My Fiat 500 model 1968 – a “true rebel”
My Fiat 500 L – a story by Monika Umundum
An eggshell-coloured Fiat 500 brings back childhood memories in me: In 1957, my parents had such a car and travelled with my brother and me (I was three years old at that time, my brother was five) from Eugendorf near Salzburg in Austria to Gelsenkirchen in the German Ruhr area. We visited my uncle who was working as a miner there. At that time, he owned a BMW Isetta, the so-called “bubble car”.
My father very early used to let one of us sit on his lap and have a go at the wheel. At the age of around 10, we were already allowed to drive in and out of the garage and steer the car along the small farm tracks of the Austrian Flachgau area. This way, we learned motoring.
Small suitcase...
My Fiat (first registered in Trento in June 1968 – a “true rebel”) is called “Eili Flitzer”. It was my 6-year-old granddaughter who chose this name because the car, with its eggshell colour, reminded her of a little egg that is whizzing around. For Christmas, Eili got a luggage rack from Axel Gerstl so we can now take long or short trips.
... and big suitcase
The small suitcase also has an eventful history: In 1954, my father took it on a great tour through Europe for 6 months, chauffeuring the English Lord Mitchel, his wife, his daughter Mercedes and her nanny in their Rolls Royce. The second suitcase (the big one) for major journeys, was a gift from my climbing buddy Kati and was owned by her family.