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!

@

CC5CM3 PSAs : Revisted

Benvenuti amici!

You'll recall we highlighted our own "CC5CM3 PSAs" early 2016. We continue to present our homegrown FIAT-related ideas in this way. These ideas... these "Public Service Announcements (PSAs)"... are meant to serve the greater FIAT community in a way that both inspires & emboldens somewhat isolated enthusiasts to mobilize, to gather and to invest time into building their own local and/or regional clubs. This, in turn, supports the efforts of the national and global FIAT communities... including the corporate entities.

Our efforts certainly have not been lost on FIAT Chrysler Automobiles (FCA). The  North American multimedia arm of the automaker featured a corporate blog story, highlighting our work, when we applied our brand of servitude to the 34th Annual FIAT FreakOut "guerrilla marketing" campaign. We are grateful the time put into these is catching on and trust we'll see more personal engagement, from other social motoring groups, in the coming months and years.

We haven't lost our sense of humor in this process... as the FIAT FreakOut PSA above clearly indicates. We realize, in an ever-changing global climate, FIATisti and ABARTHisti need a break away from the madness. So, we continue to throw in the occasional funny and/or cheeky PSAs for good measure.

It all, in the end, is about having as much fun as possible. Feel free to visit the CC5C Pinterest page often. Pin and Share our PSAs, inspire other enthusiasts around you, and get involved with your local, regional, national and global communities today. Don't worry if your local/regional enthusiasts are driving models and makes other than the 500 and FIAT. We added other beloved models (124/125, 126, 127/128, 600, 850, Panda, Punto, etc.) and FIAT-licensed marques, including; AutoVAZ/Lada, Polski FIAT, SEAT, Steyr-Puch, Zastava/YUGO, etc. to our online portfolio. Take it a step further and open your own cyber gallery. Share your images to our Facebook page. We dare you!

Vivere.Amare.Guidare.

Ciao!

@

Meet CC5Club

Benvenuti amici!

FIAT FreakOut 2017 is just around the corner. Over a year of preparation was poured into what the national club Vice President dubbed a "Once in a FreakOut" event. We thought now would be a good time for a brief introduction to some of the folks you'll meet when you arrive in Cream City.

Duane Hand: CC5Cruise Coordinator, 2017 FFO Planning Committee

Originally from upstate New York, Duane moved to Wisconsin in order to attend Beloit College. He married there and ended up staying in Wisconsin.Duane is a retired Army/Army Reserve veteran and is currently an X-ray Technologist. He bought his first FIAT 500, a giallo 2012 Sport, looking for something economical but fun... Something happened (he's not sure what is was) but now he's hopelessly hooked on FIATs! Duane traded that giallo 500S for a grigio 500 GQ.

Willie Carter: CC5C member, 2017 FFO Planning Committee

Willie bought his 1974 X1/9 eight years ago (sight unseen) for a whopping $800USD. 'Took a 1998 FIAT Punto block and had that built for the X motor. 'Modifications to have a complete unique car that fits his personality. 'Still a project with lots of work still going on. Before he got his X, he had a 1974 124 Spider that was a project... just to give him something to do in his spare time. That's what got him hooked on vintage Fiats. Now, besides his X, he has an '81 Spider 2000 project and a 2014 Fiat 500 Pop pulls duty as his daily driver.

Sean Kane: CC5Cruise Coordinator, 2017 FFO Planning Committee

I received my 1982 FIAT X1/9 from my late uncle, Damon Kane who passed away from ALS in August 2013. I took possession of my car back in September 2012 and have absolutely loved it ever since! I am a member of the FIAT Club of America Board of directors, Secretary of my daughters Parent Teacher Organization, co-own Commonwealth Mortgage Group, work in IT for my "regular job", blissfully married and the father of two beautiful little girls.

Owning my FIAT has introduced me to so many great people. I absolutely love the fact that the car provides you with a way to meet new people and explore new roads. I coordinate two drives each year.

Do you have a story to tell? Do you want to show off your FIAT? Send in your photo/s and your tale. We're happy to share them here.

See you sooner than later.

Vivere.Amare.Guidare.

Ciao!

@

FIAT FreakOut MKE Is Live!

Benvenuti amici!

The 34th annual FIAT FreakOut 2017 National Convention is officially live - after nearly two years of plotting, pitching, submission, approval, brainstorming, meeting, planning, decision-making and initial funding!

Nearly two years? you ask. Yes. You correctly read that. The idea to allow a, now, three years young local chapter to host the infamous national happening will be just a month shy of two years old when the event kicks off July 19th of this year. Quite frankly, the fact we're a mere four months away from Get'cher Freak On Time in Cream City is just beginning to truly sink in.

So, how did this still fledgling Midwestern FIAT/ABARTH club manage to snag the "grand prize" that is FreakOut? You can read about it in detail here... The 10 word answer is Bobb, Bryan, Doug, Duane, Joe, Mike, Pat, Sean, Thad, Willie. That short & sweet list of people encouraged & supported the ideas and efforts of this "FIAT Freak" with ideas and efforts of their own. Truman said, "It's amazing what you can accomplish if you don't care who gets the credit," and truer words have scarcely been spoken and/or written. That stated, I would be remiss if I failed to call those individuals out. Each individual shared an idea or offered their service in some way that plays big into this coming together in a relatively short amount of time.

Now, you know the "secret" of how this FreakOut came together. You can host your own FreakOut, right? Well... not so fast. We've only covered plot, pitch, submit, approve, meet and plan. That leads us to making decisions. I formed our local planning committee based upon personal voiced interest in making this happen and individual availability. "Make" and "available" are the operative terms necessary to get from page to practice. You'll have the chance to meet the local people responsible for offering one of the coolest FreakOuts ever as you participate in the activities in our itinerary. But it takes more than the help of a handful of individuals to see something like this to fruition...

... It also takes funding. The national club takes on a considerable percentage of the financial burden of hosting the event itself. Accommodations, the Welcome Dinner and the Awards Banquet, you can imagine, are major expenditures. Only a portion of attendees will likely choose to stay at the hotel chosen as our host accommodations or take part in our fantastic Awards Banquet. The national club takes on the risk of covering what attendance does not. Looking for ways to help mitigate said risk is essential to supporting our national Board of Directors. We chose cool but inexpensive activities and forged early partnerships with Palmen Alfa Romeo-FIAT (Road America), Reina International Auto (Road America) and Schlossmann FIAT (Concorso and MKE FIAT GeoDash). We also recruited the assistance of VISIT Brookfield and VISIT Milwaukee. Those agents played key roles keeping itinerary events affordable.

Finally, and quite possibly most importantly, we enjoy a tremendous amount of shared passion with the international, national, regional, local and online communities. We look forward to "getting our freak on" with you this summer. HAPPY INT'L WOMEN'S DAY...

Vivere.Amare.Guidare.

(Respect to the artists responsible for the images)

Ciao!

@

Cream City FreakOut!

Benvenuti amici!

When John & Lapo Elkann, Roberto Giolito and Sergio Marchionne reintroduced the Nuova 500 they could not have imagined the splash it would make… or the fevered passion their joint Labor of Love would inspire. The latest generation of the greatest runabout on the planet splashed on to North American shores in 2011 (earlier for Mexico) and the lives of people across Canada, Mexico & the US have never been the same since then.

Although FIAT America & FIAT Club America have been around for decades, the clubs weathered the vast majority of their fevered fan years without new model introductions. The 2011 relaunch of the brand, here, inspired a generation of enthusiasts, and venerated both [inter]national clubs with a spike in new membership.

While FIAT America holds club meetings, as well as other Race-Rally-Tour activities, throughout the year, FIAT Club America is made up of smaller "local chapters" sprinkled throughout the US and Canada and meets en masse once a year. The FIAT Club America gathering is called FIAT FreakOut (FFO). Cream City Cinquecento Club (CC5C) members have attended FFO since the 2014 Chicagoland Area gathering. Twenty-sixteen is the first year we attended as a chapter of FIAT Club America.

FFO2016 was held in Auburn Hills: Home of the FIAT Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) Headquarters. The Detroit Area happening included activities like a visit to the breathtaking W.P. Chrysler Auto Museum. The museum is located on the FCA campus and offers an explanation as to why FIAT S.p.A. chose to save Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram (CDJR) from certain industry death. The museum also offers a solid argument for CDJR fitting perfectly into the FIAT Famiglia. But I digress.

[fellow]SHIP at Auburn Hills foto by Milacento

"From [126]Poland, with Love"

[be]LIEVER at Chrysler Museum foto by Milacento

The primary reason FIAT Club America-FFO exists and functions is the cold hard fact FIATisti/FIATeros and ABARTHisti/ABARTHeros love their runabouts. Give them a decent reason to gather in numbers and they are "all in". Whether  attending aficionados own a vintage (original, restored or replica) or a contemporary (stock, modified or replica) Alfa Romeo, FIAT, Lancia and/or Maserati matters not. It's the soul of a human being who appreciates the Latin flair of Italian automobiles that keeps FFO going.

"Going" is one thing Italian cars... and the people who drive them... do better than any other. So, every year the organizers (the smaller local host city clubs) of FFO include at least one group cruise in the itinerary. In fact, at least one cruise is a requisite to gaining board approval. These cruises can come in the form of a traditional "Poker Run", a backroads romp or impromptu procession down a legendary boulevard or avenue. FFO2016 took enthusiasts to the legendary Woodward Avenue. The sights, sounds & smells on "The Ave" are indescribable. Take a spin and one "feels" what Motor City is all about.

FIAT Freaks and their DRAG[centos] foto by Milacento

The Ave: WOODWARD[cruise]

The Ave: WOODWARD[cruise]

The next "must-do" at FFO is The Concorso.

Rain or shine... "The Show Must Go On." Although there are [later] prizes and trophies associated with a Concorso, the true pleasure is in experiencing the soul of the driver permeating through the metal, carbon fiber, rubber, plastic, leather, cloth, circuits, wires and/or petroleum of the vehicles. Study the factory details and/or personal touches of a given vehicle and one can learn a lot about the pilot of said vehicle. FFO2016 was well attended, but partnering with the local "Italian Happening" event and the larger Concourse helped up the ante.

2016: FreakOut or BUST

Italian Happening & FFO Concorso 2016

The Cult of the Scorpion - Concorso 2016

FIAT FreakOut is not a spectator sport...

One of these things is not like the others...

My pick for Winner of the "Bead" Award

Italian Happening-FFO Concorso Ferrari!

"All work and no play" would make life a bore

Rally. Beast. Mode.

"DRAGO" the Lancia

The Legend that is STRATOS

The Awards Banquet happens the evening of the Concorso. Dinner and a high ranking FCA speaker play a big part of the FFO experience. An awards ceremony happens after drinks, fine dining and the corporate presentation.

Entrants are given ballots at the Concorso. Some of the award categories make their way into the ceremony each year, but there is plenty of room for creativity and growth... a reflection of the evolution of FIAT Club America. The 2016 awards were good to CC5C. Mister Reiners, Sean Kane, Bryan Reiners and Duane Hand each drove home with a plaque. Joe Noto & I, pictured below to the reader's right, did not enter our cars in the Concorso.

The men of "La Famiglia" foto by Milacento

CC5C + FFO16 Awards foto by Milacento

"Preaching" P3 for FFO17 foto by Milacento

The final event of any given FFO is the announcement of the host city for the following year. Cream City a/k/a Milwaukee Wisconsin is the chosen home of FIAT FreakOut 2017. Sworn to secrecy until the BOD officially announced their selection, the CC5C planning committee has been biting our collective tongue for nearly a year.

The idea of taking on such a daunting task came about when Bryan & Pat Reiners asked me whether or not I would consider organizing a national event in Milwaukee Wisconsin. Anyone frequenting this blog and the sister Facebook page knows I already keep myself plenty busy. I sharply communicated a condition in my response... I needed enough local volunteers for all phases. Bryan Reiners, Duane Hand, Joe Noto and Pat Reiners immediately pledged their commitment. So, I began putting together a tentative "pitch" for the FIAT Club America Board of Directors (BOD) to consider and fired off an "email of intent".

The BOD... especially Tim Beeble... gave the blessing to fine-tune my pitch and I established monthly meetings with Bryan, Duane, Joe, Pat, Sean Kane and Willie Carter. Kevin Dwyer & Mark Friedel also offered their assistance in planning routes and contacting other groups/clubs to enhance our plan. I am unable to adequately express my gratitude to local club members. No one person (regardless of individual talent and passion) does anything worth mentioning driving solo. It takes an equally committed team that is firmly rooted in a solid work ethic and unified in positivity. CC5C has that in spades. But we could always use more help. Volunteers can contact me via Private Message on Facebook, email or in-person at a local event.

Mark your calendar/s for 19-23 July...

Vivere.Amare.Guidare.

Ciao!

@

CC5C, FCA in 2016!

Benvenuti amici!

Time flies. This month marks the third December in the life our FIAT blog experience. We've already published a "Year in Review" entry. So, today we're publishing a tentative 2016 club (as well as some other FIAT Club America) activities schedule.

Learning from the past two years of planning member gatherings, we are not adding activities for the months of January, November and December. They are holiday months and people tend to be too busy to hang out. But that doesn't mean individual members won't send out invites for their own events, right?!

Check out our FB page for details coming soon!

January: Holiday season. No local event.

February: Bowling for FIATs!

• Meet at local bowling alley to shake the winter chill.

March: Trofeo CC5C 2016! (Uno)

• Meet at Int'l FIAT MKE.
• CC5Cruise to Veloce IS MKE.
• Stop for a relaxing dinner nearby afterward.

April: Spring Thaw Cruise!

• Meet at Milwaukee Art Museum (MAM).
• CC5Cruise and lunch at a yet to be determined locale.
• FIAT on the Dragon Unplugged. FCA Ricambi magazine boss hosts the annual romp at the infamous Tail of the Dragon. Learn details here.
• FIATs on Push Mountain. FIAT Club America Kansas City Area group hosts their first regional event. This event is open to all Midwest… and non-Midwest... FIAT owners. Learn details here.

May: Trofeo CC5C 2016! (Due)

• Meet at Int'l FIAT MKE.
• CC5Cruise to Veloce IS MKE.
• Stop for a relaxing dinner nearby afterward.

June: simply MORE cruise!

• Meet at Croquette Cafe (Third Ward).
• CC5Cruise to Hwy 18 Outdoor Cinema.
• Possible picnic at Drive-In before movies start.

July: CC5C invades FFO16!

• Travel to Michigan via Lake Michigan ferry.
• 4th is Cinquecento birthday & CC5C birthday.
• 11th is FIAT S.p.A. birthday. Plan a way to celebrate!

August: Reina International Auto & Moto Day!

• Meet at Discovery World (Lakefront MKE).
• CC5Cruise to Reina International Auto & Vespa.
• Lunch & gelato served at Reina International Auto & Vespa.

September: Trofeo CC5C 2016! (Tre)

• Meet at Int'l FIAT MKE.
• CC5Cruise to Veloce IS MKE.
• Stop for a relaxing dinner nearby afterward.

October: CC5C: FIATs. Feast. Farewell!

• Meet at Intl' FIAT MKE.
• CC5Cruise to the Fox & Hounds restaurant.
• CC5Cruise to Holy Hill (more backroad fun).
• Bid a fond "farewell" to the 2016 driving season.
• FIAT on the Dragon. FCA Ricambi magazine boss hosts the annual romp at the infamous Tail of the Dragon.

Nov & Dec: Holiday season. No local event.

We hope to see you at a few of these events. May sharing our schedule inspire non-local supporters to plan their own gatherings. See you on the road… or on the internet. Passion, Purpose, Peace & Happy Holidays!

Vivere.Amare.Guidare.

Ciao!

@