge, Test Drive, USA 1 Comment »
The song “We No Speak Americano”, by Yolanda Be Cool, goes quite well with the Fiat Abarth. It has a fun, silly nature to its character, and is unmistakably Italian. For those who don’t already know, the Abarth is the hot and heavy version of the Fiat 500, a small city car with and extra dose of… Potenza! During the last few months the Abarth has landed in our showrooms, and I was itching to go try one out. There was lots of hype about the car, so the early shipments were sold out on arrival, but finally, after a few months of waiting, I got my chance to get behind the wheel of one.
Angelina’s 2012: Le Fiat Cinquecento
Posted: October 29, 2012 Filed under: EVENTS / PLACES | Tags: 500, Abarth, Angelina's, body, Car, Cinquecento, Classic, Fiat, Island, Italian, Mind, Momo, motor, Nick, NY, Over, show, Staten, vintage, Walker, wide Leave a comment »
Italian car shows are always full of interesting things. Often the first things to come to mind are exotics like Ferraris, Lamborghinis, and Maseratis, which were all well accounted for at this year’s event. However, if you go to a lot of car events like I do, then your typical Ferrari 430s and Lambo Gallardos get a bit mundane after a while. Luckily things at this year’s Angelina’s Italian Car Show in Staten Island, NY got spiced up with the arrival of an eclectic bunch of Fiat Ciquecentos. Each one was unique with its own appeal, from the modified Abarth model to the yellow standard 500. I cannot emphasize enough how these cars stole the show from the Ferraris when they arrived. There is just so much personality in each one that they are irresistible, even when compared to cars that cost as much as a house. Regardless of whether you share my enthusiasm for these classic Fiats or not, one thing is certain; the Italians sure know how to make some appealing cars. Enjoy.
Test Driven: 2013 Chevrolet Spark
Posted: September 6, 2012 Filed under: Green & Economical, TEST DRIVEN | Tags: 1.2, 2013, 500, Car, Chevrolet, Chevy, Fiat, Fortwo, GM, iQ, Mind, Mini, motor, Nick, Over, Scion, smart, space, Spark, Walker 2 Comments »
The Chevy Spark has had a successful reception around the world since it came out in 2010. Now GM has brought it to the US market in hopes to peak the interest of younger buyers living in urban areas. It is a city car that competes with the Smart Fortwo, Scion iQ, and Fiat 500. The Spark is on the same chassis as the Chevy Sonic, but features notably smaller proportions that allow it to fit in with the city car segment. The Spark I drove was one of the first cars to hit showrooms, and given the buzz around these things right now I wanted to go try it out.
Spotted! Wiesmann GT MF5, Zurich Switzerland
Posted: June 22, 2012 Filed under: Exotics, SPOTTED! | Tags: 500, 507, BMW, Europe, GT, hp, M5, M6, MF5, Mind, motor, Over, spotted, Street, Switzerland, V10, Wiesmann, Zurich Leave a comment »
Wiesmann GT MF5
This is a Wiesmann GT MF5, and it is truly an epic car to spot on the street. We don’t get these at all in America, so it was an even bigger deal for me. This is the first Wiesmann I have seen, of any sort, and it also happened to be my favorite one. The GT MF5 V10. That is right, tucked into that tiny little car is the 5.0L V10 from the BMW M6, producing around 500hp. This was definitely one of the V10 models, I could tell from the sound, but the second generation GT MF5s have the new 552hp twin turbo V8 from the current BMW M5/M6. Honestly though, I much prefer the glorious V10 in a smaller car like the Wiesmann, so Im glad I saw that one. Sorry about the blurry pics, but it was worth posting anyway. It was getting dark and I was shooting from on top of a building, so I did what I could. Hopefully next time I will be able to get up close with one. Great car.
-Nick
Seconhand Saint: Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 8/9 (2003-2007)
Posted: February 21, 2012 Filed under: Secondhand Saints, SHOWCASE | Tags: 2.0, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 350, 35R, 400, 450, 4G63, 5, 500, 6, 600, 700, 8, 800, 9, 900, advice, all, awhp, bargain, boost, Buying, cam, Car, consumer, controller, Drive, Evo, evolution, GSR, guide, hand, High, Intercooler, IX, Lancer, manual, Mind, Mitsubishi, MIVEC, motor, MR, Over, owned, Performance, Pre, Rally, recaro, RS, saint, seats, second, secondhand, speed, T67, turbo, Used, VIII, wheel, whp Leave a comment »
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX
These days the Evo is one of the most respected cars on the road. In stock form it is one of the ultimate rally bred, point-to-point missiles money can buy, and Evos that are modified easily have the potential to give Ferrari owner something to worry about. Yet despite their hardcore performance they are also just normal Japanese sedans on the surface, making an Evo one of the best overall daily drivers out there. Obviously all of this makes these things quite a hot commodity on the secondhand market, so lets look at the details. Read the rest of this entry »
Secondhand Saint: Mercedes-Benz S55 AMG, S65 AMG, S600 (2003-2006)
Posted: November 30, 2011 Filed under: Secondhand Saints, SHOWCASE | Tags: 493, 500, 600, AMG, bargain, BiTurbo, brabus, cruiser, German, hp, Limo, Luxury, Mercedes, Mercedes-Benz, Mind, Mind over motor, motor, Over, Performance, S-Class, S55, S600, S63, S65, Saints, Saloon, secondhand, Secondhand Saint, Sedan, speed, Supercharged, turbo, Twin, V12, V8, W220 Leave a comment »
Mercedes S55 AMG
Ah, Mercedes-Benz. Just the name brings up thoughts of expensive country clubs, upper-class attitudes, and feelings of being in the 1%. Their flagship sedan, the S-Class, has always been a leader in its market since the 1970s, and despite the high entry price, still sells itself better than the competition. The previous-generation W220 was the one that brought this fantastically flashy flagship into the 21st century, and now some of the most powerful ones (namely, those with some sort of forced induction) can be had for a fraction of their original value. For reasons that shall be discussed later, we’re going to focus on the S55 and S600, as the S65 is significantly harder to find even today. Read the rest of this entry »
Fiat 500 Abarth Cinquone Stradale, a small beast with a massive bite
Posted: October 10, 2011 Filed under: Auto Idolatry, SHOWCASE | Tags: 300, 500, Abarth, Cinquone, Drive, Ferraris, Fiat, front, FWD, hp, Italian, Mind, Modded, Modified, motor, Over, Romeo, Stradale, tuner, turbo, wheel Leave a comment »
In BBC Top Gear Jeremy Clarkson was amazed at what the Fiat 500 Abarth felt like with 160hp. Well Italian tuner Romeo Ferraris thought that that was still a bit weak, so they upped the ante to 300hp… in that same car the size of a shoe. All of that turbocharged power sent to the front wheel will surely make this thing quite a handful to drive, and it is outfitted as such. The interior looks to be quite racy but somehow they decided a touch of luxury alcantara would be necessary as well. Romeo Ferraris (yes, a name bordering on infringing the rights of two Italian automakers) seems to be a force to be reckoned with. If they are crazy enough to make a Fiat 500 like this, then I can only imagine what they would do with other cars. Be sure to keep an eye on them. More pics below. Read the rest of this entry »
The 2011 Radnor Hunt Concours d’ Elegance
Posted: September 26, 2011 Filed under: EVENTS / PLACES | Tags: 100, 2011, 365, 500, Aventador, Bentley, Cars, Competizione, Concours, d', E-Type, Elegance, Ferrari, Hispano, Hunt, Jaguar, Lamborghini, Mind, Mondial, motor, of, Over, PA, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Radnor, XJ220, XK120 Leave a comment »
We were in attendance for this year’s Radnor Hunt Concours d’ Elegance outside Philadelphia, PA. It was a great turnout and there were some very stunning cars there as always. Radnor Hunt is a beautiful setting to hold a Councours. It is set in the beautiful PA countryside and the elegance of nature shows off the beauty of the cars quite well. Read the rest of this entry »
Test Driven: 2011 Fiat 500C
Posted: August 18, 2011 Filed under: Green & Economical, TEST DRIVEN | Tags: 2011, 2012, 500, 500C, C, Convertible, Drive, Fiat, Hatch, Italian, Lounge, manual, Mind, motor, Over, Pop, review, Sport, Test 2 Comments »
Fiat 500C
There is a lot of talk about Fiat since they have returned. People are wondering how things will work out between them and Chrysler, and weather they will be able to succeed I the US market this time around. Over the past few months I have seen more and more 500s on the road, so at least in my area they seem to be selling well. All of this got me curious so I went to the dealer to try one out. Read the rest of this entry »
Anticipating Concours weekend in Monterey, CA
Posted: August 17, 2011 Filed under: EVENTS / PLACES | Tags: 2007, 2008, 500, 5300, 8C, Alfa, Andretti, Beach, Bizzarrini, Bugatti, CA, Cadillac, California, Carmel, Concept, Concours, Concourse, d', Elegance, F40, Ferrari, Gran, hood, i Miura, Lamborghin, Lotus, Mario, Mind, Mondial, Monterey, motor, ornament, Over, Pebble, Roadster, Romeo, Sport, spotted, Veyron Leave a comment »
Caddy Hood Ornament
Once you have experienced the Pebble Beach Concours d’ Elegance, and the events which surround it, there is nothing quite like that excitement of knowing you’re going back. It is one of the most epic automotive events in the world, and the scale of it is something that can only be fully grasped by those who have seen it first hand. I would be lying if I tried to play it off like I wasn’t giddy with excitement right now. Read the rest of this entry »
Hot Rodded Fiat 500 at Greenwich CDE
Posted: July 26, 2011 Filed under: Auto Idolatry | Tags: 500, B16, B18, body, Concours, Fiat, Greenwich, Honda, K20, Mind, Mind over motor, Modified, motor, Over, wide, Widebody Leave a comment »
Heavily modded Fiat 500
Saw this monster at the Greenwich concours in June. It is a heavily modified Fiat 500, honda motor in the rear (forgive me for not knowing what type), a widebody kit, suspension mods, and stripped out. The guy said it was making around 200whp and weighed well under a ton. Awesome little car. Read the rest of this entry »
The new Fiat 500, bombshell or bust?
Posted: July 25, 2011 Filed under: INDUSTRY TALK, USER SUBMITTED | Tags: 500, America, American, Car, Chrysler, Fiat, Hatchback, Italy, marchionne, Mind over motor, sergio, Small 2 Comments »
Fiat 500C
