La Cinquecento’s Fiat 500 Scattante is an Italian icon made in Britain
This remastered version of the original Fiat 500 was created by new outfit La Cinquecento, which plans to build only a handful each year
The Fiat 500 is a timeless symbol of Italy and la dolce vita, so imagine our surprise when possibly the most perfect restomod of the iconic city car has been made here in Britain. West Berkshire, to be precise.
The project began when Max Kindersley, a fashion photographer by trade, decided to bring his family’s old Fiat 500 back to life after it sat in a barn for about 25 years. This was the genesis of his new company La Cinquecento, which literally means 500 in Italian. Its goal is simple: “To explore what the ultimate expression of the iconic Italian city car could be”.
Kindersley plans to produce his remastered version of the classic Fiat 500, dubbed the 500 Scattante, in the same barn where he made the first prototype of the rambunctious little restomod. For those who didn’t take GCSE Italian, the word scattante means quick, fast, agile or quick off the mark.
The car started out in life as a 1973 Fiat 500, however, the design has been masterfully massaged and accentuated with the help of Milan-based design studio BorromeodeSilva, which has previously created stunning restomods of the Lamborghini Diablo, Porsche 928 and Lancia Delta Intergrale.
The wheelarches have been widened, as you may have already guessed, helping to create a more powerful stance. Meanwhile, new side skirts and wheels were added, along with a set of rally-inspired auxiliary lights added up front.
The interior is as simple as it was back in the Seventies, with just a speedo and big rev counter behind the two-spoke steering wheel, and a few toggle switches across the dashboard. However, you can see the craftsmanship in some of the details like the leather and suede-lined bucket seats, or billeted metal pedals.
Underneath, all the engineering is new, including either bespoke or reworked suspension, braking, steering, cooling and electrical systems. Powering the little scamp is an 802cc two-cylinder twin-spark engine derived from the Fiat 126 hatchback's, mounted at the back like the original and paired with a manual gearbox.
We don’t know yet how much oomph the 500 Scattante produces, but the company says the car and its development is focused more on responsiveness, torque delivery and driver engagement than big power or top speed figures.
“I’ve always loved what the Fiat 500 represents,” said Kindersley. “It’s simple, light, full of character and makes people smile. The idea was never to change that. We wanted to take everything that makes the original so special and see how far we could develop it – to make it faster, sharper and better engineered, without losing the reason you wanted a 500 in the first place.”
The first prototype of La Cinquecento’s 500 Scattante made its debut at the Tutto Bene hillclimb in Italy, and potential customers can register their interest on the company’s website. The company is only planning to produce a handful of cars a year, each likely costing about £150,000 or so, tailored to their owner’s specifications.
If you don’t want to spend that much on a Fiat 500, you can buy a brand-new fully-electric 500e for less than £20,000 through the Auto Express Buy A Car service.
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