2012 Fiat 500 Pop Hatchback on 2040-cars

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2016 Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix recap: another wild show on and off track

Normally we use this space to provide a lengthy recap of the weekend's Formula 1 race, but we're going to try something different since most folks reading this know what happened at the Shanghai International Circuit on Sunday. Instead, we'll alight on what we saw as the big issues in and around the race. Let us know what you think in Comments. Proper qualifying is back. Thank goodness. It only took a month of embarrassment to fix it. And so is passing! For the third race in a row, big performance improvements at the ten teams behind Mercedes-AMG Petronas and a wider tire selection at this race graced us with opening stints filled with dicing cars. Seeing the McLarens on screen doesn't make us cringe. Manor doesn't only make the global feed when it's being lapped. We've been complaining about parade races for so long that we forgot excitement was possible without rain or wholesale regulation changes. Yes, Mercedes is still the king of the jungle, but there are some other proper midfield beasts on the hunt, too. Malfunctions up and down the grid did help the show in Shanghai, like Lewis Hamilton suffering perpetual troubles, Nico Hulkenberg's runaway front wheel which red-flagged Q2, and Sebastian Vettel's and Kimi Raikkonen's flubbed hot laps in Q3 that let Daniel Ricciardo slip by into second on the grid. Come race day things went all Grand Theft Auto at Turn 1 on the opening lap, sending some of the best cars to the pits. Then came Ricciardo's puncture while leading, then came the Safety Car – all by Lap 5. Nico Rosberg got 38 seconds of airtime on the way to victory – at the start and the finish, and that happened to be his margin of victory, too – otherwise he was a ghost. Everyone else was struggling and juggling. Rosberg's win at the Bahrain Grand Prix put the German at five consecutive victories going back to last year's Mexican Grand Prix. The history books show that any driver who's won five straight contests has gone on to win the championship. With his triumph in China, the German has won the season's first three races, the history books again show that the other nine drivers who've pulled that off have gone on to win the championship. Rosberg, 36 points ahead of his teammate in the standings, is having none of it. He said of the other victors, "But they didn't have Lewis Hamilton as their team-mate." Perhaps Mercedes was right not to make an engine deal with Red Bull last season.

Fiat retraces its roots with 1957 Edition 500

A car like the Fiat 500 is nothing if not retro, but the Italian automaker is making it all the more so with the 1957 Edition seen here.
Marking 57 years since the iconic Cinquecento launched in 1957, this new special-edition 500 upgrades on the model's Lounge trim level with such unique touches as throwback 16-inch wheels, vintage-style badges on the nose and tail, and an interior decked out in brown leather with ivory trim and gray door panels. It comes in either white, light green or the baby blue pictured here, the latter two colors distinguished by contrasting white mirrors and roof.
Power comes from Fiat's 1.4-liter MultiAir four-cylinder engine mated to either a five-speed manual or six-speed automatic, with a sport-tuned suspension and premium audio as standard. A limited quantity - Fiat has yet to say how many it'll build - will begin arriving at dealerships in the spring, with pricing to be announced closer to launch. In the meantime, you can check out the images above and the press release below.

Fiat 500 Cattiva coming in Q4, priced from $18,350*

When it comes to the 2013 Fiat 500 Cattiva, we already knew that the show car would make it into production, we just didn't know when... until now. Fiat has announced that the "naughty" 500 Cattiva will be unveiled at the Concorso Italiano in Monterey, CA, and it will go on sale in the fourth quarter of this year, with models based on either the 500 Sport or 500 Turbo. Pricing will start at $18,350 for the Sport Cattiva - *not including $800 for destination - with the Turbo commanding an extra $2,000.
Looking almost identical to the concept car we saw earlier in the year at the Detroit Auto Show, the Fiat 500 Cattiva will have a custom look with its blacked-out headlights and taillights, 16-inch wheels and gloss black-painted roof and liftgate spoiler. The Cattiva also features a matte black instrument panel, black and gray seats (cloth is standard, leather is optional) and a leather-wrapped shift knob and steering wheel. Scroll down for Fiat's official press release on this car, and stay tuned for live coverage of the car's unveiling this Friday.