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1960s Fiat 500F becomes 960-piece Lego Creator Expert kit

Properly restored, the rear-engined Fiat 500 released in 1957 is worth more than most late-model front-engined examples. Lego is making it more accessible by adding a 1960s 500F model to its Creator Expert line of kits. This isn't the first Lego Fiat 500 we've seen, but we're not sure if this official one is related to the unofficial one we last saw back in 2018. The 960-piece set measures about four inches high, nine inches long, and four inches wide, meaning it will take up quite a bit of space on your desk. Lego recreated the 500's proportions with surprising accuracy, and its designers included details like the round headlights, the chromed emblem on the front fascia, the dish-shaped hubcaps, and the vented rear decklid. It's not as realistic as a die-cast model, but it's recognizable as a 500. Opening the hood reveals the gas tank and the spare tire — just like on the real car. Lego has thankfully left out the rust that tends to develop in the battery tray, which is right behind the front fascia. Both doors open to reveal a three-spoke steering wheel with a Fiat logo, a moving gear selector, a handbrake lever you can raise and lower, as well as a folding soft top — again, just like on the actual 500F. Lower the decklid to find the Danish firm's best rendition of Fiat's air-cooled twin, which in real life develops 18 horsepower and 22 pound-feet of torque in the 500F. Zero to 60 mph (its top speed) optimistically takes about a minute if you're on flat ground with a favorable tail wind. The replica's zero-to-60-mph time depends on what you're carrying it in. It totes a suitcase on its back everywhere it goes, and the kit includes a painting of a 500 in front of the Coliseum propped up on an easel. Lego will release its Fiat 500 on March 1. Sold online and through authorized retailers, it's priced at $89.99, which makes it a bargain compared to a vintage one. The catch is that you can't take it out for gelato. If you'd rather invest in one you can drive to cars and coffee, there's a 1967 500F just like the one Lego offers in its kit listed in the Hemmings classifieds for the princely sum of $29,500, or about $27 per pound — yikes. Related Video: Featured Gallery Fiat 500F Lego kit View 14 Photos Toys/Games Fiat

Mike Manley and Louis Camilleri appointments confirmed after shareholder votes

AMSTERDAM – Fiat Chrysler shareholders held a meeting yesterday to officially vote on the appointments of Mike Manley as CEO of FCA and Louis Camilleri as the CEO of Ferrari. Manley and Camilleri were announced as the replacements for Sergio Marchionne following the former chief's sudden death. At the same time, FCA announced that it would place John Elkann in the role of Chairman. A minute-long moment of silence was held at the start of the meeting in honor of Marchionne. According to reports, 99 percent of shareholder votes were in favor of Manley's appointment at FCA, and 98 percent were in favor of Camilleri taking the CEO role at Ferrari. Manley said at the shareholder's meeting that he will announce his organizational plans for the automaker by the end of September. "When we learned Sergio Marchionne could not return to work the board decided to appoint Mike Manley, who was the only candidate," Chairman John Elkann said. The chairman added the decision was based on succession plans the board was working on with Marchionne for his planned departure in 2019. Of Camilleri's direction at Ferrari, Elkann said, "Sergio Marchionne strengthened the foundations of Ferrari, now we can build on that for the future, which will be a bright future."Reuters contributed to this report.Related Video: Image Credit: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Chrysler Fiat Sergio Marchionne FCA Mike Manley

FCA goes big on little Fiat 500 EV, plans to build 80,000

TURIN, Italy — Fiat Chrysler plans to invest 700 million euros ($787 million) in an electric makeover of its iconic Fiat 500, a top executive said on Thursday, as the automaker seeks to move on from its failed bid to merge with France's Renault. FCA's chief operating officer for Europe, Middle East and Africa, Pietro Gorlier, announced the investment — the Italian-American company's biggest single bet on an electric vehicle — at its Mirafiori plan in Turin, northern Italy. "The plan is confirmed," Gorlier told reporters, when asked if FCA's investment in electric vehicle technology would remain unchanged after its $35 billion plan to merge with Renault, an electric car pioneer, collapsed last month. He said FCA would invest the 700 million euros to build a new production line at Mirafiori to turn out 80,000 of the new 500 BEV, its first battery electric vehicle to be marketed in Europe after a smaller, initial foray in the United States. Production will start in the second quarter of 2020, with capacity to be expanded later, Gorlier said. The 500 compact car is one of the group's most famous models, launched by Fiat in the late 1950s and quickly becoming a symbol of Italian urban design. The 700 million euros investment is part of a plan announced last year to invest 5 billion euros in Italy up to 2021. In abandoning its merger offer for Renault, FCA blamed French politics for scuttling what would have been a landmark deal to create the world's third-biggest automaker. Featured Gallery Fiat 500e Green Chrysler Fiat Electric