Fiat 500 - The Original Small Car - James May's Cars Of The People - BBC Brit

James May takes a spin in one of the original small cars, the very mini, Fiat 500.
Taken from James May's Cars of the People
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[@ddtblack]

My grandma used to fit in that car with her 9 brothers thanks to the fabric roof! 6 sitting in the car and four standing up through the roof! She also painted it bright yellow so when they stole it, which happened every couple months, she would find it by the end of the day. Great stuff!

[@hectormusic111]

that was an abrupt ending. was getting comfy and all, intently watching. then boom, it's over.

[@tylerdurden5303]

Like life

[@IronMan3582]

It's totally worth tracking down the whole special, it's in three segments and they're all excellent

[@MsAda0]

ouchi couchi coo. Best description made by May.

[@Sean_Coyne]

Actually the cloth sunroof was put there so Italians could have a punch-up after a fender bender, without getting out of the car. True story. My mother witnessed one in Rome in the 1950s, right in front of the Colosseum and said it was the funniest things she ever saw. Bit of a bingle...the drivers popped up, screamed at each other, took a few swings and then drove off before the cops came over. Hahaha!

[@TheKurtkapan34]

hahaha. that is amazing. thank you for sharing

[@AymanB]

great anecdote :)

[@decodolly1535]

I can very easily believe that's how it was used. (I've been to Rome!) But I'd be worried if that was the reasoning behind the design 😊

[@gaia7240]

I'm italian and I don't know if that was actually the original idea but when I saw It I thought It was perfect for that purpose😂

[@IronMan3582]

Outside of the Singer Porsche segment that James did on Top Gear, the Cars of the People special is my favorite thing he's ever done.

[@ubbgn]

Italians make everything with style!

[@AdrianosClassicGarage]

My favorite tv presenter in my favorite car... Good stuff!

[@jacoblee8181]

Adriano's Classic 500 Jeremy is my favorite

[@danw4237]

Same. As much as I love Jeremy and Richard I do like James the best. He has a more understated approach compared to to the other two.

[@rjfaber1991]

The episode that this clip is taken from actually ends with James dropping a Lada Riva from a helicopter while the Russian national anthem is playing, in case you got the impression from this clip that the whole programme was a bit dry...

[@carlover1816]

Actually, the drop was the worst part IMHO. It just felr shoehorned into the show.

[@tomh6339]

Spot the "The Grand Tour" fan who doesn't actually give a shit about cars

[@rjfaber1991]

tomh6339 If that's supposed to reflect on me, then I see where you're coming from, but you're not actually right. I am a proper petrolhead and I thoroughly enjoyed basically every minute of James May's Cars of the People, but I also realise that there might be other people out there, who mainly want to watch James May for the humourous bits of his shows.

[@tijmen131]

Robert Faber such a shame, would have loved to have one

[@sirboomsalot4902]

I died a little when James May destroyed a Lada on this show and on the Grand Tour.

[@Jo_Wardy]

The cool thing about these 50s/60s small cars is the massive oversized skinny steering wheel. That’s the coolest thing about old cars.

[@silvio6755]

In this video, James uses two differrent 500: a 500D and a 500 L. Look at the seats at 1:50 and than at 2:10...

[@faroukkhlass6165]

The best car ever made

[@mexifaith]

Luigi from Cars is this exact Fiat!

[@seanmcdonagh6237]

no shit, it's almost like they planned it

[@varolussalsanclar1163]

Back when cars had the charasterictics and charm of the nations they were built. This is no where to be seen today. Shame

[@Skippy-id9yt]

Isyankar 47 yeah pesky safety standards got in the way

[@IronMan3582]

A lot of these pre-war and post-war designs were fueled out of the "doing more with less" because it was necessary in the times they were created, which lead to some truly impressive end products.

[@LoneWolf-wp9dn]

a guy in my neighborhood had one for years... the ladies loved it... he was a rugby prop type

[@parsil8158]

Wow. You said cinquecento perfectly James. I am impressed. (I live in italy)

[@toyota420xp]

my lawnmower has 17hp

[@HWC98]

Gregory Perkins mine has 23

[@filippotonello]

I don't think your lawnmower when tuned develop 70hp like the 500 :) and neither go 160 kmh :)

[@muskatDR]

Even my horse has 17hp

[@appelpower1]

Fernando Alonso's lawnmower has 650 bhp.

[@Vylkeer]

Gregory Perkins Your lawnmower has the same power, not the same amount of style ;)

[@KandiKlover]

My dad bought one of these from the 1970s and got it fully restored in Napoli. Really nice little cars actually got around very well and didn't feel too cramped.

[@xtraflo]

James is so awesome !! Love his reviews .

[@torenico]

My grandad used to own a Fiat 600 which was later used by my uncle after my grandad's death. That Fiat was parked in front of my former house, broken, and I had the keys to play inside when I was barely 5 years old. I still remember the smell of the leather seats, the sound of the door closing, the huge spider living in the backseat, finding a way to open the windows, the day I was so delighted playing inside the car that when I look outside, nobody was there, I was left alone in the streets, it began to rain and I was literally trapped inside the Fiat 600, with the spider of course. I cried when they towed it away to be scrapped.

[@hi-fidude6670]

I wish modern cars could be as interesting as this. They may have a million features, still not nearly as exciting as this.

[@Birdie_]

Still lighter than your average American

[@pivotset2]

@Jeff Lee Easy chubby.

[@vash180785]

I have 2 of this, one transformed in abarth version and one still is the original 500L, both were from my uncle, plus a Lancia Gamma Coupè

[@MichaelFlatman]

500kg, wow, humans can be heavier than that

[@madhouse5213]

bro I drive one :D

[@MichaelFlatman]

***** the heaviest human being was close to it or heavier, note i said can not are

[@Sean_Coyne]

+Michael Flatman Careful, there's a "yo momma" joke buried in that statement. ;-)

[@LCdrDerrick]

US-Americans can

[@angrydragonslayer]

+madhouse5213 you drive a 500kg human..... that's slightly worrying

[@lukakoprivica]

Italians simply make the best cars! Ever, forever!

[@seidimano1]

Ian No

[@Lieutenant_Dude]

Lol, no. They make the most beautiful and fun cars, maybe. But a fun beautiful car that you can't drive...because it broke down again...is not better than anything.

[@keithode1737]

The Japanese make the best cars ever.

[@Basih]

Best in what category? They have style and personality. The germans build for performance and luxury. The swedes build for reliability, practicality and comfort. I'd say that Italy, Japan, Germany and Sweden together makes the car market perfect, balancing each other.

[@donepearce]

Forever? Well, until they became a small heap of brown dust at the roadside - generally about two years.

[@ghost085]

"Do you find something comical about my appearance when I am driving my automobile?"

[@batundra]

Perfect video.

[@GuagoFruit]

It really makes me want a mini car like this. Get in a crash and I'd be absolutely screwed, but it's just so cute.

[@MrRainbowTie]

The Song at 1:43 is "Rito Pagano" by Silvia Manco. It took me a long time to figure this out, longer than I would care to admit. Now let's all enjoy the song.

[@accipiter1961]

Very Good, greetings from sud of the Spain. Costa de la luz. Coast of the light.

[@nadiablack4797]

My absolutely fave car in life. I lived in Sicily for 10 years where my love became an obsession and I will own one one day mark my words

[@miroslavkotyza3233]

My uncle use tu have it and car was so cool. loved it

[@MrHueJazz1]

Neat little car.

[@sir2gooo]

James May is senpai.

[@MrTakoyaki1992]

Bradley Davis mr slowly**

[@user-es7cw1xu5d]

Que precioso. Una joya

[@ThatWolfWithShades]

I didn't know the 500 had suicide doors.

[@johncapidecallu8076]

+That-Guy-With-Shades Only the earlier ones, from 1965 on they had normal doors

[@GeorgeLifterMann]

Why do you call them suicide doors?

[@johncapidecallu8076]

Hello There! Because if you try to open the door while the car is moving forward, the wind will open the door violently.

[@fabriziocamera4990]

only the first series had

[@gianluca.g]

@John Capidecallu not on a Fiat 500, given its maximum speed :-)

[@teop7887]

greatest little car in the world!

[@SilentMantis85]

The Palermo plate is the cherry on this 500 :p

[@obx300]

I was just noticing that, i havent seen a Palermo plate in a loooong time.

[@daniellightfoot4464]

What is the song beginning at 1:43 ?

[@svenlima]

It's the proof that nobody needs more than 50 hp to get comfortably from A to B unless between A and B are more than 100 km

[@stevefeldon6873]

Does anybody please know the title and artist of the piece of background music played during the first 32 seconds? (It sounds similar to Alessandro Alessandroni - Bossa Italiana)

[@steevemccloud5841]

+Steve Feldon Darude- Sandstorm

[@GlennnD]

+Steeve McCloud I laughed :D

[@kidtsunami3993]

Track ID, recognized it as.. Italian social club -Blue bossa. But it's Alessandro Alessandroni

[@stevefeldon6873]

@@kidtsunami3993 Thank you

[@MrTufsen7]

you guys sure have some balls to post this

[@MenwithHill]

To be fair it's not Top Gear.

[@zenodio3D]

+MenwithHill Actually, I think this is a clip from a Top Gear episode.

[@MenwithHill]

Tobi McNobi It's in the title : the series is "James May's Cars Of The People" (a fairly good series if you ask me).

[@zenodio3D]

Oh right, that's where I saw it, didn't realise Cars of The People was an actual TV show, thought it was just a webseries of James' bits from Top Gear. I just remember seeing this in tele a long time ago :P

[@JouviGrouvi]

I own a 2015 Fiat 500 Lounge and I really love the old one.

[@sadladd]

How many times has Tony had to fix it?

[@TheAndertejker]

Fix It Again Tony!:D

[@tonnamsoodeen31]

TheAndertejker

[@littlebigjohn69]

its better than ford-found on road dead

[@prestonklein6338]

the beetle is the most cheerful car ive ever driven

[@Stockinger01]

awesom car :)

[@Pandzikizlasu80]

It's funny when its compared to a trabant and considered better. In Poland avarage people could buy fiat 126 - basicly this car with a boxy shape and 24 Hp engine or trabant and both was considered as miserable. But yes fiat gives you more fun, expecialy on snow and didn't look as bad as trabant, but it was a lot smaler and family holiday jurney was a hell.

[@Dusty10]

A small part of a pretty good film.

[@sotirismp2883]

I want james to review a peel p50

[@iplayoldschoolrunescape]

We need this in the U.S. build them cheap sell them cheap electric would be nice and now everyone has transportation :D

[@mattbartholomew5707]

+VideosAreDrugs No! We don't want cheap electric cars yet, have you seen the monstrosity of the Gwiz. Battery technology is not at a point where it can be made cheap without cutting corners. Best to find a tiny petrol engine that uses established basic technology so anyone can fix it and parts are cheap.

[@alexanderkasady6839]

VideosAreDrugs- Oxymoron, 'cheap electric'. Have you priced e-cars lately? They're astronomical. The only way to sell one of these cheap is to equip it with a tiny, say, 36 to 400 cc engine, liquid-cooled (to provide for cabin heat), enough power to spin an air conditioner compressor, state of the art technology and turbo-charging, and you'd have one hell of a seller. Commuter car that would also be highway capable, a blast to drive, and no lengthy recharging times or batteries to wear out. Perfect! Problem with e-cars, besides price and cost of replacement batteries: no way to spin an air conditioning compressor or to provide cabin heat.

[@alexanderkasady6839]

InfiniteMushroom--- Not a hope. The unibody Fairmonts and GM 'A' bodies weren't built for the weight of the battery packs and their placement beneath the floor. And if those old cars haven't begun to rust by now they soon will be. There are very few of those examples left here in the Midwest, the 'Rust Belt', and the few that are left are doomed. There just aren't enough of any one design left on the roads to be good candidates for such a kit, if such a kit was feasible to start with, which I doubt would be The electric car is so much heavier than the equivalent-sized gas car (one other little fact they forget to tell you) that the brakes in the conversion car would be inadequate for the weight of the batteries and the electric motor, aside from any considerations of the structural worthiness. By the time you would have paid for the full conversion, wires and all, you would have spent the same amount of money as you would buying a brand-new e-car.

[@julemandenudengaver4580]

InfiniteMushroom Trabant elektrik... that would I drive.. only thing I'll miss is the 2 banger 2 stroke sound

[@alexanderkasady6839]

Benjamin Schack--- But why would you want electric? What, you like short driving range? You like shortening your driving distances even further by operating a heater/defroster in the wintertime and the air conditioning in the summertime? I can see how these wouldn't be significant concerns for a European, but here in the states it just wouldn't be practical, what with our longer driving distances and weather extremes, so the marketability of the car would suffer tremendously. If, on the other hand, it was to be powered by a small 4-stroke engine, say, of 500 to 700 c.c., twin-cylinder, 4-valve-per-chamber water-cooled engine (water cooling would be a necessity to provide heat for the cabin) and with an electrically-driven air conditioning compressor (to eliminate engine drag and maximize compressor life).... and possibly a turbo-charger option for the 500-c.c version.... now that would be a widely marketable machine, with world-wide distribution potential. And fun to drive, as well. And you'd forget all about that 'bee-in-a-bottle' sound.

[@user-ld8sz8bh8f]

ん〜素晴らしい✨

[@ZioStalin]

Best car ever.

[@theromanboi]

What's the song name at 1:46

[@savecityofheroessavecityof5838]

There is a lot of changes between 1957 though 2017.

[@Serpicoitalia]

welcome to Sicily Island,Europe

[@elijahmanley9221]

you really drive one

[@GewelReal]

Now imagine it made out of aluminium and with moder/modernized engine. 300 kgs with 50 bhp would be amazing fun :D (and with better suspension)

[@MrStabby19812]

Gewel Abarth was already tuning them to 110hp back in the day :)

[@josephsummers2427]

This car weighs just a little bit more than HALF the weight of a brand new smart car. Let that sink in just how light and tiny this car is.

[@ThomasFarquhar2]

0:00 I agree James may

[@iiitsRachel]

I like Vesper scooters too

[@bitchniggaswag2089]

Fićo!

[@jamesduffy7549]

dream car

[@4039byrne]

Do you think someone who is 6ft 5 will fit in one?

[@DRAGOSMAN95]

did top gear made this episode at Chieri (TO)?

[@ovetto97]

si

[@LucaBersano]

Dragos Kirner bella Chieri 😍😍😍😍

[@sirboomsalot4902]

This isn't Tog Gear, it's a separate show called "James May's Cars of the People"

[@Mio-Vita]

The Fiat 500 is on my list car's to own before I die , sad but list's are made to me written out

[@marjankozovski2763]

Song at 1:50?

[@emanueleploner7307]

I don't kwon why people say that italian cars are less reliable than others, honestly i think they could compete with volvo

[@ClaudeMagicbox]

Emanuele Ploner Let me add that in FCA (former FIAT) there is a company called Fiat Powertrain that designs builds and sells engine/gearbox blocks...that are mounted on several (German) Ford and Renault models that are renowed for their reliability. Moreover Fiat Professional, maker of the Ducato and Doblo haul van series...is the top choice in Europe for UPS/SDA and other parcel services which mainly choose based on reliability and low maintenance costs (look it up).

[@rafaelmartinvannostrand2084]

i just watched this video repeatedly just to hear May say "uchi cuchi cu"

[@g.d.p]

Гарна машина на свій час.

[@george78779]

BBC should pay the copyrights to May

[@LoneWolf-wp9dn]

the mini was always said to be this well packaged car and years later toyota came out with the iq which was ingenious but much more expensive and still quite huge

[@davidegranchelli]

A112 (last car designed by Dante Giacosa) beats the mini for daily use: same size same HP, much more comfortable and roomy.

[@savecityofheroessavecityof5838]

in the 1957 version how many miles per gallon?

[@MrStabby19812]

savecityofheroes savecityofheroes 43

[@SuperEmlo]

Flat 500 is so cool

[@eriktheflower3845]

I want it

[@jacobbahr9316]

0:55 I'm surprised they chose 17 horsepower, since 17 is superstitiously an unlucky number in Italy

[@SuperTheguys]

I don't care what anyone says. James May is driving a Luigi.

[@YTRulesFromNM]

Can you fit Jeremy Clarkson in one? Is there enough room for two Richard Hammonds in the back seat?

[@christoslowrider7638]

BHP doesn't really matter, torque does

[@iamandreja]

He said two hundred seventy five millimeters, well, maybe a 1:10 scale :)

[@ArmonyJazzStudio]

In the first immage is 500 D, in the ultimate is 500 F. Why?

[@ariesmight4141]

My fanily owns one. The Fiat has not been driven since the 60's. It is as small as it looks.

[@nawazwaseem2219]

Small car for James May and it's a monster truck for Richard Hammond.

[@alexanderkasady6839]

James- Neat car, but what if some car manufacturer were to go into production with something of this size and with a modern motorcycle-sized engine? You know. 360 to 400 cc, twin cylinder, 4 valves per chamber, turbocharged and equipped with air conditioning. It would have plenty of pep and would be practical in any developed country year-around. It wouldn't need power windows, what with all of the windows within arm's reach. It wouldn't need power steering, too small and too light for that. And the engine would have to have pushrods and hydraulic lifters, to eliminate the need for valve adjustments and cam chain & tensioner replacement. It'd be cheap to operate and it'd run forever. Make the car about the size of the Renault 4CV or Subaru 360 or a Fiat 128 and it would be a winner. The old Volkswagen Beetle weighed what? 1800 pounds? had 40 horsepower and you couldn't put air conditioning in it and it had squat for heater or defroster. But it still sold like hotcakes.

[@leonardodilena680]

Ehmm... no, "The Original Small Car" FIAT 500 was the 1936 FIAT 500 "Topolino", this is the "iconic" 500, called in fact "new FIAT 500" ("nuova FIAT 500"). en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiat_500_(disambiguation)

[@lewistasso8866]

If anyone has driven in very tight, made for donkeys and horses, 13th century, roads in Italy, then they'll understand why the 500 was a small car. That and the fact that a gallon of gas is like $7.00.

[@doubledee9675]

What about the Austin 7 - well before this Fiat and not just a small car but a tiny one.

[@user-ql5es5wo9i]

I want this car sir please send me request

[@hellcat1988]

Can you imagine that car with a Hayabusa?

[@obx300]

Actually...

[@nicolasbueno283]

Precioso auto, deberías usar cinturón

[@66Tinchoo99]

me parece que el auto no tiene jajaj

[@55inchsamsungsmarttv38]

asta ahora me doy cuenta que no usa

[@dijksenleon]

whats the 0-60 time lol

[@briangriffiths114]

Still a classic.

[@mrbadx19]

i'd like one of these to replace my troublesome 2008 smart. i think i'd prefer a "Fix It Again Tony", to mercedes engineered crap that fails at will.

[@AsekiBekovy]

where do you live?

[@fuckumaddafakka8529]

Trabi used way less steel.

[@teedjay91]

safety norms prevents company to built cars like this today :( the smart fortwo can weight up to 940kg wish is so eavy for its size compare to older cars. My first car, a 1991 tercel weight about the same but had 4 doors and a large trunk.

[@mattbartholomew5707]

+Teedjay Gendron My first car a Volvo 440 weighed around 990kg and is about the same size as a Tarcel but had a few safety things as you would expect with a Volvo.

[@ThatWolfWithShades]

+Matt Bartholomew Volvo's safety is the steel that will cut through the car you crash into.

[@carlover1816]

Safety made cars heavier... and thank God for that!

[@ChargerHouse]

So since it's so light average sized men adds about 20% weight to it, get 4 blokes in there, couple crates of beer and you can double the weight.

[@Alaska1925]

Heh, no adult man could fit in the back seats anyway, they're so small and so close to the front ones it's ridiculous..

[@fabriziocamera4990]

I can guarantee we travelled 4 people. very compressed but we did

[@user-ql5es5wo9i]

Please sir

[@alvaroguillenbascunana1699]

Where is the seat 600

[@Lar308]

Always thought the Fiat 600 looked better than the 500.

[@SayedAfeen]

1:21 XD

[@BootyEater_69]

Oochie coochie coo

[@nando11220]

Can I have that plz that really is my dream car

[@ShubhamBhushanCC]

17 widow making horsepowers