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16.04.2003 FIAT MARRAKESH AND SIMBA CONCEPTS TO REAPPEAR IN BARCELONA
| Eyes at the Spanish Motor
Show will be on the Fiat Simba and the Fiat Marrakech. These two concept
cars, built on a Fiat Gingo base, exemplify the versatility of the new
compact car.
The Simba. A name redolent of the Savannah and a vehicle with a shape that speaks of journeys and adventure despite an ability to slip through traffic jams with equal ease. These are the distinctive features of the Fiat Simba: a revolutionary concept car due to its original styling and versatility, a prototype that will open up new horizons in the minicar segment. It is the first example in Europe of an off-roader that is small yet able to combine the idea of roughing it with the comfort and performance of a conventional car. With an eye on changing customer profiles within the sector and the good potential growth prospects, we came up with the Simba. This is, in essence, a car with a dual personality that conveys an immediate impression of freshness and fun backed by solidity and sturdiness. The Fiat Simba, created to entertain yet also to surprise the most sceptical young customer, may be envisaged (and experienced) as an authentic off-road vehicle you could take on a desert rally or drive through lush jungle vegetation. Or it could be a fun small car capable of navigating intricate city centre streets and slaloming through traffic with ease. No obstacles could possibly stand in the way of the Fiat Simba's four wheel drive system (4x4 with viscous coupling) and neat size (3680 mm long, 1730 mm high and 1630 mm wide). Externally, the prototype is distinguished by crisp body lines and typical off-road equipment: big headlights, spare wheel on the roof, broad windscreen for the best visibility and straight sides for ease of manoeuvring. And so from the asphalt jungle to the desert. This is the ideal home of the second concept car on show in Barcelona. The name Marrakech conjures up a picture of desert dunes and also evokes an idea of holidays in the widest sense of the word: as an expression of pleasurable, carefree days where the fun is as much about getting there as arriving. Its compact shape makes you want to reach out and hug it. At just 3.57 metres long, 1.61 metres wide and 1.48 metres high with a wheelbase of 2.30 metres, it would not be difficult to imagine it threading its way through the narrow streets of Capri. Its dune-buggy looks would be just as at home cavorting in the open air or on the beach of a smart resort on the Côte d'Azure. This is no mere coincidence because the Fiat prototype has borrowed certain traits from the famous dune buggy of the Sixties: from its open body to its low, windowless doors (easier to climb over than through), tubework to protect passengers and four drive wheels. The prototype comes with four wheel drive (4x4 system with viscous coupling) and 16" wheels with 205/50 tyres. An all-terrain look that leaves little room for doubt. |
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SIMBA OFF ROAD CONCEPT MAKES REAPPEARANCE IN GENEVA
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