Ah the great weirdness of the automobile. While many compare modern cars and come to the conclusion that they have become copies of each other (and therefore postulate that true variety and style are dead), I beg to differ in that there are some wonderfully odd ducks out there. The car I’m writing about in this posting is one such example, and I was flabbergasted (and even surprised) that it got noticed everywhere I drove it thanks to its plentiful lack of sameness. This machine is the antithesis of the muscle car, or muscular SUV, or the number one selling vehicle in these United States: the pickup truck. It’s more of an oversized gumdrop, and despite its dimensional similarity to the Mini Cooper it has its own very distinct personality. The Fiat 500 is a true Italian urban ride in that it’s tiny size makes it perfect for negotiating very tight roads, darting through traffic that is in a constant state of chaos and parking in very tiny patches of real estate. Now that Fiat has not only returned to the US market but owns Chrysler, the domestic version of the 500 has been seen popping up here and there and there are now multiple versions to go along with the 2-door coupe including a 4-door and, naturally, since this is a country obsessed with them, a crossover SUV.

But it’s this coupe that is the most iconic in my view, especially if you check out the 1957 version. There’s a lot of retro about in the modern car market, but most of it is kind of crapastic in my view. These candidates try too hard to be nostalgic and cool and they fail by missing the point. In other words, the stylistic cues are ones that focus more on details that don’t really capture the mood of a look that’s over a half century old. The Fiat 500 1957 is different. From the doggie-dish hubcaps to the color choices to the amazing interior that so cleverly mixes old style with new tech, this is a very stylish little beast. I like the Mini Cooper and its go-kart handling and all, but for whatever reason I prefer the Fiat 500 overall as it’s just more fun. It rides better too, and just has a quirkish charm that the Mini just doesn’t have. Performance is nothing to write home about (especially when saddled with the automatic gearbox, although it’s not as bad as you might think), but it does get job done and it has the one-two punch of tiny size and good fuel economy that make it a great choice for the city life. If you hate being noticed, steer clear of the 1957 model, though. It really catches the eye of the punters, but in a good way.