Coming to America: The Fiat 500
Macchina Piccolina
Ask an American to name the most iconic Italian cars of all time, and they would almost certainly list the Ferrari Testarossa (more sophisticated gear-heads will reference Enzo's Daytona or the 250 GTO), or the Lamborghini Countach (for children of the 1980s). If they were lucky, they would recall the Alfa Romeo Spider that Dustin Hoffman drove in The Graduate. Not a very diverse list. All are sports cars; Italy is not known for its station wagons or SUVs. Almost tragically, a real Italian masterpiece is virtually unknown on this side of the Atlantic: the uber-practical Fiat 500. But now, the latest incarnation of the spunky little "people's car" is coming to America — and here are some reasons why the 500 deserves some love.