Why I love... THE NEW FIAT 500

"It was an everyman's car, yes, but it was a truly enviable one"

- BY JACK HARRISON

What goes into a successful retro revival of an old car?

For a good example, let’s look at the Renault 5. The consensus is that it gets all the key features right. Much like the original 5, it’s great to drive and even better to look at, but at its core it captures that classless spirit that the car always had. Just as with that car (and even more so in the modern era of PCP finance and leasing), almost anyone can walk into a Renault dealership and drive away with a sharp, stylish runaround that would look just as at home in Knightsbridge as it would in Kettering. Other rebirths haven't been so well resolved, losing touch of the elements that defined the original, whether that be through a hike in pricing (the Land Rover Defender, I would argue) or a complete departure in terms of positioning, shape, styling and character (it starts with 'F' and ends with 'ord Capri').