Being About The Legend

Benvenuti amici!

I am back with you following my semi-retirement from Car Culture Lifestyle blogging and my formal retirement from leading the local FIAT-ABARTH club I founded in 2013. The reason for my reprisal... unfortunately... is a very sad one.

Sergio Marchionne, the famed and (quite frankly) one of the greatest automaker CEOs of all-time fell ill last week. It was reported he underwent invasive surgery last month and his grave illness was connected to his body's reaction to it. I could go into further detail, but you have no doubt already read the multitude of reports that surfaced since last Thursday. He passed into the next today.

I am a creative realist. People like this man tend to become my life heroes.

The motivation behind what will be my final e-publication to this blog is simple... I want to honor the man responsible for saving the ABARTH, Chrysler, Dodge and FIAT brands. I want to honor the man who made Jeep & RAM brands more relevant than ever before. I want to honor the man responsible for relaunching Alfa Romeo in true Alfa style... "Italians know how to build great cars." I want to honor the man responsible for reviving Maserati from the doldrums to which the brand was stuck for some time. I want to honor the man who lit fire under the arse of Scuderia Ferrari... "A Ferrari that does not win is not a Ferrari." I want to honor the man who, only last month, announced FCA would report out completely debt-free profit by the end of this month... July 2018. I want to honor the man responsible for the livelihoods of over two hundred thousand people around the world. What have we done in the past 14 years? And I'm certain I'm only scratching the surface of his brilliant legacy.

Don Sergio Marchionne was much more than a "fix-it" man. He was fearless. He was creative. He was visionary. He was an apparent man of his word... He made public oaths to reopen plants around Italy as well as the rest of the countries in which FCA is active and he methodically worked hard toward making good on said oaths. He was a loving father.

Many news outlets falsely and ignorantly claimed FCA "replaced" Sr. Sergio with a new CEO. No one can take the place of Our Honorable Departed. I cannot say how FCA and Ferrari will look and/or operate without Don Marchionne in their respective orbits. But I can say... beyond a shadow of a doubt... the automobile industry will never look quite the same. So, please, rev your engines with purpose today. We all, FIATisti-ABARTHisti and all petrolheads alike, owe this great HUMAN BEING at least that much. 'A small way this great leader of the modern automobile industry + classic working class hero will LIVE FOREVER...

Vivere. Amare. Guidare.

Mainstream Mayhem!

Benvenuti amici!

You've read about and seen many CC5CM3 PSAs hyping the FIAT Club America national event -- here, on our Facebook page and in the threads created for my two favorite North American FIAT/ABARTH forums. There was the additional blog post to help push registration activity at FIAT 500 USA.com.

You may have come across the two articles that appeared on the FCA North America multi-media blog called Objects In The Mirror...

The twin articles, FIAT FreakOut Headed To Milwaukee and Advertising Goes Retro For FIAT FreakOut 2017, were written by Edward Cardenas and constructed from an email exchange between us. Cardenas contacted the national club leaders as part of the corporate annual backing of the epic FIAT Famiglia event and developed a keen interest in the "PSAs" created, by yours truly, as part of our guerrilla marketing campaign.

We were pleasantly surprised to be contacted during the first few days of FreakOut regarding the possibility of covering the Road America "anchor" event. That coverage surfaced as a cool short shout on Classic Cars.com. But William Hall was not the only journalist in attendance. Todd Lassa, of Automobile Magazine also got his FreakOn in his longterm FIAT 500X. His six-page article made an appearance in print (the December issue of the magazine) as well as online (link included above).

So, what's all the hype about? Why do people pour so much energy into promoting this 34 years and going strong event?

My past years as a small press publisher of "underground" comics tell me it's due, in large part, to something we feel as "La Cosa Nostra" or "Our Thing". Is this meant to be some sort of play on words tying FIAT and ABARTH fans to the Sicilian mafia? No. It's more a comparison to that feeling we get when we discover something understood to few and misunderstood by the vast amount of others.

The FIAT and ABARTH brands have never quite planted their wheels on North American roads despite the fact the brands enjoy a rabid fanbase in South America and, of course, Europe. So, monthly local or annual national events around those brands raise a few eyebrows. To our delight... some of the raised eyebrows, in 2017, belonged to those in mainstream media. This is the highest profile hype the club has experienced.

Could this mark the elevation (and evolution), of FIAT and ABARTH marques, from mere unsung underground to ultra mainstream marketshare on our shores? Only time can tell but it seems as though the likelihood of such a thing is more pipe dream than possibility.

FIAT and ABARTH will likely always belong to the true believers. That stated... It's nice to see some positive press in a six-page spread of a major domestic magazine. We embrace it and aim to capitalize on it with a more aggressive approach to promoting (local, national) clubs and events via consistent and entertaining online presence.

Vivere.Amare.Guidare.

Ciao!

@

Militia-ous Maneuvers!

Felice Anno Nuovo amici!

The first entry of the year is typically the most difficult for me. In 2014, I covered my personal observations regarding the differences between the 500P and the A500. I covered forthcoming CC5C activites in the January 2015 entry. What should I write for 2016? Let's see...

In the blog entry introducing the Mighty Mouse Militia (MMM or M3), we established; (1) the original 1936 standard 500 is called "Topolino" or "Mickey Mouse", (2) a feisty 500 is a "Mighty Mouse", and (3) militia is defined as a body of citizens enrolled for military service, and called out periodically for drill but serving full time only in emergencies. In this entry, we will examine a very important function of the M3 for 2016 and beyond.

CC5C-Mighty Mouse Militia "RECORD" logo

By-and-large, the M3 idea is simply about fun. It's an extension of the CC5C Vivere | Amare | Guidare motto, albeit slanted in the direction of FIAT's racing history. The M3 logo pays respect to Karl 'Carlo' Abarth and Attilio & Domenico Giannini… the pioneers of tuning runabouts a/k/a city cars a/k/a economy cars. But there is more to life than the track. I'm sure that last line had do Enzo spinning fast & furiously.

The M3 logo also offers a borderless banner fans of this blog and it's sister FB page [everywhere] can rally under. The rallying, off track, is the "very important function" this blog entry will discuss.

I'm sure it would come as no surprise to you I frequent a few fan forums. Over the years I've paired down the sites/forums I visit daily to FIAT Tech and FIAT 500 USA. As the name suggests, FIAT Tech is the one of the very best FIAT-specific technical sites/forums on the 'net. FIAT 500 USA offers some technical help and is a fantastic source of FIAT news. I consider both to represent [online] community in the best sense of the word.

FIAT on the Dragon: Americanos Represent!

Are you new to the FIAT life experience? Are you a first time FIAT owner? Are you having trouble navigating the post-purchase experience? 'Interested in customizing the look and/or performance of your FIAT or ABARTH? FIAT Tech and FIAT 500 USA are two of your best North American resources.

One ongoing topic of discussion on many forums is "dealership closings". I cannot put a number to just how many threads dedicated to the subject I read every 2-3 months. Before we jump into that topic a bit of a retrospective perspective is necessary.

When FIAT returned to the North American market the automaker did so in grand fashion. Early bidders for a local license were required to commit to building a standalone "studio". The Italian automaker offered a few exterior/interior decorating variations from which dealers chose. In addition, the winning bidders committed to purchasing most of the materials used to build said studios from suppliers FIAT chose. That is a huge undertaking.

One of the first FIAT USA Studios to open doors

Adding to the daunting task of taking part in the reintroduction of FIAT in North America is the limited product line available at launch. Remember, the European automaker was working toward a complete takeover of the Chrysler Group LLC when they arrived on our shores. The EU range offering was due a major refresh, but FIAT S.p.A. was focused on the global future of the brand. Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep-Ram (CDJR) was in need of even more work. Not only was the Daimler-era product line showing it's age, the manufacturing facilities were in need of total retooling. So the entire success of the forward thinking business plan rested on the success of the iconic Cinquecento.

Nuova FIAT 500:The little mouse that could

As cool as many North Americans know the 500 is, building an entire business on three trims of the same B-spec 2-dr/3-dr runabout is a lot to ask -- even with the looming relaunch of the 500 ABARTH (a 2-dr/3-dr hot hatch version of the 500). Dealers were gambling big. Knowing this, FIAT sweetened the deal by announcing a major bonus to high performing studios… a license to sell Alfa Romeo. Wow! Dealers went to work. Some did a great job of playing brand ambassador to a truck and sedan loving public while others didn't fair so well. This is where we come back to the "dealer closing" subject.

One of the few drawbacks of the standalone studio format is the post-purchase service limitations such a business model naturally creates. In order to help lure dealers into the fold, FIAT USA guarantees those studios will have a protected hedge from stiff sales competition. This works great when 500s are the new kid on the block, but it means the only 'centos found on North American roads are those the select dealers sell. Couple that with another reality… Communities are left without a local service center if/when said dealers decide they no longer need/want to be brand ambassadors. Who will "Fit It" if/when something does go wrong? That's right, I went there.

Ad puns the "Fix It Again Tony" reputation of old

Any FIATista-ABARTHista worth his/her salt will inform you there are more FIAT studios than there are MINI showrooms. But many, if not all, MINI showrooms & service facilities are attached to BMW gallerias & service facilities. Getting one's MINI serviced becomes exceedingly easier as the ever-enlarging runabouts share more-and-more technology [platforms] with their higher end parent marque. According to what I have learned, after hours upon hours of phone calls into FIAT/Chrysler Cares, FIAT USA has not yet chosen to entertain this kind service solution for their city car pioneering marque.

This can and does become a hard sell for a would be and/or all-in new owner. Despite peddling what amounts to a large fleet of relatively inexpensive economy cars, FIAT S.p.A. is always at the cutting edge of engineering and styling advancements. Any truthful auto reviewer will tell you the innovators in their industry suffer the natural pitfalls associated with breaking new ground. Reasonable consumers also "get" that fact.

When FIAT decided to import the utilitarian 500L we knew there could/would be proper "flash" challenges. We knew there could/would be a learning curve… and acceptance hurdle… associated with the introduction of the forward-thinking Euro Twin Clutch transmission. Suffering the could be/would be issues is justified with the sticker price and fuel savings. But driving/towing 50-180 miles (80 to nearly 300 kilometers) for a "reflash" or other "working out the glitch" services is not likely something that is mentioned when selling a consumer on taking that pioneering leap with the automaker.

Gwen Stefani graces FCA "Mash-Up" Advert

FIAT S.p.A. and Chrysler Group LLC became FIAT Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) when the Italian industrial leader fully absorbed the USAmerican legend in October of 2014. This absorption has benefit CDJR fans in a major way. The various model ranges have been beautifully revamped and/or broadened… powered by FIAT-funded ABARTH-Alfa Romeo-Maserati technological advancements… drawing in new drivers as well as "Mopar Or No Car" loyalists. The same cannot be easily said for the hardcore followers of and newcomers to the parent brand fold.

Despite running shops filled with technicians, now, familiar with Italian motoring know-how… seemingly (to owners) in spite of working for a company that would be extinct without the business savvy and engineering skills from "The Land of the Boot"… a CDJR dealer won't touch a FIAT. In fact, according to FIAT/Chrysler Cares, said CDJR dealers cannot touch a FIAT. While protecting the sales of studio partners is understandable, isolating… possibly… alienating drivers is neither understandable nor acceptable. The "what if" can, will and does happen. Dealers can, will and have allowed their license/s to lapse. So what is a discerning automaker, auto group or auto enthusiast to do?

"The Family that Plays Together Stays Together"

The FCA theme for the 2016 Detroit International Auto Show is "Gears". The auto giant suggests the key to lasting success for all the brands under the FIAT-Chrysler umbrella is working together like gears in a powerful engine. I dig that! In fact, I couldn't agree more with my AWESOME automaker of choice. But an idea… a concept… runs the risk of rendering itself a somewhat worthless relic if said idea/concept is never realized. Am I right?

I hold my ideas/concepts to the same standards as I hold my favorite coach manufacturer. Your corner of North America may have ample sales & service outlets, but other pockets of the country inhabited by likewise passionate FIATisti-ABARTHisti are not as fortunate. As a member of the Mighty Mouse Militia, you owe it to yourself and your "dreamobile" loving brethren to send and email, make a phone call and/or place a visit to FCA Corporate and neighborhood dealers. Ask them when we can expect a more "drive friendly" service network. A voice, like an idea/concept, runs the risk of rendering itself a somewhat worthless relic if not exercised. You never know when and where you may need back up. I ask you once again… Am I right?

Mighty. Mouse. Militia. Approved. Maneuver.

Vivere.Amare.Guidare.

Ciao!

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