3.31.2014

CC5C 2014 Calendar

Benvenuti amici!

Before we can get off to any real cruising, the CC5C 2014 season is off to pavement-peeling start. Below, you will find a list of dates & activities. Bookmark/Save this page and mark your calendar. On the digital page, this looks to be an amazing season of FIAT life.

Note: November, December and January have no associated event/s. Those three months can be brutal in Wisconsin… and people are often traveling out-of-state for the holidays. This does not keep people from getting together on their own, though. Also, we have yet to nail down an event for June. We will update this page as well as announce the event on our FB page when we have more to share. So, stay tuned!


Jan ~ 2014 season planning month.

Feb (held on Mar 1) ~ Cabin Fever Cruise; Shake off the winter blues with a perilous CC5C cruise to Evolution MKE for food, drink & Ping-Pong.


Mar 29 ~ CC5C Planning Session; Very rarely does serious success come without serious planning. A family meeting & short Cream City Cruise to Divino Wine & Dine followed by an impromptu visit at Reina Int'l Auto does the trick.



Apr 18 ~ CC5C & Bergstrom FIAT of MKE FIAT. FISH. FRY.; The club & local studio crew will get together for some non-business food & drink. It's about time. Join us at FIAT of MKE or The Fox & Hounds from 5:30pm until…


Apr 26 ~ Spring Thaw Cruise; The salt is gone! It's time to celebrate with a CC5C cruise to Wisconsin Auto Museum, in Hartford WI, and a family feast at Mineshaft Restaurant & Bar.

May 31 ~ simply MORE Cruise; Celebrate the first 2011-2012 FIAT ad campaign with a cruise to Highway 18 Drive-in (Jefferson County).



June 28 ~ CC5C: Famiglia Fest; Celebrate Famiglia with a CC5Cruise to the Cedarburg Strawberry Festival. Admission is free of charge.


July 10-13 ~ FIAT FreakOut 2014; The national FIAT club, FIAT Club America, will hold the annual event in IL this season. CC5C will attend varying schedules. Stay tuned to make sure you can join one of our caravans.



July 19 ~ Trofeo CC5C 2014; Join CC5C in a relaxing reenactment of the Historic Elkhart Lake Race Circuits. We will, of course, stop for a family feast.


Aug 7 ~ ABARTH Experience Track Day; Join the CC5C caravan to this special event, sponsored by FIAT's ABARTH & Co. division. The 2014 Joliet IL ABARTH Experience is already shaping up to be a very exciting excursion for our club.


Aug 16 ~ CC5Celebration; Join CC5C as we celebrate our first year! We will caravan to Madison for a visit with our Madhouse members. We will, of course, stop for a family feast. Stay tuned for more details.


Sep 7 ~ CC5Cars & Coffee; Join the caravan as CC5C invades the storied Lake Mills Cars & Coffee event. We will, of course, stop for family feast.



Oct 11 ~ FIATs. Feast. Farewell.; Join CC5C on a backroads cruise to The Fox & Hounds Restaurant. This particular event was a huge success last year. Don't miss this opportunity enjoy the type of drive for which your FIAT was designed!


Oct (?) ~ CC5C & Fiat On The Dragon; This event only happens twice a year and is  FIAT Club America sanctioned. Old habits die hard. Stay tuned for more details.



Nov ~ 2015 season planning month.

Dec ~ 2015 season planning month.


Wow! How is that for a season of driving social?

Vivere.Amare.Guidare.


Ciao!

@

3.24.2014

Un Lavoro d'Amore: Pt Cinque

Benvenuti amici!

We are back with the latest update for Bryan Thompson's Abarth build. Since this build began, FIAT USA has released the North American version of the GQ special edition (SE) Cinquecento. The reason for distinguishing the EU version from the NA version is simple. Although both cars were designed in collaboration with Condé Nast, they are mechanically and aesthetically very different models.

The GQ 500 IT is based upon a hardtop and cabrio version of the EU 500S, which is essentially a finer version of the NA 500 Sport. What separates this SE from the car upon which it is based is the ABARTH 595 Turismo dressing (specifically the exterior paint and the interior styling).




The GQ 500 US is based on a cabrio version of the NA ABARTH, which is essentially an EU 500c ABARTH EsseEsse (including somewhat controversially VIN series, power & a muffler). What separates this SE from the car on which it is based is the fact it is dressed in a combination of NA 500 Sport dressing (wheels), 500T badging/lights and NA 500 Lounge dressing (seats & details).




In short, the EU GQ is a standard 500 with ABARTH interior & exterior styling, while the NA GQ is an ABARTH cabrio with standard 500 interior & exterior styling. 

What does all this have to do with an update of Bryan Thompson's ABARTH build? Well, if you've been keeping up with our entries, his vision for what the modern could/should be happens to mirror much of what has been done for the NA version of the GQ 500




Pattern for Bryan's Abarth Interior

The 500 GQ IT is celebrated. The 500 GQ US seems to be somewhat polarizing. No matter how one feels about those special editions, one cannot help but be intrigued by what Bryan is doing. He is taking aesthetic customization, of a daily driver, to new level. It appears he is having loads of fun in the process. We are most definitely fans of fun.

Vivere.Amare.Guidare.

Ciao!

@

3.18.2014

Un Lavoro d'Amore: Pt Quattro

Benvenuti amici!

We are back with part four of Bryan Thompson's very personal 500 ABARTH build. In order to restore some level of context to what you are about to see, we thought we should offer some context to the motivation/inspiration behind his approach. 

A Vintage Scorpion in the Wild

Bryan, an automotive designer of larger vehicles, got his start in an impromptu afternoon meeting with, then, FIAT Director of Design, Peter Davis. During this meeting of the minds, Bryan received the advice he credits with giving him purpose & focus. Bryan's relationship with FIAT is coming full circle with the reintroduction of FIAT to the US market and the relaunch of the Cinquecento (and the Cinquecento ABARTH).

A Legend is Reborn: "Small but Wicked"

Bryan, a huge fan of the sense of whimsy he feels when he sees a vintage 500, was left in want when he saw the modern 500 Abarth. Sure, he loves the overall design, power & sound of the Scorpione. But he cannot help feel the modern version of the supermini packs bit too much venom in its color schemes and racing-inspired accents. So, not afraid to put his money where his mouth is, Mister Thompson decided to purchase an ABARTH… as well a 500 Lounge donor car… to create what he believes is a truer modern representation of the vintage A500.

For those paying attention, FIAT recently took a step into past-inspired interior color schemes with the 595 ABARTH Anniversary Edition


A Limited Edition to Celebrate Greatness

Bianco e Nero Accents… A Nod to the Past

… But Bryan has decided to take his design quite a bit further. To learn just what we mean, you must read on…

One of the first things on which Bryan needed to decide is the color scheme of his pet project. What would be the best combination to attain the feel of late '50s/early '60s design? Well, for Bryan, it had to be a Baby Blue & Ivory exterior. For the interior, Bryan has chosen to pair the exterior scheme with various hues of brown. One thing for certain is this car will most definitely emote the past upon first glance… as well as repeat gazing.

"Quick update today:

AbarthFront End! Looks so good. I had them completely remove the side vents (which destroys them) but it was worth the effort; now the new vents will slide right into place without any shoddy looking mask lines.

Paint quality is flawless, and you can see how the ivory mirror caps contrast/make the blue appear more saturated. My respect for color and material design grows deeper with each step of this project!!!"

Baby Blue… And Ivory…

They are not simply details…

… They are the product.

Now, you have an idea of just how committed Bryan is to his vision for the exterior of this 'cento. Let's take a brief step into the interior treatment of his buggie. Here are some shots, with notes, of what Mister Thompson wants to see as he buzzes around town in his very retro runabout.

Now, you see it…

… Now, you don't.

A Pop/Lounge wheel & dash set-up in the A500

As you can see, through these latest photos, Bryan's vision is bold and he has no fear of stepping into unchartered territory to achieve the look he desires. We look forward to seeing future shots of the interior coming together. In the meantime, if you have not read past entries, check them out… scroll below.

Vivere.Amare.Guidare.

Ciao!

@

3.09.2014

FIAT + The Future of Racing

Benvenuti amici!

This month is peeling away from the line in similar style to the way things have been since FIAT Group Automobiles completed the purchase of/merger with Chrysler Group LLC. This announcement, to me, is bigger than the announcements of; the Chrysler 200S, the Jeep Cherokee, the Jeep Renegade and the eagerly anticipated FIAT 500X… combined.
                                                                                 
Online teaser…

The rabid media & blogosphere frenzy began, on this one, just as soon as the teaser hit the 'net. The 2014 Geneva Auto Show could not arrive soon enough. As is typically the case with a major FIAT announcement, this was well worth the wait. I trusted this would be more than just another pretty special edition 500 and our brand did not disappoint.

2014 Geneva Auto Show Reveal...

Rather than bore you with the same technical info to which you have been privy  since 4 March (this FIATista's birthday celebration), I will cut to the chase and bring on the officially released photos. After all, the look & sound of Italian machines is what truly makes them exciting. Right?

Uh-oh...

The Abarth 695 Biposto Special Edition...

Radio, Power Windows & A/C ~ Don't Need'em...

Autobox for the Abarth? Not in this Scorpione...

Because Four Seats Would be too Many...

The New Era of the Rising Scorpion has Arrived!

FIAT is, once again, leading the charge in road + track cars. Not only will the brand factor heavily in establishing the soon-to-be-launched FIA Formula 4 Racing, which will act as another cornerstone in the Formula 1 pyramid, the Italian automaker also revealed the Abarth will initially power the one-seater F4 'superminis'. I, for one, am very glad to know our brand is still pushing design, engineering and motorized entertainment into the future.

FCA could not have planned this announcement at a better time. The start of the 2014 Formula 1 season burns rubber in less than one week, the Pirelli World Challenge revs up in less than a month and Targa New Foundland is a few months away. Life, Italian Style. Dig it...

Vivere.Amare.Guidare.

Ciao!

@

3.01.2014

CC5C: March Hotness!

Benvenuti amici!

We are taking a brief break from Bryan Thompson's Labor of Love to fill you in on what the CC5C has planned for the month of March.

As the title of this entry states, we like to think of the third month on the calendar as the 'hottest'. Current temperature aside, there is a lot to heat things up & celebrate. Allow me to explain…

In the month of March (2008), I met my life partner/partner-in-crime in southern Spain. In the month of March (on the fourth day), I observe a new year of life in my personal journey. In the month of March (on the twentieth day), we will observe the first day of Spring. But this is also a big month for FIATisti. 

On 20 March 2007, FIAT S.p.A. officially released the first images of the modern Cinquecento. Reportedly, 3 March 2011 is the day the very first 2012 500 Prima Edizione was delivered to retail in the USA. This month, I humbly report over eleven thousand visits to this blog (sing July of last year). Last but not least, 1 March 2014 is the first of two CC5C Famiglia March gatherings.

Exhibit A:


Where: Bergstrom FIAT USA of MKE

When: 1 March 2014, Noon

What: We will meet at our Milwaukee local studio and leave no later than 1:00 PM. We'll caravan to Milwaukee's Third Ward. Our destination is SPiN/EVOlution. Feel free to come & go as you please… just remember to have fun while you're with us. 

How: Whether it's in your FIAT or another mode of transport, we want to see/spend time with you. USAmericans may have rendered the automobile expendable, but the humans designing & driving them are invaluable.

Why: Because life is too precious not to celebrate.

Stay tuned (and warm) for more March announcements, including the details of our 29 March 2014 gathering...

Vivere.Amare.Guidare.

Ciao!

@