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Sep
15
“Eat. Sleep. Surf.”
Great idea, but before embarking on an adventure and just doing what the sticker says, you have to build a go-anywhere vehicle that will take you even to the most remote of beaches. Let’s suppose your funds are limited and you have to make do with whatever base vehicle you find in your area. If it happens to be a FIAT Ducato Mk1 or Peugeot J5 with Dangel 4×4, you’re a lucky chap. Provided the rust has not eliminated most of the metal, it is a fairly good base to start with. Build a lift-kit, add overfenders, source some nice wheels and appropriate BF Goodrich rubber, build a camper interior that suits your needs, load up the surfboard and drive to the beach. Should you have forgotten to stop at the supermarket, it’s just surfing and sleeping for you and you’ll have to ask fellow campers for something to eat. 😉
P.S.: The trim-line stickers are losely based on the original stickers of the Ducato 4×4.
Feb
02
Following my recent idea about downsizing US-cars without losing interior space, and creating a funny-looking Cadillac in the process, got me thinking. If you can shrink something without compromising interior space, could you enlarge something like a smart fortwo and win an additional passenger seat? Not very likely because cutting, altering and welding the smart Tridion safety cell is next to impossible due to the material utilized. But if the smart can’t be enlarged easily, a FIAT Multipla with six seats sure enough can be shortened with a few basic power tools, can’t it?
Let me present the FIAT Multipla Triposto. The perfect car for a school run with two kids. Needs only a tiny space for parking, is very manouverable in tight cities and looks very adorable.
Okay… maybe adorable isn’t the right expression and cute in a weird way would probably better describe a short wheelbase Multipla.*
* Or how would you describe a short wheelbase hippopotamus? 😉
Sep
13
“Engineers like to solve problems. If there are no problems handily available, they will create their own problems.” Scott Adams
Nobody would have even the faintest doubt that the FIAT engineers created a lot of problems when they came up with the FIAT 130 and 130 Coupé, because these vehicles shared virtually no parts with other FIAT models from that period. Even the Aurelio Lampredi designed V6 engine is not identical with the machine used in the Dino. But nonetheless – the 130 Coupé is a beautiful automobile – and definitely more elegant than the somewhat baroque sedan model. The guys at the Pininfarina design studios must have had the same thought and created a four-door model based on the design of the coupé. Quite a stunning vehicle with almost perfect proportions – but as I never liked the tall and narrow wheels of the Seventies I updated the looks with more modern wheels and tires. Larger diameter, lower profile and a substantial drop in ride height all of a sudden make the vehicle look more contemporary timeless.
See the original image here for comparison.
Sep
23
The FIAT based Abarth 750 GT by Zagato features the typical double-bubble roof. Rather diminutive in size, it packs a lot of power per kilogram in original guise. Imagine a Porsche flat six with a set of turbochargers in it and… you should be scared as hell by the power-to-weight ratio! Due to fitment issues, this fortunately isn’t possible in reality. Otherwise you would definitely need to register it as a weapon at your local DMV. 😉
Oct
23
How would a turbocharged FIAT 126 go? Yes, you’re right: it would go like stink! Just imagine the little bugger having a Turbo engine from a FIAT Uno Turbo I.E. in the back. Smoking burnouts? Likely.