Story, Photos & Video by Miguel Caparros additional Photos by Fiat Group Marketting

Fiat 500C Drive Naked

I was trying to convey the ultimate feeling of being free, unencumbered by the restraints of society, the feeling of going to that swimming hole where no one went and you could enjoy the privacy of being totally with out care. The new Fiat 500C (Cabrio) with its power operated soft top can give you  a feeling of freedom. The charismatic little car that has taken the rest of the world by storm winning Car of The Year Awards, went on sale in the North America in April of 2011. At the same time at the New York International Auto Show Fiat was unveiling the open top version of the Fiat 500, the" C ". If you missed my initial driving impressions watch the video. With a price point just under $20,000 the 500C is the least expensive option for going topless in a new car. It is quite car, do not be fooled by the "cuteness" of Topolino (the little mouse in Italian). This is a very worthy car for today's world, with an American Size interior, this 6 foot tall pilota could wear a hat while driving and not hit his head against the roof.  The initial impression from most once seated is that it is much bigger on the inside than the outside. The magic of the Italian stylist created a shape that pays homage to the original Topolino of the 50's but thanks to modern engineering and styling created a visual impression of the old in a much bigger package that truly defies the senses. 

The impressions I made in March when I first drove the 500 around Northern Georgia apply to the Cabrio also.  Another surprising thing is that the convertible is quieter with the top open than the coupe with the sunroof open. You have to experience it to believe it, you can carry on a normal conversation over the Blue&Me Handsfree Communication integrated sound system while driving at 60 mph with the top open.  And when you close the top, thanks to the multi-layer top you would not know it has a soft top it may actually be quieter than the coupe. 

I slid in the Bare Naked Ladies cd into the POP's  ( the base model) CD/MP3/AM/FM radio with auxiliary audio input. The system also has a USB port with iPod control capability. My daughter demands that any new car should have steering wheels with audio controls, the Fiat has all this and a color coordinated leather wrapped steering wheel.

Something that Fiat is bringing back through their Dealer Studio Concept is a way to personalize your car. There are more than 500,000 ways to stylize you personal 500C. 14 paint colors, 3 cloth top colors 12 seat color and interior material combos, you can truly have it your way.

When it comes to safety there has been no skimping. In Europe the Fiat 500 c was the first A segment car to get a five star adult occupation protection rating. I expect that with the additional reinforcement in the North American model and the standard 7 airbags a 5 star rating should be forth coming from the NHTSA. So, when no one is looking and your on a lonely back road Driving Naked, don't blame me when the local Polizia pull you over. Fiat Web Site

Story, Photos & Video by Miguel Caparros

The Classics DeTomaso Mangusta 1967-1971 See the Video

The DeTomaso Mangusta was the predecessor to the now very famous Pantera of 1971. Although the cars are very similar, the Mangusta and the Pantera shared very few parts. DeTomaso had figured out early on that there was no way his small company could tool up to build exclusive engines and transmissions for his car lines. He instead decided to explore the limits of design and engineering that were to bold for Ferrari and Maserati who were the established exotic car manufacturers and at this point conservative in design and innovation. Innovation can sometimes lead to great success or to disaster, DeTomaso was chastised for the handling of his cars as was Lamborghini's first mid engine car the Miura. A few exotic tuners and I were able to tame the snap over steer problems with slight geometry changes to the suspension and by increasing the the rear tire foot print of these cars.

DeTomaso had decided to get a major automotive manufacturer to supply him with a light weight v8 to take his creations out of the realm of the limited production Four cylinder cars he had been building to becoming a manufacturer of thousands of high performance cars instead of hundreds.

The Shelby connection. In 1964/65 Shelby was looking for a replacement for his mid engine sports racing car, the King Cobra. Perhaps a relationship forged during their professional racing days from when both DeTomaso and Shelby were racing drivers led Shelby to consider using a version of the backbone chassis of DeTomaso's light weight Vallenlunga sports car. The relationship led to Shelby supplying DeTomaso with his high performance version 289 cid engine from Ford. The Shelby version of the 289 as used in the Cobras put out a very strong 306 horsepower. With additional Shelby modifications the 289 could put out as much as 400 hp. This power plant made the Mangusta a very serious performance car. The US version came with the 225 hp engine, and I am certain that the these engines were either modified or replaced with the more powerful versions by their owners. I can not find any facts as to how many cars were delivered with the 289 or the 302 cid engine. Just over 400 Mangusta's were produced and it is said that fewer than 200 survive today 

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The Mangusta body was designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro while he worked for Ghia.

Shelby's focus was drawn away from DeTomaso when Ford asked Shelby to take over the Ford GT 40 development.

Argentine born Alejandro DeTomaso Founder of DeTomasa Automobili SpA Modena Italy. Designer and manufacturer of sports and luxury cars from 1959 to present. 

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