This year marks a crucial
milestone in the history of Italy as it’s the 150th
anniversary of the country’s unification and at Fiat
Group Automobiles South Africa (FASA), to denote the
arrival of the limited edition Fiat 500 150th, they have
painted the town green, white and red.
In commemoration of this
event, Fiat and Alfa Romeo together with other leading
Italian brands showcased the best Italy has to offer at
Monte Casino’s Piazza in Johannesburg. The star of the show, however,
was undoubtedly the new Fiat 500 150th Limited Edition –
a car that is the distillation of 150 years of Italian
spirit. It’s a limited edition in every way too, seeing
as FASA are only selling 28 of them in a choice of three colours: Bossa Nova White, Pasadoble Red or Funk
White.
From
first glance, it’s clear that the 500 150th Limited
Edition is a celebration. Starting with the
commemorative badge on the B-pillar, the commemorative
carpet set as well as the unique 150th Limited Edition
key ring.
A few
other more obvious clues differentiate the 500 150th
Limited Edition from its range sibling: Five-spoke 15-inch sports
alloy wheels as opposed to the multi-spoke alloys on the
Lounge, body-colour trim treatment as opposed to chrome
on the Lounge (bumper inserts and window surrounds)
while the door handles and exhaust finisher remain
chrome, rear spoiler in body colour, a fixed metal roof
(no glass sunroof as on the Lounge), instrument cluster
with sporty graphics and sports grey/black cloth
interior with special foamed padding.
Like
its “Lounge” stablemate, the 500 150th Limited Edition
version comes with the same 1.4 litre 16V engine (mated to a six-speed
manual gearbox) with 73.5 kW of power and 131 Nm of
torque (at 4,250 rpm) on tap.
Enhancing the ownership prospect, the Fiat 500 150th
Limited Edition, as with all other 500s, has 30,000 km
service intervals and enjoys full after-sales support in
South Africa thanks to a comprehensive parts inventory
(housed and distributed in an all-new, state-of-the-art
facility) and the back-up of trained technicians at Fiat
dealerships countrywide.
Fiat
Group Automobiles South Africa offers a three-year / 100
000 km warranty (three years on paintwork and five years
on rust anti-perforation) as well as a five-year / 90
000 km service plan which is standard on the 500 Lounge
and the new 500 150th Limited Edition. The Fiat 500s are
covered by the AA Fleetcare roadside assistance for 12
months. The service is active 24 hours a day, 365 days a
year and is available by calling the dedicated toll-free
number. The Fiat 500 150th Limited Edition is priced at R152,480
including VAT and CO2 tax; some options are extra and will add to the basic price,
including metallic paint, leather and red brake
callipers).
