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| Number 218 - English version dated 24.08.2023 - © Axel Gerstl |
The 40th Meeting of the Fiat 500 Club Italia in Garlenda
New Guide by Davide
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Review: The 40th Meeting of the Fiat 500 Club Italia in Garlenda Dear customers, dear friends of the Fiat 500, Fiat 126 and Fiat 600, This year’s meeting of the Fiat 500 Club Italia in Garlenda was bound to be another absolute highlight of the classic car season for all participating Fiat 500 enthusiasts. Our friends Andreas and Gianluca were there in person again to gather impressions, photos and videos. Click here to read about their experiences during these three days. A new article by our dear friend Davide about the world of Fiat 500 derivatives, custom models and curiosities can be found here. This time, Davide sheds light on the history of the “queen of Fiat 500 derivatives”. 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! The Axel Gerstl team |
| > The 40th Meeting of the Fiat 500 Club Italia in Garlenda from July 07 to 09, 2023 |
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Garlenda 2023 On the first weekend in July, the Fiat 500 Club Italia, supported by Axel Gerstl, invited the Fiat 500 community to the 40th edition of its legendary Fiat 500 meeting in Garlenda in northern Italy – a report on the history of the largest event for Fiat 500 enthusiasts can be found in our Newsletter 215. It was attended once again by our colleague Andreas and globetrotter and journalist Gianluca Fiorentini who shared with us after their return what they had seen, heard and experienced during these three days. On Friday, the first day of the meeting, the number of Fiat 500s that met at the Borgata Ponte square was already close to 500. Over the day, the Parco Villafranca then filled up with many little 500s. As usual, welcome bags with various gifts were distributed among the participants, and at the same time, an exhibition on the subject of the Fiat 500 in the world of comics was opened in the “Dante Giacosa” multimedia museum. The first day ended with a glorious night-time parade through the streets of Albenga down to Doria beach promenade, where the 500s let their engines hum. On Saturday, the last participants arrived and Gianluca figured out that with 908 Fiat 500s and derivatives, the drivers and co-drivers, the population of Garlenda (normally just under 1,250 inhabitants) had doubled within 24 hours. At Parco Villafranca, Andreas and Gianluca met Gianni Bighin, a Garlenda veteran from the very first meeting. “When the first events took place, we felt like pioneers. We were only a handful people and we used to sleep in our 500s here in Parco Villafranca,” over 80-year-old Gianni recalled with dreamy eyes. “I worked at Fiat for ten years – from 1960 to 1970. My job was in the paint shop where the Fiat 500s were lined up. We produced a good 60 cars per hour, one per minute. Then, I started my own business.” Gianluca was very enthusiastic about meeting Gianni, whom he finds brilliant: “When we wanted to know the codes of particular colours, he answered with the speed and accuracy of a computer.” And when asked about his opinion on the Fiat 500 custom models and conversions, Gianni replied: “I love modified car bodies. My goodness! They are beautiful! Those who make these conversions are true artists!” For Gianni, the Fiat 500 is “the symbolic car of the Italians, an icon of style. It was produced in a run of four million units and it is the compact car that motorised the ‘booming’ Italy (of the post-war period, editor’s note). For me, the Fiat 500 is a gift from God.” After talking with Gianni, Andreas and Gianluca took part in a ride to Alto, with Gianluca in particular enjoying the “thrilling, winding roads.” The evening programme with show and musical events brought the day to a perfect end. Sunday, the last day of the meeting, saw a big parade of Fiat 500s from Garlenda to Pietra Ligure, escorted by a Lamborghini Huracán of the state police and led by the yellow Fiat 500 from Lupin III, the organisers’ car, and the little Fiat 500 of the Axel Gerstl team, driven by Gianluca. After their arrival, the Fiat 500s gathered on the squares and along the seafront, where an official farewell ceremony was held. P.S.: For more photos and videos of the 2023 Galenda meeting, click here!
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| > New Guide by Davide: Fiat 500 Custom Models, One-Off Cars, Curiosities |
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Davide puts the spot on: 500 Giardiniera Jolly The 500 Giardiniera Jolly, built from 1961 onwards, was equipped with same mechanical system as the Giardiniera, i.e. the classic air-cooled, horizontally fitted two-cylinder engine. While this elongated model would not accommodate more passengers than the regular Giardiniera, the little “compartment” behind the rear seat proved very useful for transporting diving equipment, fishing rods, swimming accessories of all kinds and – why not – shopping bags with food and drinks for a picnic. Since simplicity was part of the 500’s DNA, and Fiat’s simplification programme, which only provided for useful accessories, had almost arrived at it’s final climax, the 500 Giardiniera Jolly was born without shiny metal bells and whistles and even had the standard bumpers, which, by the way, better suited the car’s angular lines. What was kept, of course, were the wicker seats, the chrome-plated protection tubes and the popping pastel colours that had distinguished the Jolly family right from the outset: ocean blue, aquamarine green, coral red, white, sunshine yellow or any other colour of the customer's choice. The colour of the bodywork was usually repeated on the dashboard, the steering wheel, the knobs and the coloured trims of the fabric roof, which was offered as an option for 15,000 lira. Since the 500 was not only a means of transport, but also an instrument of collective seduction, it was bound to attract the interest of the great Italian car body makers. Among them was Ghia, one of the most advanced manufacturers of the so-called “spiaggine” models, which featured in the car pools of the rich, of actors and even members of royal families. The estimated total production amounts to just a few units, which were put on the market as prototypes (i.e. without a general licence, but with a special approval), as was customary at the time with artisan body makers. They are among the models that still attract the attention of enthusiasts and fetch mind-boggling prices at collectors’ auctions. After all, we are talking about the queen of the 500 variants!!! You want to know who Davide is? Then click here! |
| > Photo Album: Fiat of the Month August |
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Fiat of the Month August 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* |
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for example Jet for windscreen washer
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for example Sun visor, red
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for example Sun visor
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for example Sun visor, black
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| > Offers* |
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for example Timing chain gear set
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for example Fuel tank level sensor
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for example Headlight
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| > Please note |
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Subject to change, errors excepted. |
| > Contact |
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Company Axel Gerstl
Telephone: +49 - 8141/53 48 6-0
E-Mail: service |
| > Configuration |
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