2012 Fiat 500 Sport on 2040-cars

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Record for tightest parallel parking job provisionally broken again

When you're the best at something, well, you want to keep being the best at something, even if that something is setting world records in parallel parking. Or, based on how often and quickly this record changes hands, perhaps that's especially when it's setting world records in parallel parking. Alastair Moffatt has held the record twice, his reign broken twice by Han Yue, who did it last time in November 2014. That effort reduced the distance between cars to a eight centimeters (3.15 inches). Moffatt was double-dog dared to take his crown back in front of a crowd at the Autosport International Show in Birmingham, England, and he accepted the challenge. Then he beat the challenge, using a 2015 Fiat 500C to shrink the record-setting gap to 7.5 centimeters (2.95 inches). The folks at Guinness are waiting on a few more scraps of documentation from Moffatt's team to make it official, but we figure he knows what he's doing by this point. Once it's been given the stamp, we have a feeling we'll be getting a call from China. Until then, there's video of the new record being set above, and a behind-the-scenes video below. We guarantee you have no idea how much goes into this. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. News Source: Stunt Drive UK via YouTube, Road & Track Fiat Convertible Hatchback Videos fiat 500c Guinness World Records parallel parking

Fiat buying rest of Chrysler in $4.35 billion deal, IPO avoided

Chrysler will now become a wholly owned member of the Fiat family, as it's been announced that the 41.46-percent stake in the Auburn Hills, MI-based manufacturer owned by the United Auto Workers' VEBA trust fund will be sold to the Italian company. Concluding the agreement will mark the closure of a piecemeal purchase process that could have resulted in an initial public offering.
The total cost of the sale will see the VEBA healthcare trust receive $4.35 billion, $3.65 billion of which will come from Fiat. $1.75 billion of that will be cash, while an additional $1.9 billion will be part of a "special distribution." An additional $700 million will be paid over four separate installments according to reports from Automotive News Europe and USA Today, although the shares will belong to Fiat following the first payment. The deal was reportedly initially struck on Sunday (though it is just being announced today), and is being portrayed as particularly good news for Fiat and Chrysler, which have now prevented the remaining shares going to the stock market in a UAW-forced IPO.
"The unified ownership structure will now allow us to fully execute our vision of creating a global automaker that is truly unique in terms of mix of experience, perspective and know-how, a solid and open organization that will ensure all employees a challenging and rewarding environment," Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne said in a statement.

1950s car ads are timeless

Usually around the Super Bowl a few great car commercials show up, but for the most part auto ads today pale in comparison to the '1950s and '60s. In an era with a truly viable magazine industry, automakers would take out gorgeous full-page spreads to get the word out about their wares. It was also a time when imports were just hitting the US, and there was a boom in sports cars. Car and Driver has gone for a dig into its advertising archives from when the book was known as Sports Cars Illustrated for a truly great viewing experience. You can imagine a young Don Draper mulling over the copy for these ads, but some of it is laughably quaint today. For example, there's a great image of a driver whipping an Austin-Healey 100 around a track. The italicized red text proudly proclaims, "From 0 to 60 MPH in 10.5 seconds." One of the beautiful parts about these advertisements is that you seldom see photos of the cars. Instead, there are often detailed drawings that slightly distort the vehicles' lines. With this approach, the Porsche 356 ends up looking far more curvaceous than in real life. Plus, the front end of the Chrysler 300 looks large enough to land a helicopter on. The whole thing is worth scrolling through. There are some fascinating glimpses into auto history like an ad for Abarth exhausts before the brand was just known for tuning Fiats. Related Video: News Source: Car and DriverImage Credit: GM Heritage Center Marketing/Advertising Read This Chrysler Fiat Porsche Performance Classics porsche 356 abarth