Fiat 500, Fiat 126 and Fiat 600
Number 194 - English version dated 31.08.2021 - © Axel Gerstl
The Traditional International Axel Gerstl 2021 Photo Contest
Follow-Up: Fiat 500 World Wide Meeting
Fiat 500 World Wide Meeting in New Zealand

The Great Axel Gerstl 2021 Photo Contest / Follow-Up: Fiat 500 World Wide Meeting

Dear customers, dear friends of the Fiat 500, Fiat 126 and Fiat 600,

Just in time for the end of the summer holidays, it is back:

The Traditional International Axel Gerstl Photo Contest!

This year’s photo contest is themed: My favourite 2021 Fiat photo. Click here to learn how you can participate in our contest and get the opportunity to win one of the many prizes.

Due to the Corona pandemic, the legendary Fiat 500 meeting of the Fiat 500 Club Italia in Garlenda had been cancelled completely in 2020, but in 2021, it took place again in a new format, this time called Fiat 500 World Wide Meeting – spread over five continents and 22 countries and supported by Axel Gerstl as one of the main sponsors. Axel Gerstl was represented by our staff members and “brand ambassadors” Amsycora and Andreas who were directly on site on the first weekend in July and witnessed the three-day event with its online live supporting programme. Click here to read how our two colleagues experienced this event which was, according to the Fiat 500 Club Italia, “the biggest party ever thrown for a car.”

As part of the World Wide Meeting, the little Fiat 500 was duly celebrated even in New Zealand. Our friends Alfonso Zambuto and Todd Niall were kind enough to send us photos and share their impressions. Click here to read how they experienced the “1st World Fiat 500 Day” in their home country on the other side of the planet.

And of course, we are also proud to present the “Fiat of the Month August”, along with some interesting current offers and news concerning the Fiat 500, Fiat 126 and Fiat 600.

We hope you enjoy reading this month's newsletter!

Your Axel Gerstl team

Photo contest 2021
Photo contest 2021
Photo contest 2021
Photo contest 2021

The Traditional International Axel Gerstl 2021 Photo Contest!

The motto of this year’s international photo contest is:

My favourite 2021 Fiat photo

Send us your best Fiat 500, Fiat 126, Fiat 600 or Fiat Topolino photo! The closing date is October 24, 2021. All you have to do is observe our terms of participation!

Send us your photo and we will publish it on our homepage and invite all Fiat 500, Fiat 126 and Fiat 600 enthusiasts to vote for their favorite photo! And with a little luck and the right amount of votes, you may be among the winners and receive one of our several great prizes!

Please note: You must be the rightful owner of the photo. By entering the contest, you accept the terms of participation and agree to grant Axel Gerstl the limited right to publish the photo freely in our newsletter and on our website.

How can I participate? Please click here!

The Axel Gerstl Team looks forward to your participation and wishes you all the best of luck!

P.S.: Here on the left, you find some examples of what your contribution might look like!

What can I win


1st place
Coupon for the Axel-Gerstl Shop worth 200 €

Coupon for the Axel-Gerstl Shop worth 200 €


2nd place
Coupon for the Axel-Gerstl Shop worth 100 €

Coupon for the Axel-Gerstl Shop worth 100 €


3rd place
Coupon for the Axel-Gerstl Shop worth 50 €

Coupon for the Axel-Gerstl Shop worth 50 €


4th place
Alarm-clock "tachometer box Fiat 500" (8x12,5x6cm), red
item no.: 21409/2

Alarm-clock tachometer box Fiat 500 (8x12,5x6cm), red


5th place
Purse /wallet Fiat 500,imitation leather,12x9cm,yellow/black
item no.: 21335

Purse /wallet Fiat 500,imitation leather,12x9cm,yellow/black


6th place
Pocket lamp & knife (blue) in gift package
item no.: 21423/1

Pocket lamp & knife (blue) in gift package


7th place
Building blocks model car "Fiat 126p", 1:35
item no.: 21542

Building blocks model car Fiat 126p, 1:35


8th place
Document wallet, PVC, Fiat 500 "countryside"
item no.: 21347

Document wallet, PVC, Fiat 500 countryside


9th place
'Fiat 500' keychain, silver, 1:87
item no.: 21075/1

'Fiat 500' keychain, silver, 1:87


10th place
Parking disc 115 x 165 mm (brown), Giannini coat of arms
item no.: 21521

Parking disc 115 x 165 mm (brown), Giannini coat of arms


Follow-Up: The 1st Fiat 500 World Wide Meeting – July 2-4, 2021
Garlenda 2.0 – a big party for a little car!
Garlenda 2.0 – a big party for a little car!

Garlenda 2.0 – a big party for a little car!

After a year's break due to the pandemic, it finally took place again in 2021 – albeit in a new format: The legendary Fiat 500 meeting in Garlenda, this time as the “1st Fiat 500 World Wide Meeting”, supported by Axel Gerstl. More than 3,000 Fiat 500s were registered and spread across the more than 100 events in Italy and in 21 other countries on five continents, including Germany, France, Great Britain, Australia, Japan, Uruguay and South Africa. The individual events were linked and integrated via a live stream presented by the Fiat 500 Club Italia, which was broadcast as a supporting programme from Garlenda. It was peppered with numerous contributions, live broadcasts and interviews on the subject of the Fiat 500 with important personalities from the worlds of cars, entertainment and sports.

Our colleagues Amsycora and Andreas attended the three-day event in honour of the little “five hundred”. As our “brand ambassadors”, they took the opportunity to collect impressions, to take photos and videos and to enjoy the “dolce vita” – where better to do that than directly on site in Garlenda and at the regional meetings along the Ligurian coast? However, the two had to travel by train because, unfortunately, Andreas' Fiat 500 was not ready in time for the long journey – especially the gearbox had caused problems. But this way, they had least plenty of time during the journey to plan out the following days.

Garlenda 2.0 – a big party for a little car!
Garlenda 2.0 – a big party for a little car!
Garlenda 2.0 – a big party for a little car!
Garlenda 2.0 – a big party for a little car!

First day

On Friday, the first day of the Fiat 500 World Wide Meeting, Amsycora and Andreas visited the headquarters of the Fiat 500 Club Italia in Garlenda and the associated museum. There, they met Francesca Caneri, who takes care of the club's marketing and public relations and had already been in contact with our team beforehand. This was a great opportunity to finally meet in person and, despite the general tension, Francesca was happy to give them an interview shortly before the recording of the first live stream broadcast started. She talked about her passion for the little Fiat 500 since her childhood, about the importance of the Fiat 500 as a symbol of economic recovery in Italy after the war and beyond, and how she ended up at the Fiat 500 Club Italia after a few detours. We will feature the complete interview in our next newsletter. Andreas was particularly pleased not only with the – as he put it – “friendly and open way of communication,” but also because he received a very special gift: a copy of Francesca’s book “Un Mito Italiano” about the Fiat 500 phenomenon.

But it wasn't just Francesca Amsycora and Andreas could talk to and exchange ideas with. Despite the hectic pace of filming in the improvised studio next door, Domenico Romano, founding president of the Fiat 500 Club Italia, also took the time for an interview and sat down at their table. Andreas was delighted: “We were both taken by his charisma and then even more so when he explained to us that all the staff at the club are friends here.” Domenico told them that all those who share the love of the Fiat 500 are on familiar terms and that this would also include Amsycora and Andreas.

Amsycora and Andreas brought the first day to a close by taking a short rest at the seaside. Then, they took a last drink, while the EURO football match of the Italian team was on TV. The victory of the Italian team led to enthusiastic cheers among the Tifosi in Albenga where Amsycora and Andreas were accommodated for the duration of the meeting. As it happened, Martina from Garlenda, sitting at the next table, approached them when she saw their start number plate. In the run-up to the meeting, she had helped to pack the welcome bags at the club's headquarters, and now was only too happy to be photographed with the plate.

Garlenda 2.0 – a big party for a little car!


Garlenda 2.0 – a big party for a little car!
Garlenda 2.0 – a big party for a little car!
Garlenda 2.0 – a big party for a little car!

Second day

On Saturday, the next day of the Fiat 500 World Wide Meeting in Garlenda, the first real live broadcast started. Amsycora and Andreas were allowed to remain behind the scenes, but only had short personal talks with the people in charge, as they didn't want to disrupt ongoing operations.

A little later, the meeting of the Albenga Club / Coordinamento della Riviera delle Palme took place, for which the two had already confirmed their participation in advance. Their holiday flat, actually only meant as a place to sleep, unexpectedly turned out to be a stroke of luck: From their balcony, they could watch the club’s joyride passing along below and allowing them to take lovely photos and video (see video 1, video 2 and video 3). The meeting and the joyride were also accompanied and filmed by a professional film team actually working on a travel report. Without further ado, Amsycora and Andreas offered the camera folks to come up to their balcony for filming – which was gladly accepted and earned them a big thank-you from Domenico as well. In turn, Andreas was allowed to accompany Marco, a former president of the Fiat 500 Club Italia, to Laigueglia in his Fiat 500 (see video 4, video 5, video 6, video 7, and video 8. Amsycora was given a lift in the Fiat of another participant of the trip.

In Laigueglia, the Fiat 500s were parked in a row along the pier and the participants could move on to the culinary programme of the day. After a nice evening with lots of conversation and a glass or two of white wine, a member of the club staff took Andreas back to the Centro Storico of Albenga shortly before midnight – Amsycora had already returned there after the joyride. Andreas would like to take the opportunity to express a big thank-you for this overwhelming hospitality!

Garlenda 2.0 – a big party for a little car!


Garlenda 2.0 – a big party for a little car!
Garlenda 2.0 – a big party for a little car!
Garlenda 2.0 – a big party for a little car!
Garlenda 2.0 – a big party for a little car!
Garlenda 2.0 – a big party for a little car!

Third day

The third and final day of the Fiat 500 World Wide Meeting began with a big surprise: Our dear friend Davide Cappadonna and his wife Melinda greeted them and the Axel Gerstl company in a short Instagram video (click here to see it!). Andreas was delighted about his “warm and joyous greetings”. Of course, Amsycora and Andreas were more than happy with the course of things and already looking forward to the meeting of the Cervo Ligure club (Club 500 Riviera dei Fiori), which included, besides another joyride (see video 9), a cultural programme. “When Francesco, the club leader, pointed out that the trips he organised were meant to offer more than a ride to get a four-hour-long meal, we fully agreed,” Andreas said. “Especially Elisa's guided tour of the town was inspiring and full of interesting facts.”

At 6 pm, Amsycora and Andreas returned to Garlenda. They had been invited as official representatives of the Axel Gerstl company to the reception celebrating the “1st World Fiat 500 Day” under the patronage of the Italian Minister of Culture (we had reported on the preliminaries in our Newsletter 192). “Unfortunately, a coming together of a large crowd could not be realised here either,” Andreas told us. “But a few selected guests were able to watch the live broadcast on appropriately marked seats in the hall of the museum.” Amsycora was allowed to briefly take the microphone and deliver greetings from the Axel Gerstl company to the audience (see video 10) who, in turn, celebrated exuberantly for a long time afterwards and serenaded the little Fiat 500 on its birthday and anniversary (see video 11). “We were invited to a small square for an aperitivo,” Andreas said. “We were about to leave, when Marco Pastorelli from the Meeting Internationale staff approached us to say that he recently had, for the first time, taken a closer look at our website and really liked it. He regretted not having done so earlier as, otherwise, he wouldn’t have placed his last order with another dealer.” So a longer conversation ensued and Amsycora and Andreas were treated again to delicacies from the buffet by Marco's caring mother.

Our two representatives had a final sense of achievement that rounded off their successful trip to the 1st Fiat 500 World Wide Meeting: Shortly before the birthday cake of the little Fiat 500 was cut, Andreas managed to make his way to the front row and take a photo.

Garlenda 2.0 – a big party for a little car!


The Fiat 500 World Wide Meeting in New Zealand
The Fiat 500 World Wide Meeting in New Zealand
The Fiat 500 World Wide Meeting in New Zealand
The Fiat 500 World Wide Meeting in New Zealand
Todd Niall and Alfonso Zambuto

“Garlenda” in New Zealand!

The 1st Fiat 500 World Wide Meeting was duly celebrated: not only in the northern hemisphere, but also on the other side of the planet in New Zealand, as our friends Alfonso Zambuto and Todd Niall told us. “Sunday was a great day,” Alfonso said. Todd spontaneously invited people via Facebook for a “quick coffee” in the pizzeria of a friend, also a proud Fiat 500 owner. From there, they continued (see video) in a Fiat 500 convoy to Auckland Domain, a 75-hectare park in the centre of Auckland, with the Auckland War Memorial Museum at its heart. “We managed to stop and take a photo,” Alfonso told us. “Then we went off to the park for a picnic – what a great day!” Most of the Fiat 500s present at the Auckland meeting were models that had been assembled in New Zealand, only a few had been imported by private persons in a fully assembled state (to get hold of Todd's book on the history of the Fiat 500 in New Zealand, click here). “One guy drove all the way from Wellington and back for our meeting,” Todd told us in perfect German. “750 km either way – crazy!”

Unlike the spontaneous meeting in Auckland, the event in Christchurch had had a longer lead time, Todd told us. They had registered in Garlenda and had planned a weekend programme in advance. But the spontaneous meeting in Auckland had also clearly been fun for everybody and Todd expressed a pious hope: “I hope this worldwide thing will be repeated, even if Covid-19 is gone one day!”

The Fiat 500 World Wide Meeting in New Zealand


Photo Album: Fiat of the Month August
Fiat of the Month August 2021

Fiat of the Month August

The Fiat of the Month August has been elected! Many thanks to Mr. Michael McCarthy from Great Britain and all other participants!

If you want to present your Fiat 500, Fiat 126 or Fiat 600 to our readers, please send a photo to service. There’s no special motto, no limitation. And if you’re lucky, your Fiat will become Fiat of the month!

To all previous participants: Your photo is still active and can still become Fiat of the Month in the next months.

Click here to find the previous“Fiats of the month”.

New items in our online shop
Capacitor made in Japan Fiat 500/126/126P/600/Seat 770 S

for example Capacitor made in Japan

  • Capacitor made in Japan Fiat 500/126/126P/600/Seat 770 S
  • item no.: 16007/4
  • Price: EUR 23.60

Click here for the new articles!

Offers
Front badge with grill and wings, aluminum, 3 pieces Fiat 500 N/D (F)

for example Front badge

  • Front badge with grill and wings, aluminum, 3 pieces Fiat 500 N/D (F)
  • item no.: 13005/met.
  • Discount: instead of total EUR 136.50 only EUR 101.10  (valid to 21.09.2021)

Click here for the special offers!

Door panel, black, in pairs Fiat 500 L

for example Door panel

  • Door panel, black, in pairs Fiat 500 L
  • item no.: 13997
  • Discount: instead of total EUR 33.50 only EUR 27.10 (valid to 21.09.2021)

Click here for the special offers!

Set of wiper blades, stainless steel Fiat 500 since '66/600/850 N

for example Set of wiper blades

  • Set of wiper blades, stainless steel Fiat 500 since '66/600/850 N
  • item no.: 18017
  • Discount: instead of total EUR 19.90 only EUR 16.10 (valid to 21.09.2021)

Click here for the special offers!

> Please note

Subject to change, errors excepted.
Offers only valid until stock lasts.
prices including 19 % VAT. Freight charges extra.

> Contact
Luftbild Firma Axel Gerstl - Fiat 500 126 600 Ersatzteile

Company Axel Gerstl
Münchner Straße 17
DE-82239 Alling/Biburg - Germany

Telephone: +49 - 8141/53 48 6-0
Telefax: +49 - 8141/53 48 6-10

E-Mail: service
Internet: webshop.fiat500126.com

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