Fiat Group Automobiles UK Ltd is launching the new 500 in the UK with a flight in one of the capsules on the London Eye; it will take to the air on January 21 at 8.00pm, exactly 500 hours into 2008. Fiat UK Marketing Director Elena Bernardelli said: “It will be a great event, and we at Fiat are committed to making the country smile for the night.”

Fiat Group Automobiles UK Ltd is launching the new Fiat 500 in the UK – with a flight in one of the capsules on the British Airways London Eye. The 500 will take to the air on Monday January 21 at 8.00pm – exactly 500 hours into 2008.

Fiat are also staging a celebrity and showbiz ticketed event around the launch featuring live bands, top presenters, and a fantastic light show. There will be a special Priority Area at the London Eye for prize-winning members of the public. The Fiat 500 has just been voted Car of the Year 2008.

Fiat UK Marketing Director Elena Bernardelli said: “It will be a great event, and we at Fiat are committed to making the country smile for the night.”

London Eye Head of Sales and Marketing Helen Bull said: “After celebrating 2008 with a phenomenal firework display, what better way to continue the party than with a fantastic event only 500 hours into the new year with 2008’s car of the year.”

Since opening in March 2000 the British Airways London Eye has become an iconic landmark and a symbol of modern Britain. The London Eye is the UK’s most popular paid for visitor attraction, visited by over 3.5 million people a year. A breathtaking feat of design and engineering, passengers in the London Eye's capsules can see up to 40 kilometres in all directions.

The London Eye is the vision of David Marks and Julia Barfield, a husband and wife architect team. The wheel design was used as a metaphor of the turning of the century. British Airways is the main sponsor of the London Eye and up until November 2005 were joint shareholders with Marks Barfield Architects and The Tussauds Group. British Airways also privately funded the London Eye project from the early stages of conception. The British Airways London Eye is now operated by the London Eye Company Limited, a Merlin Entertainments Group Company.

The British Airways London Eye is a unique and versatile structure, comprising the best of British architecture and design, rising high above London's skyline at 135 metres. Creating the tallest observation wheel in the world was a great challenge.

The London Eye passenger capsules incorporate an entirely new design form for an observation wheel. Instead of being suspended under gravity they turn within circular mounting rings fixed to the outside of the main rim, thereby allowing a spectacular 360 degree panorama at the top. The 32 high-tech capsules are fully air conditioned and have bench seating. The London Eye capsules represent the 32 boroughs of London.

The London Eye uses two types of cable: wheel cables and backstay cables. Wheel cables include 16 rim rotation cables, and 64 spoke cables. These are similar to bicycle spokes and stretch across the wheel. There are six backstay cables, which are located in the compression foundation.

The compression foundation is situated underneath the A - frame legs; it required 2,200 tonnes of concrete and 44 concrete piles - each being 33 metres deep. The tension foundation, holding the backstay cables, used 1,200 tonnes of concrete.

The main elements of the hub and spindle were manufactured in cast steel. The spindle was too large to cast as a single piece so instead was produced in eight smaller sections. Two further castings, in the form of great rings form the main structural element of the hub. The hub is a rolled steel tube forming the spacer that holds them apart. All the casting was carried out by Skoda Steel.