This is the Tiniest Car I've Ever Seen!

Mossman · Tue Apr 18, 2023 10:55 pm

I saw this on the street where I, uh... live.

Talk about a clown car... It's actually got a back seat!

You could probably fit it in that van back there (not my van, BTW).

It's a Fiat.

tlarson58 · Tue Apr 18, 2023 10:59 pm

I love this.

toomanycats · Wed Apr 19, 2023 6:03 am

That's one way to say, "I have the biggest penis in the world."

Wed Apr 19, 2023 6:32 am

That is a Fiat 500. I don't much care for them but my late wife loved them. Originally, they were powered by a 500cc 2 cylinder air cooled engine.
Today they have about a 1500 cc turbocharged 4 cylinder, I think. I belive Fiat has been making them since the mid 50s. You can pick one up at most Dodge dealers.
Oh, they do (did?) make a 4 door version.

tonebender · Wed Apr 19, 2023 9:36 am

My mom and dad had one of those in the early 60's. I was 4-5 years old and believe it or not I still have a few vision memories of it sitting on the street in front of where we lived. It was an off white color and once when my dad was getting in the door came off completely.

Rollin Hand · Wed Apr 19, 2023 6:34 pm

I want to buy a "toy" car, and every once in a while I think a modern 500 Abarth would be a great way to go, if I fit. Apparently they are a crazy hoot.

Partscaster · Wed Apr 19, 2023 9:45 pm

Tractor Trailers might get that stuck in their treads, and not even notice it.

ronnx · Wed Apr 19, 2023 10:41 pm

I remember one of our H. S. teachers back in the 60's drove one of those. The guy was 6'2" well over 300 lbs. The car definitely had a big lean to the driver's side going up the street.

Houblues · Thu Apr 20, 2023 1:10 pm

Rollin Hand wrote: ↑Wed Apr 19, 2023 6:34 pm I want to buy a "toy" car, and every once in a while I think a modern 500 Abarth would be a great way to go, if I fit. Apparently they are a crazy hoot.

A friend back in the late sixties had a beat to death 600, non-Abarth of course. Even it was a lot of fun!

PoodlesAgain · Thu Apr 20, 2023 5:36 pm

I swear I posted something on this thread earlier..?

It is the typical class of cars of post-WWII Europe, had to be cheap and economical.
Abarth was a race prep specialist for the later issues, and they were quite successful in rally, or club racing.
This car size is still very popular on the narrow streets and alleyways of Italy, Greece. Many current cars are powered by 3-cylinder Asian engines (Suzuki, among others) and such, fun to drive around but you need nerves of steel to pass anything...!

honyock · Thu Apr 20, 2023 6:09 pm

I always thought it funny watching old footage of the Ford Galaxies in the saloon car championship against tiny in comparison British touring cars like the Lotus Cortina...

Watching Goodwood where there are Minis and Fiat 500s on the same course is downright hilarious.

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Rollin Hand · Thu Apr 20, 2023 7:34 pm

Houblues wrote: ↑Thu Apr 20, 2023 1:10 pm
Rollin Hand wrote: ↑Wed Apr 19, 2023 6:34 pm I want to buy a "toy" car, and every once in a while I think a modern 500 Abarth would be a great way to go, if I fit. Apparently they are a crazy hoot.
A friend back in the late sixties had a beat to death 600, non-Abarth of course. Even it was a lot of fun!

Well, I checked the front head and legroom online and....nope. My ass is too big, and my head too high.

A Mini is still on the table. Or a Jeep TJ.

EDIT: Just check the TJ front legroom and it has a lot in common with the 500.

PoodlesAgain · Thu Apr 20, 2023 8:18 pm

Funny, right after posting about tiny cars, spouse showed me what she found at the library freebie shelves (where folks bring their unwanted books):
a 1958 copy of the magazine "Holiday", with car ads, of course.
My goodness ... the size of the Thunderbird, Cadillac, Studebaker, Imperial, Continental, De Soto of the day!
I understand that the ads may have pushing the size a bit, but, I guess it was a wanted feature..?

Lots of travel ads, some to Europe (strong dollar?), where you could buy a car there and bring it back, , Morris, 1000 Ford Anglia, Dauphine, Citroen DS.
The U.S. retail price of the VW bus was $1735, Triumph TR3 GT $2835.
You could also get a whole Frigidaire appliance set in Sheer Pink. Must' ve been something to wake up in the morning (with a hangover?) to such a kitchen.
APocket transitor radios!

Mossman · Mon Apr 24, 2023 11:09 pm

Partscaster wrote: ↑Wed Apr 19, 2023 9:45 pm Tractor Trailers might get that stuck in their treads, and not even notice it.

Heheh... When I saw it, I thought a semi might get it stuck up under his bumper.

Mossman · Mon Apr 24, 2023 11:12 pm

ronnx wrote: ↑Wed Apr 19, 2023 10:41 pm I remember one of our H. S. teachers back in the 60's drove one of those. The guy was 6'2" well over 300 lbs. The car definitely had a big lean to the driver's side going up the street.

It sounds like he didn't so much drive that car as wore it.

Mossman · Mon Apr 24, 2023 11:26 pm

PoodlesAgain wrote: ↑Thu Apr 20, 2023 8:18 pm
My goodness ... the size of the Thunderbird, Cadillac, Studebaker, Imperial, Continental, De Soto of the day!
I understand that the ads may have pushing the size a bit, but, I guess it was a wanted feature..?

Yeah, in contrast to the austerity that much of Europe suffered, the US enjoyed an economic boom after WWII that lasted for a couple of decades. People wanted garishly huge cars, and big appliances (it was the dawn of "consumer culture"). Gas was cheap, so nobody cared about how much fuel those behemoths consumed. It wasn't until the gas crisis of the early '70s that demand arose for fuel efficient, "economy cars", and American auto manufacturers had to do a hard pivot to meet the demand.