by Antonio Erario
On Saturday 22nd November we had the privilege of being the first visitors to the exhibition "Italy as we like it – Welcome to the home of the Fiat 500", spending three absolutely pleasant hours. We are at the Stellantis Heritage HUB, a special place where memories and emotions merge in a journey spanning a century and a quarter. It is the home of Italian brands, a collection that includes 300 cars as well as a significant number of engines. Record-breaking cars, rally cars, prototypes, or study models that later became mass-produced vehicles: inside the HUB you can discover a world, reread history, and discover how some ideas were already light-years ahead of their time.
Our members arrive early, 70 Guests Enthusiastic, with great passion, they arrived with 40 Fiat 500s that naturally immediately caught the attention of passersby. We entered the plant and, after a brief stop to gather the crews, we walked along the avenues of the Mirafiori plant that led to the collection. The beautiful 500s were displayed in front of the main entrance, and after a group photo, we set off for the tour. The guides told us wonderful stories, many anecdotes, and fascinating storiesAgnelli's car, the Fulvia HF, the Panda Spiaggina, the Dialogos, the Thema, the Mefistofele, the Vuscia, the 130 Maremma... and even the Ardea and the Lambda... well, we just have to feast our eyes. The members are very curious and fascinated by the many cars on display, and slowly we make our way to the 500 exhibition.
Awaits us representation of five, set in a scenic house that changes appearance depending on the model and, of course, the year. We start with a beautiful aquamarine blue 500 N from 1958, continuing with the rarest car ever in the world of twin-cylinder cars: the "Fiat 500 Elaborazione Abarth", the record-breaking car of 58 (and as you may know, I could write a novel about this one... but I'll stop here!). We then move on to the Giardiniera, with its tireless workhorse vocation, the 500 L (the first chic city car), and the 500 R in the classic white color, the same one we hosted a few years ago at our stand at Automotoretrò. The members naturally scrutinize the models and listen to their history with great interest. We then move on to the 2007 version, to the Abarth Zerocento, to the hybrid version that brings the 500 back to Turin. Prominently displayed on the main wall is the history of our Fiat 500 Club Italia, which makes us very proud and underscores our strong bond with the parent company.
After all, it's no coincidence that we were the first! Our passion was further rewarded by a gorgeous day with beautiful sunshine that made our Fiat 500s shine!
Heritage HUB is masterfully directed by Robert Giolito, character of the year of our Fiat 500 Club Italia.
The exhibition will be open until 18/01/26.
Thanks to all the members.
