General 500 to New York....

Currently reading:
General 500 to New York....

Joined
Mar 5, 2005
Messages
8,858
Points
1,554
Location
Carrickfergus
I'm just back from the Fiat Freak out in Detroit and after a few drinks I got up on stage to annouce that I'd try and get a New 500 to the show next year... (Early july 08)

So bearing in mind that it takes 6 weeks to ship a car to New Jersey how are the waiting lists going to work out here? Is there enough time to get a car and ship it?

This is going to be a long thread over the next 12 months, lol!

Jim
 
I'm just back from the Fiat Freak out in Detroit and after a few drinks I got up on stage to annouce that I'd try and get a New 500 to the show next year... (Early july 08)

So bearing in mind that it takes 6 weeks to ship a car to New Jersey how are the waiting lists going to work out here? Is there enough time to get a car and ship it?

This is going to be a long thread over the next 12 months, lol!

Jim

well, the 500 is released early feb right?

so i would say around 12 weeks from order to delivery; that brings you to early may, adding the 6 weeks of shipping takes it to the middle of june. So...... looking at it you have around 2 or less weeks to play with. Not alot! :eek:
 
Well... Ordered my 500 today

1.2 Pop Petrol in solid white with the dark gray/white interior, skydome, manual aircon and a chrome pack.

Better get over to the Flu site and tell them to keep me a space in NY and then see if anyone want's to buy a panda!!!!:D

Jim
 
it's two tone seats. Dark gray but half way up the back rest it changes to white. The dash is white with the white binicale and steering wheel.

Trying to find a photo of it on the net but can't and I couldn't be arse configuring one on the 500 site

They did give me a nice model 500 thou for putting in the order:D

Jim
 
08-fiat-500-press005.jpg


The dash is white instead of red and the red part of the seats are dark gray.

You could also get the whole interior in Black but it was way too dull for a car to take to put on show in New York. Needed something 'jazzy' but not that jazzy, lol

Jim
 
Got some stuff back from the Italian Motor Club in the US about taking the 500 over!

While I can't be 100% certain of anything at this early date, I can tell you a few things:

- Fact is, Fiat Freak Out is the largest gathering of Fiat enthusiasts in N. America, and the 25th anniversary event will return to where it all started in the Pocono Mountain region of northeastern Pennsylvania. A quarter century is a big deal for any car enthusiast event, for sure! The site will be about an hour from New York City, the biggest media market in the USA. It's also about two hours from Philadelphia, the nation's 5th-largest media market.

- I think arranging a drive and coverage in NY City is a given.

- In the coming months, I'm am going to personally conduct a MAJOR blitz with all auto-enthusiast media: television and magazines. I will be inviting "My Classic Car" and "Car Crazy," two of the biggest national TV shows in the USA, to cover the event on the national "Speed TV" network. I'll also be campaigning major newspapers (NY Times, Wall Street Journal, etc.) and magazines (CarAndDriver, Road&Track, AutoWeek, etc.) to cover the event. I have personal contact with the editorial staff of these magazines and other outlets. I also know that regional television stations WILL be there to cover the event, as I have worked at some of these stations and have contacts there. I am going to leave no stone unturned as far as media coverage is concerned.

Here are some links to what I've mentioned. I have every reason to believe that they'll be at FFO 2008:

http://www.myclassiccar.com/

http://www.carcrazycentral.com/

http://www.speedtv.com/

http://www.autoweek.com/

http://www.caranddriver.com/

There are others as well.

- I have already started to contact the people with Maserati USA, as they are also the same folks who will be spearheading the return of Alfa Romeo to the US market. The FFO site is very near Maserati's and Ferrari USA headquarters in northern New Jersey. We'd like to have a preview showing of the upcoming US-spec Alfas, and having a new 500 in the mix would be ideal! I'm working this angle.

- Overall, I plan to create a media "frenzy" about the event. I'll be at the N. American International Auto Show in Detroit for two weeks in January, where I'll be meeting face-to-face with many principal people from the major magazines and auto TV programs. I can't at this time promise what will transpire, but I do know that these magazines and TV programs have covered events that are of far less importance and significance than the 25th anniversary of FFO, so I'm reasonably certain that we are going to have BIG media coverage. I also know that the Italian broadcasting network "RAI" has crews in New York and does cover news stories in the USA, so I can almost guarantee that they'll be covering FFO 2008, and that will be see world-wide.

I think having a new 500 there will cause a lot of interest and enhance desire to attend.

BTW: Several years ago, when Fiat still had offices in New York, Scott Hill and I drove the funky Fiat Multipla through the streets of Manhattan, courtesy of Fiat USA, which had brought some examples of this vehicle to the USA for several exhibitions. It caused quite a sensation. I'm sure the new 500 would do the same.

Bobb Raynor
Fiat & Lanica Usa
 
With the new prices I went back to Mervyn Stewarts and asked about an upgrade. See with the Pop at 7900 then sticking on a sunroof, some chrome, the aircon and other bits and bobs it brings it up to nearly 9000

Thought it was easier to buy a Lounge and live with the fixed roof rather than the skydome but gain alloy wheels.

Should be looking at a late Jan early Feb delivery if all goes to plan but you know how these things go:eek:

Jim
 
Got my first test drive today!

16012008114.jpg


16012008113.jpg


Took the 1.4 Sport out (had the choice of it or the Mulitjet Pop, the Lounge spec one was a showroom only jobbie) and I really liked it. Ok some of the plastics leave a lot to be desired but most of the car is a step above the norm. (The door trims would be the worst bit on the car but it's exactly the same material that I got on my £9,999 Renualt Megane that I bought a few years ago and it didn't have half the stuff that the 500 has.

In the show room they had the Lounge spec 1.4 that is pretty identical to the 1.2 that is going to tackle the continant of North America...

16012008118.jpg


16012008115.jpg


16012008120.jpg


16012008127.jpg


16012008128.jpg


Love the wheels!

Jim
 
Back
Top