Benvenuti amici!
As has been mentioned countless times on this blog, the Cream City 500 Club is a FIAT lifestyle affair. Not all of life is reading about, tinkering with, restoring/building and driving FIATs. No, there is also collecting models, die-casts, toy racetracks and remote control versions of our favorite city, track & rally cars (chuckles). In this blog entry, we mean to draw your attention to a new popular pastime proposal for FIATisti around the world.
LEGO © has been making toys since 1932 and, since 1949, has been producing the popular interlocking blocks we know today. Well, not exactly, but the company was on its way to the perfect system by that time. The basis for the modern system was sorted out in 1958. FIAT S.p.A. has been manufacturing automobiles since 1899, and has been producing affordable-yet-attractive city cars since 1936. However, in 1957, the automaker introduced what has since become the most iconic runabout in Italian history.
Both companies have evolved over the years, becoming global phenomenons in the process. Both companies continue to introduce innovation after innovation in their respective areas of industrial entertainment. Both LEGO© and FIAT S.p.A. draw ideas from their consumer base. The focus of this CC5C blog entry, as mentioned earlier, is to draw your attention to one of the latest proposals from LEGO©… one that comes from the inspired LEGO IDEAS©, formerly LEGO Cuusoo. The website, that allows LEGO© users to submit their ideas for new products, was coincidently launched in 2008… once again the year after FIAT launched a reintroduction of the 500.
Not long ago, one LEGO IDEAS© user proposed a product based on the 1957 iteration of the FIAT Cinquecento. I must confess to wondering whether or not such a set of building blocks was ever created. I've seen several independent builds online, but never came across any official set. I may have very well missed this particular ambitious LEGO IDEAS© entry, if not for Sarah Hand (CC5C member/driver of bianco 500 Pop).
The following is taken from the LEGO IDEAS© site...
"The Fiat 500 is a simple compact city car designed and built in Italy by Fiat. It was designed to be a cheap and simple family in post WWII Italy. The car would go on to be produced for almost two decades with close to four million built over that time."
"The car is a rear engine design with the gas tank in the front. The engine was I-2 motor with a 4-speed manual transmission. The engine started off as a 479cc unit, but grew to 499cc and later to 594cc. This model has a hood and engine cover to reveal the details."
"The interior could seat four people and was surprisingly large for such a small car. The interior of this model includes the seats, all of the knobs and shifters, and the door panels with window cranks and door pulls."
"The model also includes several stickers for the license plates and logos. Personally, I'd like to see them printed directly on the pieces if possible. I'd like to hear everyone's comments on this design and, if possible, see it on the shelves!"
Well, it appears there is some interest coming from the LEGO© camp… as the model design is up for 'Support' on the LEGO IDEAS© site. I think, with some minor tweaks to better tie it to the inspiration, this is one project worth moving to production. In addition, I'd like to see an entire range of iconic FIAT LEGO kits (500 Topolino, 600, 131, 124 Spider, X1/9, Panda, 2007 500, etc.). I think they'd go over like gangbusters… with 'kids of all ages'.
If you'd like to see this proposal come to fruition, head over to the FIAT 500 LEGO IDEAS page and cast your vote. Thanks to the builder & LEGO© for doing their part to bring joy into the lives of other people.
Vivere.Amare.Guidare.
Ciao!
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