Here are 10 things you probably didn’t know about Fiat!
1. FIAT is an acronym
You probably didn’t know about Fiat that the word itself is an acronym. “Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino” is what it stands for. Which translated from Italien to English means Italien Automobile Factory Turin. In Latin, it means, “let it be done”.
2. The 500e is only available in 2 States
I bet you didn’t know about Fiat, that at this present moment in time, the all-electric 500e is for sale only in Oregan and California.
3. They have been around since 1899
Established in July 1899 in Italy. According to Wikipedia, this is same year gold was found in Nome Alaska.
4. Ferrari is no longer owned by Fiat
Some of the brands FCA (Fiat Chrysler Automobiles) owns are; Alpha-Romeo, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, RAM Trucks, Lancia, and Maserati. Ferrari used to be part of the group but was ‘separated’ in 2016. Ferrari is now owned by Exor N.V. which is an investment company controlled by the Agnelli/Elkann family. The Agnelli family have been owners of Ferrari since 1969.
5. They produced fighter aircraft
Fiat Aviazione produced aircraft, helicopters, and engines. The 1930s saw the CR.32, a biplane fighter. During the first world war, they mass produced the A.10 engine for aircraft.
6. 1899 was when they made their first car
The Fiat 4 HP had a rear-mounted engine with 4.2 horsepower from 2 cylinders. The top speed was 22mph and it got 35mpg.
7. They make diesel engines for other car brands
VM Motori is another subsidiary company of Fiat. They produce diesel engines that have been used in vehicles such as; Chevrolet Cruze, Alfa-Romeo, Range Rover, Ford Scorpio, Toyota Land Cruiser, Chevrolet Colorado and Maserati’s.
8. You can drive a Fiat 500 Abarth or 124 Spider Abarth on the track
The Bondurant Racing School in Arizona offers performance driving days where they supply the cars. Driving exercises include; slalom, shifting, auto-cross, and on track.
9. Rooftop test track
An old Fiat factory (Lingotto building) in Turin is home to a roof-top test track. The building opened in 1923 and was the largest car factory in the world at the time. Cars would go through the production line to end up at the top for a test lap before leaving the factory. The track can be seen in the original version movie, “The Italian Job”. This is something cool I didn’t know about Fiat!
10. The Fiat 500X is available in AWD (All wheel drive)
Didn’t know about Fiat? The 500X is a crossover that’s bigger than the 500. It won IIHS top safety pick for 2017.
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Joseph, Noah. “Ferrari and FCA Are Officially Separated.” Autoblog, Autoblog, 4 Jan. 2016.
“Fiat Automobiles.” “Agnelli Family.” “Fiat Aviazione.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 7 Dec. 2017.
“List of VM Motori Engines.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 16 Nov. 2017.
Walters, Shane. “Automotive Factory Rooftop Test Track.” Racing News, 22 Feb. 2017, racingnews.co/2015/12/31/automotive-factory-rooftop-test-track/.
This post was last modified on March 26, 2021 2:51 pm
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