550th post: Videos++ review: Fiat 500 Classic

 550th post: Videos++ review: Fiat 500 Classic

In this blog entry, I'm reviewing the Fiat 500 Classic (Cinquecento in Italy).  This is the 550th post.  It's produced from 1957 to 1975 and measuring less than 3 metres long (2.97m), 180cm wheelbase and 499kg (0.5 tonne), it's the 1st ever City car.

I still see a few units of this baby running around in Malaysia though it's getting rarer as days passed.  The value of the Fiat 500 is determined by body (eg. rust), condition (eg. engine, interior),  willing buyer and willing seller (ie, No fixed value).

ABOVE: Rear air cooled Engine, BELOW: Bonnet

The engine's a 17hp 2 cylinder air cooled 479cc mated with a 4 speed manual gearbox.  Top speed: 90km/h only.

For more info, do visit this Wikipedia page:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiat_500

I compiled a few  videos of Fiat 500 Classic.  Here goes:

The 1st 5 videos were from Wheeler Dealers UK, credit goes to Discovery Channel.  


Video 1:



Video 2:


Video 3:


Video 4:



Video 5:


Video 6: Autocar.  Fiat 500 meets it's ancestor:


MORE PHOTOS:

 It's so CUTE and CULT Classic that it appeared in Disney Pixar's Animated "Cars" and "Cars 2.".
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Without further ado, let's proceed to owner's review:

SOURCE: http://www.carsurvey.org/reviews/fiat/500/r80233/   

Owner 1: 1971 Fiat 500 Berlina F review from UK and Ireland

"Original Italian car for the masses, good fun little classics and cheap to run"

What things have gone wrong with the car?

Engine needed some work on purchase, but the car was a bargain at €2,000! Can't remember the exact details - lots of little bits basically.
Will need de-coking next year.
New starter motor cable.

General comments?

These are cracking little cars with bags of character. They're slow as hell, so don't expect to go anywhere quick - average speed in hilly surroundings is 30mph, flat out is about 55mph (with a tail wind) and you have to stop every 80 miles or so to give the little air-cooled engine a breather.

That said, we drove ours from Milan to London in 4 days without any dramas. It's comfortable enough, surprisingly roomy, the engine has a pleasant two cylinder four stroke "putt putt" sound to it, like an old boat engine, so isn't hard on the ears.

And most importantly this car is the cutest thing on four wheels! We originally bought it to sell on at a profit (our €2,000 would have converted into about £3,500!) but it was so much fun we kept it. It's such a head turner. We drive it around London sometimes and people go mad for it. It's so funny. God knows how many photos we're in without even knowing it.

Anyway, economical, fun, cheap (ish) to maintain (though it's advisable to join the local owners club and know a specialist mechanic unless you're already that way inclined yourself) and cute as a button. The only thing is you won't be wanting to do long journeys in it!

Owner 2: 1970 Fiat 500 L review from Greece

"Great car, so much fun!!!"

What things have gone wrong with the car?

Nothing at all. Did the first time I got it the routine maintenance fixed all the faulty things that it got from the previous owner. In fact all these that I have changed, are all routine things.

General comments?

Very slow... But a great fun to drive!!! If you want to have fun buy a 500 and everybody will smile at you!!!

END OF REVIEW.  That's all folks, thanks for having the time and patience to read this blog entry.

cbt article: Evergreen Jaguar Mark II

FIFTY years ago, two iconic British automobiles were presented to the motoring world.

The tiny Mini Minor in August of 1959 and the elegant compact saloon from Jaguar called the Mark II in October.

Both marques celebrate their golden anniversary this year and interestingly are among the most desirable of British classic cars today.

The Mark II was launched to coincide with the country’s first inter-urban highway known as the M1 Motorway.

The model was introduced to replace the outdated and unpopular Mark I and was substantially a re-designed variant of the latter in terms of build quality, aesthetics and power.

It was also created to fill the gap between the XK sports variants and the large Mark IV.

Like the E-type which held its own in Jaguar’s sports car section, the Mark II was developed to be the marque's sporting saloon flag bearer.

The styling was refreshing although it still retained that "leaping Jaguar" side profile of the sporty XK.


-SOURCE 2-

Substantial improvements in comparison to its predecessor included a bigger glassed area, revised interior, semi spats covering the rear wheels and a wider track for the rear axle.

The classy interior of the car features leather seats, highly polished walnut door capping and dashboard which is filled with multiple gauges blending nicely with aviation inspired toggle switches.

With three different engine variants to choose from, the Mark II was an instant hit among motorists when introduced and until the end of its production run in 1967.

The base model, which came with a straight six 2.4-litre motor (2,483cc XK 16) from the legendary XK series, is capable of dishing out up to 120bhp.

After absorbing feedback from new Mark II owners on the lack of brute power to match its looks, Jaguar unleashed a new batch of 11s in 1957, this time with a 220bhp 3.4-litre (3,442cc XK16) lump which could justify the much needed power for a bit of M1 motorway rush.

Disc brakes were fitted to keep the horses in check. It did not stop there as the engineers from Coventry decided to give this "cat" more pace to match the space.


(SOURCE 3)

A 3.8-litre (3,781cc XK 16) engine similar to the one used in the 3.8 E-Type XKE, except for the carburettors and manifold set-up, was transplanted into this top of the mark, Mark II.

The engine, mated to a manual gear box, reportedly made the Mark II the fastest production car in the world at that time.

This was the turning point in the image of the Mark II as it became the favourite of fast drivers from both sides of the legal divide.

It was termed as the "ultimate getaway car of the 1960s" as it had the pace and agility that bank robbers needed.

To match those fast robbers, the British police department got themselves a fleet of 3.8 Mark IIs, which subsequently also resulted in the Mark II achieving celebrity status as one of the more popularly used automobiles on the silver screen.

Naturally, it enjoyed great success on the race track and achieved forefront status in production saloon car race series.

Today, some of the race built Mk IIs feature annually at the Goodwood Revival and Festival of Speed meets.

The Mark II was succeeded by the XJ6 and took a beating in terms of value back in the 1970s and early 1980s.

In Europe, the Mark IIs that made good "banger" cars were scrapped after "retirement" from street sport.

In Malaysia, some of these models were said to have been sold for as low as a few hundred ringgit during the oil crisis and the dominance of Japanese cars.

However, in the 1990s there was a global surge of interest in the Mark II.

Car collectors poured huge sums into restoration and transforming tired old units into gleaming pieces of automobile art.

Some prime examples in the country have been reportedly sold with prices ranging up to RM100,000.

You are bound to see the Jaguar Mark II at classic car meets around the world and we know of some pristine units here.

The Mark II body line is evergreen and it even inspired Jaguar stylists to create re-interpretations like the S-Type in 1999 and subsequent X-Type.

The ability of the Mark II to hold its own after 50 years is testament to the commonly heard phrase, "they don’t build cars like they used to".



Jaguar MK II production (source wikipedia)

1. 2.4 built between 1959-1967 – 25,173 units
2. 3.4 built between 1959-1967 – 28,666 units
3. 3.8 built between 1959-1967 – 30,141 units

Total: 83,976 units

(In 1967, the 2.4 and 3.4 became the 240 and 340, and the 3.4 derivative deleted)

Final production year (1967)

1. 240 - 4,446 units
2. 340 - 2788 units
3. 380 – 12 units

Total: 7,246

END Source: Wikipedia

Above article written By Andrew Suresh (other than the Wikipedia source)

MORE PHOTOS:




That's all folks, thanks for having the time and patience to read this article...


SOURCES:
1) http://cbt.com.my/091212/evergreen-jaguar-mark-ii
2) http://www.heritageclassics.com/jaguar/62mk2gry/A.jpg
3) http://www.classicargarage.com/common/pictures/lexclassics/2007/0907/supersize/mk2-eng.jpg

Check it out: 1969 VW Beetle 1.6 @ 93mph (150km/h)!

VW Beetle '69 1.6cc Stock 93MPH / 150KM/H
Elite highway, Shah Alam - Putrajaya/Cyberjaya









The car shakes when it gets to 62mph-70mph after that it runs smooth....
until 92mph (over the meter) shakes abit but after i think about 95mph it doesn't shake as much but i dare not press somemore.
my fren from JB says he tries 160KMH and also dare not try to over speed anymore.his meter is a KMH at 160 max. - Askar_lcy from Lowyat forum.



Source: http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/359318/+2360