The once again iconic Fiat 500
I usually hate these articles in car magazines. However, there is a little car (accent on small) that is currently taking Italy by storm and threatens to topple the Mini, Peugeot, and everything else in its path once it is exported.
With this kind of success and with the resurgence of Fiat (now run by Luca Cordero di Montezemolo [1], the best CEO on the planet--from Ferrari), it may only be a matter of time before you see it here.*
The car is the much beloved Topolino/CinqueCento, now called the Nuova 500 [2]. This little thing makes women melt and men wish they had its mojo. It is so hot in Italy right now that they cannot even export it, so I hear. It is designed by Frank Stephenson (almost as cool as Luca), who previously penned the first generation Mini for BMW.
* You can't buy this car, yet, but you can probably buy Fiat as an ADR on the NYSE. I did this with Toyota eighteen months ago and it has treated me well. So I recommend you buy the ADR, wait two years, and then allow your stock appreciation to pay for the car. Worth visiting the "Street" Rake, eh?
