Blazey might be the best co-reviewer in the business, might not say a lot, but his facial expressions say it all and I figure he probably thinks any vehicle is fine as long as I’m with my buddy Tommy.
I had a second hand Fiat 500 way back in 1975. A great and willing wee motor. No synchromesh is no problem with double de-clutching being a wonderful skill to apply. One of its best features was in the snow. Just use the hand throttle under the dash to give a high tickover, put her in second gear, don’t touch the foot throttle, let the clutch out and she would putt putt her way through anything.
I've got a 1995 Fiat, so it's 27 year old already. 28 next May. But it's got 130bhp, so they have advanced over the years 😁 (It's not a 500 though but a sporty 2 seater)
Over here in the UK I took my 1932 Morris Minor Two-Seater on a 40-mile round trip this afternoon. No problem as usual. Back in June I did just shy of 600-miles over a long weekend (Thursday-Monday), again no issues. Car has a 3-speed 'crash' gearbox, cable-operated brakes, and just 19bhp from a side-valve engine displacing 847cc, for a maximum speed of about 52mph, though the cruising speed is more like 40-45mph. With plenty of stops for coffee and a stretch, the little (9ft 9in long) car covered a distance of 185-miles over the course of 10 hours.
Its a happy little car, but I still think it needs a little more fettling as its a bit slower than it should be. Maybe play with the carb, timing & points a bit (set them for dwell angle on a meter, not just a feeler gauge, in case the lobes or shaft is worn). Have the valves been set properly as well? And sending lots of cuddles to Blaze!
Yes. here in Italy a lot of people upgrade the original 28 carb to a 30 or 32, then they use electronic points and distributor. It's a little funny car, it doesnt cost much but to drive you need some skills.
Glancing at the inside of your front trunk (8:05), I noticed there was no spare tire, which was supposed to be placed just next to the battery but was missing; not a good idea to drive a car without one. Another thing I was worried about is that the positive terminal of your battery is exposed. It could be very dangerous. If you put metal stuff like hand tools in the trunk or if the jack comes loose (the fixing rubber bands are known to easily deteriorate), a possible short circuit can cause a serious damage or even an explosion. Safe and happy driving!
That is my dad in his parents old white 1986 Sabb 900 2, door the last year of that style in the 2 door, you sit so low in these cars, that for how short they are you have good head clearance. That is how lots of cars got the people of countries where they are taller like some Italians, some Scandinavian people, and even the Nissans of the 1990's made for the USA market people and northern Japanese who are taller sat really low in all these cars to fit the taller people of the country. Even the Sabb 9000 that replaced the Sabb 900 was lower seating then most for the era.
You guys should really include a Soviet era Skoda to your peoples car stable. A rapid 130 or skoda 120 GLS would be superb. Especially given Roman's Czech heritage. Not only are those cars a rarity in North America, but also a blast to drive, good looking and probably the quickest and best handling of all the other stablemates..
As an unfortunate individual, having driven a 120 gls for more years than i want to remember, I have to say that a Skoda is absolutely the worst POS ever conceived by man
@@Malc664 yes, I also imagine the preceding model must have been better. Can´t imagine anyone sane bothering with a POS that is worse than what my 120 was. I must admit the 120 was good at something, it had pretty good rear wheels grip in the winters. Downside was the front wheels didnt have much grip at all, I used to have a 40 kg weight in the front trunk during winters to give the steering some more authority. Still ended up losing grip on front wheels first, then fishtailing.
A shootout on a ranch! A family friend was an ex-Spitfire pilot and had an army surplus Jeep. He showed us some target practice with his pistol on his farm. He did a lot of hunting before he joined the air force.
If you've ever driven an MG Midget you'd loose your mind. Small like this but with 75 mph performance. I'm talking MG Midget not the MGB, which is cool af too but huge in comparison.
I absolutely love the channel and I can't wait to see this little fiat in some more videos but I just have to say when Tommy does a piece to camera where he's staring into the camera all I see now is his father
If you are going to do a post-war people's car shoot-out, you really need to add a Honda Super Cub to the line-up. They made more of them then any of the others and it has been continuously produced since the 50s.
not a car though is it? i believe that Japan werent allowed to produce (or at least export) cars for a period of time after the war. not a huge fan of any of the 4 'peoples cars' mentioned that you have, but, of the 4, i personally would take the classic mini, as an overall package.
@@petelattimer6808 It has a motor and wheels. In post-war Japan, that was big. Starting in 1951, Toyota made the Land Cruiser for Japan's National Police Reserve (as a domestic alternative to the Jeep). It predates the Super Cub by 7 years and had four wheels but it was hardly a "People's Car". I still think they should get a Super Cub for the series.
Back in the mid 70s my father spent six months in Rome at the NATO defence college, and a fellow participant was a British Squadron leader with a massive Volvo 245 estate. While out they had a low speed accident hitting a Fiat 500 with an extended Italian family inside. The Volvo had not a scratch, the Fiat fell to pieces in a Keystone cops type way. Fortunately nobody was hurt but there was an awful lot of gesticulation. I admire your and Blaze's courage, not for me, but fun though. Love your classics channel and I used to own a BMW M535i, a marvellous beastie indeed!
Without having seen it it is either that it still got its mecanical rubber membrane fuel pump or the distributor is not maintained by the way contact spray is not for electrical contact, it is for the mecanical contacts in the distributor. Hope you have as much fun with that thing as I had with my 126P in 1995.
Mortons are very popular in the Northern Plains, Western Midwest, and in lower Canada Prarie. I live in South Dakota and My parents work in a mid to late 1960's Morton building as part of the East Pierre Landscape and Greenhouse and one of the barns that needs to be taken down is a beyond basic version very little electricity Morton Building the most basic of the big barn style that is comparable to a crappy very low cost modern big steel barn that Menards sells just was not built well and has suffered from lack of repair and cheap repair from previous original owner of the company Tommy Tompson who was born in 1930's and was forced as a kid to be too frugal a trait he carried into his business.
The engine took long to start because maybe you didn’t pull the choke (the lever next to your seat). Another thing I will be careful is the gasoline. I think, if is possible, it is better to use the one without ethanol.
Thank you, Tommy, Love the little cars - like the Japanese KEI cars and trucks w/ 660cc knowing they are meant for the inner-city, not the American open roads
Lmao...18 hp. My 1977 ARCTIC CAT 🐈 Panther had 440 cc and made about 44 hp. Top speed on a nice frigid -35 C would be 100 to 120 kph. The SUZUKI SPIRIT engines for AC were dead reliable. I am talking the fan cooled ones. The free air were a bit more temperamental in milder weather. If you went up to 500 cc Panther, those things had serious power for the time.
i do a 2300 kilometers roundtrip from germany to italy in my 68 500F every summer since 2016! 🇮🇹😉👍 btw. i would NEVER drive my Luigi in winter on salty roads. thats bad!
I have a Bernese Mountain Dog and Malamute mix, her name is Athena. She's not as well trained as your doggo but it isn't exactly her fault because she only has one brain cell, in fact the only thing on her mind is food and breaking down my patio door to get her food.
Love the look of the classic Fiat, too small for me though ( I'm 6'2) lol. always enjoy the TFL classic content. I currently drive a 2017 JEEP Renegade Limited , which is a awesome ride,, thanks - Brad frm Vernon B.C, Canada
If you are buckling up, then Blaze should be buckled for safety too; a dog seatbelt harness goes a long way to save his life if the vehicle stops much faster then he can :)
18 hp? The first car I owned in 1967 had a 324cc 16.5 bhp engine and I used to drive it from the city back to my parents' farm 280 kilometres. It wasn't quick but it made it.
Looks like blaze had a few complaints about the “chest” space while trying to swap windows. Other than that he seemed pretty happy with the fiat. Guess it’s a 3 out of 4 paws.
Like the original mini, which americans are not used to, old fiat's and citroen 2cv, you need to thrash the engine! All the time. It's noisy but that didn't count in the 1950's. I have been in one of these with 3 people in it, on a uk motorway with the gas buried into the floor, and we ended up at 60mph plus for most of it. For hills, you drop a gear and floor it. You never hope on torque or horsepower!
You should get the engine sorted - it is definitely down on power. 50 mph should be nearly achievable in 3rd. They are little rev happy engines, more RPM means more power, but yours seems to be struggling. Might be the advance mechanism on the distributor is stuck. Or maybe the timing is off. Get your mechanic (he's quite savvy!) to check that. It will run MUCH BETTER.
We just did actually before this vid. It has new weights in the distributer and the engine timing is now sorted. What kills the performance is the altitude we live it: 2000 meters! (6000 feet)
Also - if you want some more performance... get a 28IMB carb from a (Polski) Fiat 126. It will give you a few horses... anything matters if you have 18.5 HP. Hope you get that sorted!
Bro, when you turnn on the car, especially in the winter, please, open the air intake. It's aside the liver to turn the car on. A few moments later, push it back down.
Here’s hoping the Fiat’s next owner is Jay Leno and he has his crew do a serious restomod on it. Perhaps a (mildly detuned for safety) Yamaha FZ-07 engine. And eliminate some glaring safety deficits. That fuel tank looks a little dicey - for example. 5 stars for taking on this old puppy and showing us what it’s like.
If this car is like my first car in my 20s, a yellow 1972 Honda 600 sedan, you better watch your back. Over time, this size car is horrible for the lower back, bad suspension, seats close to the floor, floor close to the road surface, and in California, you always get swayed by the wind and by big rig trucks on highways. Not made for American highways.
It has to be the fuel?? modern Benzine/Gasoline is nothing like it was in the 70's, I knew people who had these FIAT 500's new and they were known for first time every time starts? I see the same on places where they have rebuilt old Beetles.....literally a new engine...and they bemoan how it doesn't run well and the engine is hard to start...So It has to be the fuel?
For your chance to own our BMW M535, check it out HERE: www.tflbids.com/product/1987-bmw-m535i/
Why not put the box on the passenger seat?
Blazey might be the best co-reviewer in the business, might not say a lot, but his facial expressions say it all and I figure he probably thinks any vehicle is fine as long as I’m with my buddy Tommy.
Blaze really "made" this video -- what fun to bring him along! "More Blaze" is always a good thing.
I had a second hand Fiat 500 way back in 1975. A great and willing wee motor. No synchromesh is no problem with double de-clutching being a wonderful skill to apply. One of its best features was in the snow. Just use the hand throttle under the dash to give a high tickover, put her in second gear, don’t touch the foot throttle, let the clutch out and she would putt putt her way through anything.
Blaze is the best. Give him a raise!
Blaze is awesome- seemed like a great ride for that dog 😀
I've got a 1995 Fiat, so it's 27 year old already. 28 next May. But it's got 130bhp, so they have advanced over the years 😁
(It's not a 500 though but a sporty 2 seater)
Over here in the UK I took my 1932 Morris Minor Two-Seater on a 40-mile round trip this afternoon. No problem as usual. Back in June I did just shy of 600-miles over a long weekend (Thursday-Monday), again no issues. Car has a 3-speed 'crash' gearbox, cable-operated brakes, and just 19bhp from a side-valve engine displacing 847cc, for a maximum speed of about 52mph, though the cruising speed is more like 40-45mph. With plenty of stops for coffee and a stretch, the little (9ft 9in long) car covered a distance of 185-miles over the course of 10 hours.
More vehicles need a Blazey review. You can tell a lot about a vehicles ride based on Blazey's face.
The spooky music when Tommy is explaining what is about take place with this Fiat is so befitting of the car. 😂😂great video guys
It’s one of my favorite cars of all time, and this one is particularly nice. Great find.
Its a happy little car, but I still think it needs a little more fettling as its a bit slower than it should be. Maybe play with the carb, timing & points a bit (set them for dwell angle on a meter, not just a feeler gauge, in case the lobes or shaft is worn). Have the valves been set properly as well? And sending lots of cuddles to Blaze!
Yes. here in Italy a lot of people upgrade the original 28 carb to a 30 or 32, then they use electronic points and distributor. It's a little funny car, it doesnt cost much but to drive you need some skills.
Glancing at the inside of your front trunk (8:05), I noticed there was no spare tire, which was supposed to be placed just next to the battery but was missing; not a good idea to drive a car without one. Another thing I was worried about is that the positive terminal of your battery is exposed. It could be very dangerous. If you put metal stuff like hand tools in the trunk or if the jack comes loose (the fixing rubber bands are known to easily deteriorate), a possible short circuit can cause a serious damage or even an explosion.
Safe and happy driving!
That is my dad in his parents old white 1986 Sabb 900 2, door the last year of that style in the 2 door, you sit so low in these cars, that for how short they are you have good head clearance. That is how lots of cars got the people of countries where they are taller like some Italians, some Scandinavian people, and even the Nissans of the 1990's made for the USA market people and northern Japanese who are taller sat really low in all these cars to fit the taller people of the country. Even the Sabb 9000 that replaced the Sabb 900 was lower seating then most for the era.
You guys should really include a Soviet era Skoda to your peoples car stable. A rapid 130 or skoda 120 GLS would be superb. Especially given Roman's Czech heritage. Not only are those cars a rarity in North America, but also a blast to drive, good looking and probably the quickest and best handling of all the other stablemates..
Great idea. I hope they see your comment.
As an unfortunate individual, having driven a 120 gls for more years than i want to remember, I have to say that a Skoda is absolutely the worst POS ever conceived by man
@@juslitor I believe the earlier models to yours without the radiator in the front were good.
@@Malc664 yes, I also imagine the preceding model must have been better. Can´t imagine anyone sane bothering with a POS that is worse than what my 120 was. I must admit the 120 was good at something, it had pretty good rear wheels grip in the winters. Downside was the front wheels didnt have much grip at all, I used to have a 40 kg weight in the front trunk during winters to give the steering some more authority. Still ended up losing grip on front wheels first, then fishtailing.
Dear god Blaze is absolutely adorable. Would not mind at all taking a road trip in that FIAT with that good boi by my side.
A shootout on a ranch! A family friend was an ex-Spitfire pilot and had an army surplus Jeep. He showed us some target practice with his pistol on his farm. He did a lot of hunting before he joined the air force.
First the dog was anxious. Then, at some point, he was praying everything finished well… LOL.
The ride of his life🤣
If you've ever driven an MG Midget you'd loose your mind. Small like this but with 75 mph performance. I'm talking MG Midget not the MGB, which is cool af too but huge in comparison.
Lose.
I absolutely love the channel and I can't wait to see this little fiat in some more videos but I just have to say when Tommy does a piece to camera where he's staring into the camera all I see now is his father
Tommy, you missed a belt loop.
Blaze's perfectly skeptical facial expression throughout is solid gold.
If you are going to do a post-war people's car shoot-out, you really need to add a Honda Super Cub to the line-up. They made more of them then any of the others and it has been continuously produced since the 50s.
Or a vespa, krietler, thomos
not a car though is it? i believe that Japan werent allowed to produce (or at least export) cars for a period of time after the war.
not a huge fan of any of the 4 'peoples cars' mentioned that you have, but, of the 4, i personally would take the classic mini, as an overall package.
@@petelattimer6808 It has a motor and wheels. In post-war Japan, that was big. Starting in 1951, Toyota made the Land Cruiser for Japan's National Police Reserve (as a domestic alternative to the Jeep). It predates the Super Cub by 7 years and had four wheels but it was hardly a "People's Car".
I still think they should get a Super Cub for the series.
Back in the mid 70s my father spent six months in Rome at the NATO defence college, and a fellow participant was a British Squadron leader with a massive Volvo 245 estate. While out they had a low speed accident hitting a Fiat 500 with an extended Italian family inside. The Volvo had not a scratch, the Fiat fell to pieces in a Keystone cops type way. Fortunately nobody was hurt but there was an awful lot of gesticulation. I admire your and Blaze's courage, not for me, but fun though. Love your classics channel and I used to own a BMW M535i, a marvellous beastie indeed!
Without having seen it it is either that it still got its mecanical rubber membrane fuel pump or the distributor is not maintained by the way contact spray is not for electrical contact, it is for the mecanical contacts in the distributor. Hope you have as much fun with that thing as I had with my 126P in 1995.
Otherwise the bill is a bit high for that!
Good to see the barn. When will the full barn tour happen? Plus send Alex to the Morton Company for a factory tour.
Mortons are very popular in the Northern Plains, Western Midwest, and in lower Canada Prarie. I live in South Dakota and My parents work in a mid to late 1960's Morton building as part of the East Pierre Landscape and Greenhouse and one of the barns that needs to be taken down is a beyond basic version very little electricity Morton Building the most basic of the big barn style that is comparable to a crappy very low cost modern big steel barn that Menards sells just was not built well and has suffered from lack of repair and cheap repair from previous original owner of the company Tommy Tompson who was born in 1930's and was forced as a kid to be too frugal a trait he carried into his business.
The engine took long to start because maybe you didn’t pull the choke (the lever next to your seat). Another thing I will be careful is the gasoline. I think, if is possible, it is better to use the one without ethanol.
Thank you, Tommy, Love the little cars - like the Japanese KEI cars and trucks w/ 660cc knowing they are meant for the inner-city, not the American open roads
Blaze looked like a Grizzley bear in a sardine can.
It’s more fun to drive a slow car fast than a fast car slowly…😳
Except there's no driving a FIAT 500 fast 😂
Lmao...18 hp. My 1977 ARCTIC CAT 🐈 Panther had 440 cc and made about 44 hp. Top speed on a nice frigid -35 C would be 100 to 120 kph. The SUZUKI SPIRIT engines for AC were dead reliable. I am talking the fan cooled ones. The free air were a bit more temperamental in milder weather. If you went up to 500 cc Panther, those things had serious power for the time.
I suggest you start giving vehicles a "Blazey" rating.
Thanks Tommy. Your reviews are awesome. Hello from Washington DC.
i do a 2300 kilometers roundtrip from germany to italy in my 68 500F every summer since 2016! 🇮🇹😉👍
btw. i would NEVER drive my Luigi in winter on salty roads. thats bad!
Seatbelt helps anchor you on those mad drifts the Fiat loves to do.
Y’all say. 8min run up the Ike is the best. Time to take the Fiat up the Ike and see if it can be done in 1 eight hour day 😁.
Your chase vehicle is the only other one that's left you stranded recently? 😂
I have a Bernese Mountain Dog and Malamute mix, her name is Athena. She's not as well trained as your doggo but it isn't exactly her fault because she only has one brain cell, in fact the only thing on her mind is food and breaking down my patio door to get her food.
7:52 that frunk seems pretty generous compared to the renault clio v6
Love the look of the classic Fiat, too small for me though ( I'm 6'2) lol. always enjoy the TFL classic content. I currently drive a 2017 JEEP Renegade Limited , which is a awesome ride,, thanks - Brad frm Vernon B.C, Canada
Considering that Tommy is almost that tall, you might fit.
very nice car 👍
both my chevy vega's 72' & 74' had 13 inch tires felt every pebble lol.
What an awesome dog.. car is pretty cool too.
If you are buckling up, then Blaze should be buckled for safety too; a dog seatbelt harness goes a long way to save his life if the vehicle stops much faster then he can :)
18 hp? The first car I owned in 1967 had a 324cc 16.5 bhp engine and I used to drive it from the city back to my parents' farm 280 kilometres. It wasn't quick but it made it.
"It's keeping up with a cement truck" 🤣
Here in Cuba there are many Fiat 126 the engine is 650cc and has a few more horsepower than the Fiat 500
Cutest car ever!!! We soon start a 50000km European Tour in one!
Looks like blaze had a few complaints about the “chest” space while trying to swap windows. Other than that he seemed pretty happy with the fiat. Guess it’s a 3 out of 4 paws.
I got two of the 1959 Fiat Americas, US specs very rare
Blaze looks cool in there lol😆😆👍👍
Like the original mini, which americans are not used to, old fiat's and citroen 2cv, you need to thrash the engine! All the time. It's noisy but that didn't count in the 1950's. I have been in one of these with 3 people in it, on a uk motorway with the gas buried into the floor, and we ended up at 60mph plus for most of it. For hills, you drop a gear and floor it. You never hope on torque or horsepower!
"Drive it like you stole it" is the accepted method ...
Cute. I love the red paint.
I'd like to buy the Fiat500. I live in Brussels for many years and I fell n love with the Cinquecento
Let me see those "many moments later" .. i love sound of hard start up ❤️😍
That is the group test I’m here for!!
I know this is a car channel but i love blaze
An alternative to the fiat would be Suzuki swift/ Metro 3/5. Maybe find one of them and review. 1996-2002
You should get the engine sorted - it is definitely down on power. 50 mph should be nearly achievable in 3rd.
They are little rev happy engines, more RPM means more power, but yours seems to be struggling. Might be the advance mechanism on the distributor is stuck.
Or maybe the timing is off. Get your mechanic (he's quite savvy!) to check that. It will run MUCH BETTER.
We just did actually before this vid. It has new weights in the distributer and the engine timing is now sorted. What kills the performance is the altitude we live it: 2000 meters! (6000 feet)
Also - if you want some more performance... get a 28IMB carb from a (Polski) Fiat 126. It will give you a few horses... anything matters if you have 18.5 HP. Hope you get that sorted!
I'd like to see this Fiat compared in all normal day to day driving to the Volkswagen Beetle.
9:17 the hummer ev behind you... hahaha
What a nice doggo ☺️
They have this same car on the Carivel Marit Gras I be very interned in the new 2024 Fiat 500 E it be a fun little car to drive around
Bro, when you turnn on the car, especially in the winter, please, open the air intake. It's aside the liver to turn the car on. A few moments later, push it back down.
As the Hummer mows down the little FIAT: Was that a speed bump? 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
You missed a belt loop. 😃
Great video. Well done.
That's a very good dog beautiful too
Love this car.. So much charm.. 🚗
Perfect fit for Blazey!
Blazie turned into a real good boy.
$16,000 for the fiat? And Roman is looking at a semi truck for over $100,000. Motto Man would be furious 😀
Tommy you’re awesome keep it up
Will there be a 92 BMW 850 Csi review? I’m curious how does it fare up to the C5 Vette.
Love Blaze. Bernese Mountain dogs are the best! :)
❤️❤️ BUT CAN YOU DO A HIGH KICK OVER A FIAT ?????
Should race that thing. Against the vw. And the SmartCar. At Bandimere. And autocross.
Your dog is so cute ❤️
Not surprising that the dog fit into the car, it's the size of a doghouse.
18HP! You must have the sports model haha
Nice car like to get me one of those 500
cutest dog ever...cheers
And I think my 69 VW Beetle kinda feels like a go-cart.. the Fiat 500 is just a street legal go-cart.
I love these kinds of videos!
Here’s hoping the Fiat’s next owner is Jay Leno and he has his crew do a serious restomod on it. Perhaps a (mildly detuned for safety) Yamaha FZ-07 engine. And eliminate some glaring safety deficits. That fuel tank looks a little dicey - for example.
5 stars for taking on this old puppy and showing us what it’s like.
Why not put the box on the front passenger seat?
Surely putting the box in the front passenger seat would have been more logical?
Tommy you missed a belt loop getting dressed.
You paid 1500$ for the mechanmic? here in Italy a well-restored one costs that much! you got scammed
It's hard to call this Fiat (classic) in USA and Canada. GTO, Camaro, Chevelle, Challenger, ETC.
I’m happy to take the FIAT send it to me. Don’t put a beautiful iconic car down. It’s not suitable for the US.
Such a fun video.
I keep one of those in the glove box of my Silverado.
If this car is like my first car in my 20s, a yellow 1972 Honda 600 sedan, you better watch your back. Over time, this size car is horrible for the lower back, bad suspension, seats close to the floor, floor close to the road surface, and in California, you always get swayed by the wind and by big rig trucks on highways. Not made for American highways.
You should also find 126p :D
Drive it gentler.
what's this thing called a Fee-Art you keep talking about. I am confused, because I can see a Fiat in your video?
Now a Renault 4 and you're European mini car colection is completed
She's a GOOD DOG!
It has to be the fuel?? modern Benzine/Gasoline is nothing like it was in the 70's, I knew people who had these FIAT 500's new and they were known for first time every time starts? I see the same on places where they have rebuilt old Beetles.....literally a new engine...and they bemoan how it doesn't run well and the engine is hard to start...So It has to be the fuel?
Fuel tank I'd not the full width of the vehicle
"Your a good boooooooooy. Such a good booooooooy"...