When a carmaker announces a European-exclusive limited edition, we often feel upset. Sometimes we even get irate. And then there are the instances like this one when we just chuckle and nod.
Not that there’s anything exactly wrong with the Fiat 500 “America.” We’re sure it drives just the same as a regular 500, since, of course, Fiat hasn’t changed anything mechanical. It’s just that we’re not quite sold on the “Old Glory” livery, which doesn’t exactly work for the U.S. market. Think about it: Here the car would likely be perceived as a patriotic statement at odds with the car’s foreign nameplate.
Overseas, well, we’re still not sure why an American-flag bedecked car that looks like it styled in the aisles of Pep Boys might be desirable, especially given the long-running European sentiment towards us ugly Americans … but it’s fashion, and who are we to argue with the Italians about that? That this is a numbered run of just 1,000 cars (500 two-doors and 500 convertibles) does mean that you won’t encounter many others sporting the same side mirror covers, graphics, stickers and color-trimmed alloys or the red seats and contrasting white dashboard inside.
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