Martin Harris - Moderator Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 Posted by Mike Etheridge 1 on 02/02/2015 21:29:43: It broke down outside a nudist colony in Kent How did you manage to convince the magistrate that the binoculars were needed to fix the Fiat, Mike? Many years ago, I moved to an office-based job and lost the use of my company vehicle. As my car was on limited mileage classic insurance, my no claims bonus had lapsed (and it used excessive amounts of fuel) so I searched around for the lowest insurance group car just for commuting. That happened to be the successor to the old 500 - a 126 - mechanically identical except for a slightly larger 650 engine. I can honestly say that (after a few days wondering what the hell I'd done!) I found that I could have more fun than with almost any other car along my country lane route - it steered like a go-kart, went round corners like one too and if you got carried away in the wet, had all the entertainment value of a Porsche 911 with its rear mounted engine - all at largely legal speeds. It was even better after lowering it by changing the springs for Abarth 500 ones and spending some time and money on the engine. Easily the worst car I've ever owned - but I have very fond memories all the same! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dai Fledermaus Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 I used to have a Fiat 126 Brown. I mean the colour was brown - it was a limited edition. Always had to drive it foot to the floor just to keep up with the other traffic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Claridge Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 i have fond memories of a fiat 500, when a young lady said it was too small Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Palmer Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 I have owned a couple of Cinquecentos over the years, brilliant little cars. The second one was a Sporting and I loved it. It was very easy to put the back seat flat to fit my models in, much much easier than the Yaris I replaced it with, and the Fiat had more space! My wife now has a Fiat Panda, it's a lovely little thing and has served us well. Never had a spec of rust on any of the Fiats we have owned and they've all been reliable. Surprisingly, for relatively cheap, low spec cars they've all come with indicators, unlike most BMWs on which they are obviously an optional extra Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barrie Dav 2 Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 Years ago I decided not to buy a secondhand one when my foot fell through the floor. Was I wise? However in 1970 on an autostrada, enroute for a holiday in Italy in my new Hillman Minx 1600 with swembo and the two kids aboard, a 500 tried to overtake me. What an insult! I pressed the pedal to the floor but there was no way that I could safely stop that car from creeping past me. To add injury to the insult there were a couple of attractive girls in the Fiat's rear seat and when they were in front they turned around and waved to me and blew kisses. I told my wife that I'd let them pass. Unfortunately she knew me too well to believe that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Brooks Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 I owned a 500 back in the seventies, whilst working abroad. It had a habit of shaking its exhaust manifold loose, and rattling the fixing nuts clean off the studs. Sometimes the studs would come loose too. Unfortunately metric sized nuts and studs were unobtainable, so the drill was to get home with the exhaust rattling like mad, then get the "other " car, a cortina Mk III, out and drive back down the road looking for the missing bits. Always found them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Etheridge 1 Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 Martin, This is the naked truth: I was on my way to Lullingstone golf course which is off the A20 in Kent. There was a tremendous downpour of rain such that the country roads I was travelling on flooded immediately. I went through two puddles that were like small ponds about thirty yards long and several cars had broken down in the vicinity. After the second puddle a driver who was travelling in the opposite direction wound down his car window and told me there was one more puddle to negotiate but it was not deep. Well he lied as my Fiat started to float and then broke down in the middle of the puddle. There were a number of people wearing Wellingtons that pushed my Fiat out of the puddle. I asked them if I could use the telephone in a large adjacent building and they said it would not be possible. It was the nudist camp I found out later. Fortunately I had a spare set of ignition leads in the boot of the Fiat and got the car going and made my way to the golf course where my friends told me the course was closed due to the rain. There were no judges involved but of course some may be members of the nudist colony but I bet they have no aeromodellers as members, and perhaps it is time to find out on this website? My binoculars are only used to spot feathered birds. Edited By Mike Etheridge 1 on 03/02/2015 12:32:56 Edited By Mike Etheridge 1 on 03/02/2015 12:48:50 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biggles' Elder Brother - Moderator Posted February 3, 2015 Author Share Posted February 3, 2015 Well - an update. This morning, same route, same time. Spotted just 2! Both pretending to be parked up - but of course actually keeping me under surveillance. I'm not easily fooled. Now - tell me that is a coincidence! I go public with my concerns, the number drops from 17 to 2 the next day. I tell you, there is much more to this than meets the eye! BEB (a concerned and watchful citizen) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barrie Dav 2 Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 Were the drivers small and odd looking and coloured green Pete? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biggles' Elder Brother - Moderator Posted February 3, 2015 Author Share Posted February 3, 2015 Are you spotting them as well? BEB (who is Dave, not Pete - but I'll be Pete if you want me to be!) Edited By Biggles' Elder Brother - Moderator on 03/02/2015 13:07:48 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barrie Dav 2 Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 Yes Fred. They're affecting me too........................... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dai Fledermaus Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 I think your right BEB my neighbour has two. They sort of, well how should I put it, come and go - there one minute, gone the next. All very suspicious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kc Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 There was a time when it was considered smart to drive a small car particularly a Mini. People like Princess Margaret and film stars like Peter Sellers also top rally drivers etc drove Minis in the 1960's. But parking meters put paid to that - the advantage of driving a really short car disappeared when parking meters came in and parking bays were made big enough for any normal car. Suddenly the small car advantage of being able to park in any tiny space disappeared! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim C Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 Fiat 128 Sports Coupe, a great totally bonkers car in its day, engine would rev like a 2 stroke motorcycle, I seem to remember that there was little power under 5500rpm and you could rev it well past the redline to 8000rpm and more, but it would rust in front of your eyes, rusting well at 24 months old!!. However my Fiat Punto (2002) vintage shares it ancestry in the engine and performs nearly as well with a lot less fuss and rust, its been totally reliable in its 12 years of ownership, survived 3 teen learners, was an ex hire car with 5k on the clock when I bought it and not one trace of rust even now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Rothwell Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 there could be several reasons why you only spotted 2 today 1 they don`t like being out in the cold 2 they are are involved in some weird ritual, like when the 3rd day of the month falls on a Tuesday and its a full moon they all have to be serviced 3 they don`t like being out in the cold 4 their owners are keeping them in, (bit like hand bag dogs) until it warms up 5 their owners don`t like being out in the cold ps I don`t mind the cold!!!!! David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Hopkin Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 Posted by David Rothwell on 03/02/2015 14:09:16: there could be several reasons why you only spotted 2 today 1 they don`t like being out in the cold 2 they are are involved in some weird ritual, like when the 3rd day of the month falls on a Tuesday and its a full moon they all have to be serviced 3 they don`t like being out in the cold 4 their owners are keeping them in, (bit like hand bag dogs) until it warms up 5 their owners don`t like being out in the cold ps I don`t mind the cold!!!!! David Or more likely as they were all out yesterday, they are all in the garage being repaired now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erfolg Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 Those who remember the original mini with affection , seem to forget that the gearbox was controlled by a magic wand. That thrashed about if not held, then if you pushed it in what might be the right direction, you often did not find the gear you wanted. That is if not fully trained at Hogwarts. As for knocking Fiats, minis did not take kindly to the UK weather either, rear sub frame failure a common theme, As with most UK cars of the era, the Lucas electrics were not as impressive as the Japanese when they arrived. I wonder if Renault, will revive their car, or rather a nostalgia look a like, that was similar to the 500? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Etheridge 1 Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 Quite right Tim the 128 Sports Coupe was a bonkers car and I was sad when I got rid of it. However it did break down one evening when a drive shaft failed. I organised to go to a restaurant that evening so I took my beloved Sunbeam Alpine MK 5 Sports GT instead, only to have it stolen from outside the restaurant and wrecked. On another occasion I lent the Fiat to my nephew Nigel for a fishing trip, and on his return he parked it on his parent's sloping driveway without leaving it in gear. Of course the hand-brake relaxed and the Fiat rolled down the driveway and rammed his parent's car that was parked at the bottom of the driveway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Cotsford Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 I once inherited a Fiat Miafiori 1.6 auto from father-in-law, it was a great motor and hadn't got to the rust stage. What I discovered is that Fiat auto boxes of that period could be shifted from 'D' to 'R' while travelling forward at 30+ mph. This locked the back wheels and after restarting the engine the car drove ok - for about a week at which point the head gasket went as the head was bent like a banana. Round here we get plagued by Micras, at the front of every traffic queue is a Micra being driven in fuel conservation mode. Or is it just me that they're out to get? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Depron Daz Posted February 4, 2015 Share Posted February 4, 2015 Whilst on a night shift, we had a radio message asking for all cars to be on the lookout for a stolen Fiat 500 in white. We (my partner and I) lost count on how many 500's we saw, and none were the one we were searching for. So yes, I have to agree with the O.P. and say that there are far too many of these on the road, and may just give cause for concern Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Claridge Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 did any one ever drive the fiat gamine, it was a convertable 500 that looked like noody;s car. two people could pick it up and stuff it in any small gap. i'm 6f 1ih and drove it with my head above the windscreen and the steering wheel between my legs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Hopkin Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 Posted by Phil Claridge on 05/02/2015 11:46:56: did any one ever drive the fiat gamine, it was a convertable 500 that looked like noody;s car. two people could pick it up and stuff it in any small gap. i'm 6f 1ih and drove it with my head above the windscreen and the steering wheel between my legs. The question is would anyone that did actually admit it in a public forum? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erfolg Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 Where was the Health and Safety? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Claridge Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 the car was great fun (drove like a go cart with 600cc engine) and i did have big ears. my nickname at onetime was buggsie. was once called wingnut by a numpty who then regretted it painfully happy days Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Brooks Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 My 500 had a hand throttle and a sun roof. On a quiet, straight road it was possible to sit on the edge of the roof opening and steer with your feet on the steering wheel spokes. (I believe ). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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