Fiat Barchetta

Another week, another stunning new Italian car. From a nation that has recently brought us the Fiat 500 and Maserati GranTurismo, Bertone’s Barchetta is a real trend-setter. This masterpiece is a joy to sit in, and all of its carefully crafted surfaces and materials are a result of real dedication and attention to detail. It’s not destined for production at the moment, but we can’t wait to see how the two-seat Fiat roadster concept develops in the future

Take Fiat’s most exciting small car, add a healthy dose of Italian style and hit the open road! Want to see what a Fiat 500 convertible could be like? Then look no further than this exclusive first drive.

Although plans for an official take on a 500 Cabriolet are already on the drawing board, this is how des­ign legend Bertone would do it.

The gleaming two-seater from the Turin coachbuilder was one of the stars of March’s Geneva Motor Show, and Auto Express is the first magazine to take it out on the public road.

But this isn’t like most concept cars, which are made to be looked at rather than driven. Under the skin of the drop-top Fiat is the running gear of the Panda 100HP, which shares its chassis with the new 500. This not only allows us to give the two-seater a thorough test, but would also make the step from concept car to production model relatively easy.

Badged Barchetta – just like Fiat’s own drop-top, which was last built in 2004 – the newcomer is beautiful. Bertone’s design boss is a Scotsman called David Wilkie, and he describes the car as a “tough spider”. We are in complete agreement!

Most striking is the outer shell, which is formed from a layer of hand-beaten aluminium. The shiny armour is complemented by transparent door panels which not only look fantastic but also enhance visibility.

Weather protection is in short sup­ply, although a tiny windscreen helps to divert airflow over the cabin. While the show car’s glass could never make it through today’s exacting crash test requirements, the cocoon sensation it serves up in the cabin is unbeat­able for sports car enthusiasts.

Even getting into the Barchetta is an event. The doors are hinged at the rear and open outwards like those fitted to Rolls-Royce’s Phantom Drop­head Coupé. Once you’re in, there is nothing conventional about the cabin, either.

The seats are fixed, although that doesn’t mean it’s uncomfortable. To give the perfect driving position, the entire dashboard assembly – including the pedals – can be adjusted via a switch on the centre console. As a result, the Barchetta will accommodate owners of all shapes and sizes.

Once out on the road, we were immediately struck by how low you are. The drop-top’s steering and handling responses are more precise than the Panda’s or 500’s, partly because the driver sits at wheel level.

Actually, we were effectively in the rear of the tiny Fiat! The styling team pos­itioned occupants further back in the cabin in order to give this mach­ine its clas­sic roadster proportions.

The futuristic gearlever for the six-speed manual box has a better shift action than the production linkages of Fiat’s city runarounds. Changes are smooth and precise. Put the 1.4-litre engine through its paces, and there’s a pleas­ant rasp from the exhaust.

Bertone’s engineers tell us that all they did was remove the catalysts from the standard system in order to achieve the new tone. Unfortunately, as intoxicating as the sound is, it has been created with very little thought for the environment...

The Barchetta is a show car des­igned to make people stop and stare, and we have been suitably dazzled. Auto Express has already uncovered Fiat plans to put a conventional drop-top version of the new 500 into production, and as the trend-setting city model bursts on to the scene, we wouldn’t bet against other variants joining the company’s range.

A two-seater sports car would be a perfect flagship for the imminent relaunch of the Abarth brand – and Bertone would be at the front of the queue to offer its styling experience.