The World Through Your Eyes

Benvenuti amici!

Due, in large part, to the fact we have no desire to bore you by way of imposing our daily tales into every one of these entries, we also choose to share the experiences of other FIAT life aficionados. 

A few of our friends have been graciously sharing their adventures with us. Their anecdotes & accompanying photos are a nice addition to the fun of writing this blog. In this entry, we are sharing the stories of one local member and another supporter from North Carolina. Read on...

Rich & Toni Miller recently took a road trip, from Wisconsin to Arkansas, in their nero 500 Lounge. They were kind enough to send us some shots as well as  descriptive commentary. You can imagine my surprise when I logged in to my inbox and found this email message from Rich:

"Attached are some photos of the Fiat on our recent trip to Arkansas. On the way down we stopped off at the Route 66 Association of Illinois Hall of Fame and Museum in Pontiac, Illinois.   

There was a local man who they describe as a Route 66 icon and artist who took this 1966 Chevrolet bus and transformed it into a 'land yacht'. He actually drove that thing to Arizona and back.  After he died they put it on display. One of the museum volunteers offered to take a picture of Toni and I and our car in front of their sign. 

While we were in Little Rock I saw this old Toyota Corolla parked behind the parking lot attendant's booth. I went to the booth and asked him if it was his.  It was. It's a 1968 Toyota Corolla, a very rare car. He said about seven years ago he needed a car and spotted this in someone's back yard. He bought it and has been driving it ever since."  - Rich Miller

[Editor's note: Rich included two photos of the Toyota he mentions in his story. While I am not including photos of said car in this entry, I can tell you it was in fairly good condition... and I am impressed with the story of how this man came to own it.]

Next up is someone you may recognize from a previous entry. He was kind enough to share some shots of his recent win at a local (to him) car contest and, now, he is kind enough to share this great personal photo shoot... of his modded grigio FIAT 500 ABARTH.

There was a time I could not understand the draw of modding what I believe to be a perfectly designed product. Over time I have come to, not only understand but to, appreciate the art form that is modifying a machine. James Wilson is one of a group of aficionados from around the country responsible for showing me the folly of my past ways. Allow him to explain...

 This is Mirabella ~ The definition of the name...

 ... Are you ready?...

 ... Angelic ~ The machine & the natural effect...

 ... Ditto... 

 ... A remnant of sunbeams past...

 ... Repping the 4-1-4...

 ... What other lucky motorists see on the road...

This shoot is in memory of John Cunnyngham

Make sense to you as well? I thought it may. I began modifying, also known as personalizing, my 500 a month after driving home in my Pretty Green 'cento. Unlike James', my modifications are all of the aesthetic variety. I am adding things I wish would have been standard factory options for the Pop upon launch. Fortunately, FIAT really wants us & our Cinquinos to evolve over time. The automaker has made it very easy to attain the look each individual wants... and a lot of the personalizing can be achieved with OEM parts. Bonus!

How would you modify your FIAT? Have you already started the personalization process? What trips have you taken in your little Italian machine? Do you have future plans?

We hope you enjoyed this look into FIAT life enthusiasm through the eyes of these two contributors. Do you have stories & photos you would like to contribute to the CC5C blog? Do not hesitate to reach out via our Facebook page. Or maybe you simply enjoy reading about what is happening in the FIAT lives of others? You can continue reading here, using our new 'CC5C Search', and read other content on the FB page. 

Whether you are contributing to a community or simply enjoying life in private, we wish you the best possible experience...

Vivere.Amare.Guidare.

Ciao!

@

Cos'è un FIAT 500 Club?

Benvenuti amici!

I have been asked more times & in more ways than I can recall why we chose the proposition of the Cream City 500 Club. I do think it is a legitimate question which deserves an equally legitimate answer. So, here it is. Why not? Why not celebrate ordinary people? Why not celebrate their daily lives? Why not celebrate those lives in their FIATs? Why not celebrate FIAT S.p.A.? Why not celebrate the FIAT design philosophy? Why not celebrate other ordinary people doing the same, or similar, thing?

Well, for the argument against why not, we will need to look at what kicked off one of (if not) the most storied FIAT clubs on the planet. To do this, we must travel to Garlenda, Italy. I doubt there will be an argument from you, intelligent & adventurous reader, on the subject of that invitation. Let's ride...

Rolling in/out ~ 500 Club Italia style

[Editor's note: The following is taken from the official 500 Club Italia site. It is presented, here, in a slightly edited form. The edit was done in the interests of space & focusing on what started the club as well as what keeps it going today. The full story behind 500 Club Italia can be found here.]

"In 1983, the Council and Pro Loco of Garlenda Italy, set about uniting the community, and bringing reputation to the small town. It was envisaged that an annual event would also encourage much needed visitors to the area. Thus the Inaugural Fiat 500 car rally took place on the 15th of July 1984, and while only 30 people attended, it set in place a memorable event that has endured to this day. The engineer on the Fiat 500, Dante Giacosa, was surprised and impressed by the resurgence of interest and the initiative to give life and prestige to the the Fiat 500. This talented designer held the club in great esteem and remained close with the club until his passing in 1996.

Dante Giacosa enjoys the fruit of his labor

Among the first 500 enthusiasts of the time were the future president Gianpaolo De Capitani from Alassio and Mario Ferrando from Genoa, two columns of a great partnership. Ronald and Annelies Hoeven, two Dutch tourists visiting the area, alerted the locals to the existence of a club in Holland founded in 1980 and dedicated to the Fiat 500. This prompted the then Mayor of Garlenda, Domenico Romano and friend Giuseppe Nespolo to take a road trip to Holland.  This historic trip marked the birth of the "Amici della 500" ("Friends of the 500") the first nucleus of the current club. 

... In 1987 the first European tour took place with over 100 cars leaving from Geleen in the Netherlands. The sports field that had previously been used in Garlenda to hold the Fiat 500 car rallies was insufficient to host the event, and thus the Pro Loco of Garlenda, then led by Giancarlo Tassistro, made available the Villafranca Park (15,000 sqm) which is still used to stage the event today.

Aerial shot of 500 Club Italia meet

... In 1992, the cooperation with "Le Caravelle" in Ceriale began. The Fiat 500 Rally participants enjoying Saturday afternoons at the Water amusement park.

It was around this time that "Amici della 500" saw the need for the club to become better structured, organised and official in nature. From this desire, in 1990, the "Fiat 500 Club Italia" was born.

In 1995 the first 500 car was registered with the Historic Automobile club of Italy (ASI). Enrico Bo, technical advisor of the Fiat 500 club, participated in meets, where Fiat 500 club members could have their car accredited by ASI. This worked splendidly.  In 1998 the club commenced its annual visit to Gaslini Children’s hospital on the occasion of the Befana to distribute gifts to the children. This is not the only charity to which the Fiat 500 club contributes. Frequently the club works with voluntary associations from various fields."

500 Club Italia official meet print ad circa 2013

A people. A small town. A desire to draw attention/establish a reputation. A fun focal point serving as the binding/bonding agent. Any of this read familiar? It should. This mirrors the foundation of FIAT USA of MKE & the newer CC5C.

A few entries back, I explained the significance of the name of our club along with the fact I find ways to include Cream City in all my ventures. I am proud of the accomplishments born in this place by the lake. 

Milwaukee/Brew City/Cream City/Città Crema, like Torino/Turin, is a city with a rich industrial history. Torino has their machine of note ~ as does Milwaukee. We also have our brick (for shelter) and our beer (to toast). With the 2007 FIAT 500, I found a vessel into which I can pour my creative passion ~ and there is a bonus. Unlike my drawings, paintings & publications, it is a passion I can share with other people on a level playing field. The most notable of people with whom I share this is the missus. 

I would be hard-pressed to dream up a more inspired beginning to anything worth celebrating than these. Join the club at our LS this Saturday... as well as every other day of the year via this blog and our Facebook community page. The party is just warming up...

Vivere.Amare.Guidare.

Ciao!

@

MNGLN PNDA XPRSS - L'Inizio

Benvenuti amici!

You, no doubt, recall the MEL B FIAT life experience we chronicled recently, Call of the 'Cento. Well, it seems this has inspired the young travel log author to take her FIAT off-roading to greater heights... or deeper mud. She learned of the Mongol Rally not long ago and may very well have lost what was left of her outdoor sports-loving mind. Not content to lose it alone, she enlisted her friend, Tim, and (together) they are hatching a note-worthy plan.

We, at CC5C are big fans of 'different strokes for different folks'. Fortunately, we are also big fans of a brand which supports the variety of strokes we folks are living. 

Some people are content to keep their respective ride stock or near stock. Washing, waxing & cruising is more than enough adventure for them. There is another breed of driver drawn to street & track performance-focused modding. These aficionados take great pride in personalizing as much of their vehicles as they can. But it is not personalizing on a simple aesthetically pleasing level. They get greasy with their individual goals...

Some Fiatisti dig doing this

... while others are keen to take performance out of the garage & away from the local strip to test their modifications in a more aggressive manner. They enter events spanning the globe, often with major sponsorship.

Some Fiatisti also do this

Others, still, choose to take their interests and FIATs where men and/or women seldom dare tread. They push themselves as well as their little machines beyond the confines of level roads & smooth pavement. Like their urban rallying cousins, they often garner major sponsorship.

They are also capable of doing this

This is where people like MEL come in. These brave and/or loony folks give us a peek into a world we would not likely otherwise lend a second thought. We salute these people and believe they deserve their time out of the mud and into the limelight.

As you may have guessed by the 'charities' tab on the Mongol Rally site, this adventure is not all fun & games. The team is driving for an important cause ~ namely the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. That, of course, adds another dimension to their FIAT life experience. In the interest of leaving something for MEL & Tim to explain through their site, we would like to direct you to their online journey log. You can follow & learn more about MEL B, Tim B and their road to the Mongol Rally here. There is a big and exciting world out there for the willing to discover. Join us on the trail...

Vivere.Amare.Guidare.

Ciao!

@

CC5C: You Are The Key

Benvenuti amici!

We are just over a week away from what may prove to be one of the most exhilarating days any of us has enjoyed in our respective FIATs. Living & driving in the city... in these little machines... is sweet. But one can never exaggerate the added flavor of a backroads cruise. This thought, coupled with the fact such a weekend ride-for-two ('centos) preempted the proposition of the Cream City 500 Club, is the inspiration behind our next day out.

So many exciting things happened in the short time since this germ of an idea spread. We have them documented here & here. Not one happening can top the esteemed pleasure of getting to know you up close and personal ~ as well as getting to know you from afar. The outpouring of support for people connecting with other people is brilliant! 

This next bit may bring my passion for the brand under question, but in the case this becomes just another gathering of car nuts, I will likely step away from the CC5C. But you know what? The idea would live on, because the group, like the brand, is made of people... wonderfully passionate people. People like you. People like these...

Giovanni Agnelli

Giovanni 'Gianni' Agnelli

Dante Giacosa

John & Lapo Elkann

Sergio Marchionne

Roberto Giolito

The brand, cars, clubs, gatherings and memories are no greater than the those responsible for creating them. You... yes, you... are the most important value to the equation. The things created by individual business people & artisans would mean little-to-nothing without others (like those making up the communities below) to delight in and support those creations...

The Birth of a Legend

A Procession of Queens

A Good Thing... 

... Never Goes... 

... Out of Style!

FIAT on the Dragon Crew ~ Legends

The One & Only MKE  FIAT life Club

The CC5C Takes in The City

It is evident to us, we need you to continue creating copious happy FIAT life memories. We are aware there are other, much higher priorities in any given day. Still, you repeatedly make time for sharing a slice of your happiness with us. Thank you!

That brings us to Saturday, 26 October 2013...

Please, be sure to arrive at the studio promptly (at or near noon) and make your way to the conference room. Brandon and/or Luke can direct you to the room, if you don't know where it is. We have some things we would like to cover prior to embarking on a day of smiles for miles. See you very soon...

Vivere.Amare.Guidare.

Ciao!

@

Il Fantasma della 500

Benvenuti amici!

We are creeping & crawling through the month of October. That means Halloween is just around the corner. I dig this holiday. Some semblance of the day is celebrated at some time... in some way... and on some day... all over the world. At the CC5C blog we are celebrating with a FIAT spin.

As is the case with MEL B's story, I found this FIAT life adventure on a FIAT forum. I thought the subject matter so cool I immediately contacted the author & asked whether he had a blog on which he spun similar yarns. I wanted to share in more of his anecdotes. Unfortunately, the blog remains to be seen ~ which means this is the sole travel log of this type. Fortunately, I contacted the author - Tim - and he allowed us to publish it here. Read on!

Ghost Town Hunting ~ FIAT style!

My 500 gets me safely through my next adventure [Editor note: Tim has an interesting hobby ~ he researches and explores Ghost Towns. Pretty cool, actually. - @]...

[I] Trekked through Southwest Oklahoma to chase down a few fabled lost towns. Some were hard to reach, but the little car [a bianco FIAT 500 Pop] did just fine...

Loveland, OK or Bust... 

No good roads lead to the townsite...

Established 1908, this town was a whistle stop between Wichita Falls and Frederick. It once had two hotels, two schools, two cotton gins, a bank, and two train stations which received four passenger trains a day.

The post office was famous, prompting people from all around the world to send their Valentines mail through there so it would receive the Loveland postal marking. The post office continued decades after the town itself died, but was destroyed by a tornado in the 1980s.

Same view of downtown area, 2013...

This unusual brick water tower is all that remains...

The Water Tower in 2013...

Tim's 500 Pop near the Water Tower...

Next stop: the Hollister Public School... 

A two-rut path leads near it...

After some research, I found that this was the Hollister School, serving the long defunct town of Hollister and surrounding areas. It was built in 1922.

Early class photo...

By 1960 there were fewer than 40 students remaining, and the last classes were held in 1968. That same year the building was torn down by developers from the county seat of Frederick to salvage the materials for other building projects. This wall, however, refused to come down no matter what they tried.

Go for it!

Final stop, Grandfield, OK...

Grandfield grew rapidly because of the rivalry between two other nearby towns. The residents and businesses of those towns began to flood Grandfield and it grew into a very large rail and trade center. The downtown area today is impressive, but long abandoned, [pretty much] choked to death mostly by the Dust Bowl, the Depression, and WWII. 

The next morning, after a heavy detailing... 

The FIAT [500 Pop] was none the worse for the wear... La Fine

There were a few other discoveries on the journey but this was the stuff on which I had some info, and impressed me the most. Thanks for letting me share some of it! - Tim

Thank you, Tim, for sharing your FIAT life enthusiasm with the community of aficionados. May you continue to explore similar areas all over the country and share your adventures w/haunting images with us. 

If you are a local CC5C member or supporter, you can learn more about nearby and far away Ghost Towns here. Happy hunting!

Vivere.Amare.Guidare.

Ciao!

@

L'Avventura di MEL B*****

Benvenuti amici!

The entry today marks the final in this chapter of MEL's life behind the wheel of her FIAT. We are sure there are many more adventures, for this new off road team, on the horizon. We thank her (and her brave Cinquino) for sharing this slice of FIAT life with us.

The Call of the 'Cento: pt 5

[Editor note: For my fellow... pampering... FIAT aficionados, this is a warning, things are about to get really scary. I encourage you to read on, but do so with the knowledge the horror will eventually subside... we think... we hope... we... uh-oh... - @]

On my way home, I smelled burning. It did not smell like electrical stuff, and I went outside to make sure it was not a campfire. Nope, burning from the Fiat. [I] Took it to the [local] Fiat dealership in SLC (John Garff) to rule out any serious issues before I drove home. 

They entertained my desire to take a photo of my mud-splattered Fiat...

... [parked near] a new showroom model

The service techs were highly amused by the dirtiness of my Fiat. And the burning smell was simply all the grass and mud stuck to the undercarriage. Heh. Go ahead and laugh ~ I know I did. Apparently, my warranty covers a thorough wash/wax. HaHaHa!

After my Fiat was thoroughly washed & waxed, I was off to explore Antelope Island State Park. Having a nice shiny vehicle for the first time in months, I decided against going on too many too many dirt tracks. To get to the island you drive a 6mi causeway on Great Salt Lake.

Once on the island, there were paved roads to explore the various parts of it and great views!

American Bison ~ [There are] giant herds of them all over the island! As well as pronghorn antelope, I kind of wanted a photo of a bison near the Fiat. But I was not about to be one of those moronic tourists doing stupid things near wildlife...

This photo, instead, will have to do

Where is the Fiat?

Found it! Now time for downhill!

Signs were all over the island with interesting historical tidbits. Apparently, a 1920s silent movie filmed on the island to capture the bison stampeding.

After a few hours, and not too many dirt experiences, I headed home... to Boise. La Fine? - MEL B

We hope you enjoyed our CC5C blog content experiment. From the beginning, we knew we wanted this blog to be as much of a departure from typical automotive blogs as the club is from typical 'car' clubs. There is nothing typical about a FIAT or a Cinquecento. It stands to reason the life experiences we have behind the wheel/s of them can be equally atypical.

You may not take your Fičko Baha'ing, but we are certain you - too - have story to tell. Feel free to share it with us ~ we are keen to publish it here. 

Stayed tuned for more FIAT life enthusiasm. If you are a local member/supporter, get ready for our meet 26 October...

Vivere.Amare.Guidare.

Ciao!

@