Rome is beautiful in the twilight, as evident from my photo of the river.
Oh wait- that’s not what we’re about here. So lets move on; You’ve seen the more-common CCs in part 1. I will now continue on that post with more odds and sods.
I haven’t seen this in a long time:
Anyone for a Picnic?
This may not look impressive, but the Bravo is a rare sight these days, even in Rome. Also note the “Chevy” behind it.
Although I’ve discussed small cars in part 1, these next three are not all that common in Rome. I think they held on purely by their fit for the environment, i.e., the narrow streets:
The C2 is rapidly vanishing from the streets. This was once a great “first car”, especially for younger drivers.
Remember the 4Four? So small you carry your language in the roof.
Hang on- what’s this doing here? Look closely, that’s no Dodge.
I’ve seen this in my previous visit to Rome, and now I’ve confirmed it: There are more Lancia Lybra SWs than sedans present. It might be that this once-executive car is now so cheap, that it’s worth holding on to. In any case, there are quite a few of them- sadly, most are neglected much like the Ypsilon discussed in part 1.
Here’s another, somewhat cleaner.
A similar, yet more modern alternative to the Lybra SW is this- the Fiat Stilo (hatchback version can be seen in part 1 as one of the Polizia vehicles).
And now lets turn to sports cars and the like:
This is another car I haven’t seen in a while.
But surely, the Barchetta is just as rare as the MGF.
Then there’s this sports car… Say what you will, it is rare- at least in Rome.
We cannot avoid classic Golfs, can we?
I’ve even found a tree-hugging Mk 1 convertible.
Ok, it’s more of a stump than a tree.
And now I’m coming up to the really rare ones. I think all these have ceased to be common all over, not just Rome- well, they might still be seen more commonly in France:
The off-road Mk 1 Scenic might be the first of its kind (although I’m not entirely sure about that).
And the BIG XM. I can still remember when it was introduced, the total of thirteen windshields all around (also counting one inner glass).
The prize for the most rare car I’ve seen on this trip has to go to this.
Anyone here ever remove its roof? I mean in its entirety.
I’ll finish off with two lovely Classic Fiats, brought in to this Piazza for pre- Christmas celebrations:
That’s it. As I said in part 1, I recommend wholeheartedly to visit Rome, at least once in your life.
Removing the roof on a Pluriel takes approximately two days, and that is the reason why most (of the few actually sold) remain with theirs on for all of their lives. A bit like that bird which spends 90% of its life at sea?
Nice spread apart from the real oldies the Barchetta and the Lancia wagons these are reasonably common here, although the stupid for four is a bit of an oddity I have seen a couple. It seems Kiwis have embraced European cars very well when most of these are an every day sight we even have the dealerships. I do like that dropsider ute though very cool.
Interesting you found ancient 500s but no 128s. Maybe as one or two sizes up they loose their value on the tight streets.
I’ve read that the 1st generation Ford Ka (the silver hatchback “under” the Twingo) is/was a fairly decent car. And unfortunately, the 2nd generation Ka is not nearly as much fun.
As a fan of small cars, I think I would enjoy living in Italy even if it were just for the cars….there is just a bit more “variety” to the choices than most other countries offer, or so it would seem.
My mother had a first gen Ford Ka in the late nineties. All black. It had the good old and simple 1.3 liter OHV engine, just to keep the car cheap (to develop and to buy). Of course the little Ford was very light, around 2,000 lbs. And it handled like a go-kart ! Enough room for the groceries, with the rear seats folded down.
She liked it very much. Much more than the Suzuki Alto and Toyota Aygo (first gen) she had later on.
The first gen Ford Ka was a massive commercial success, the current one is a rarity.
They had basically a Anglia motor simple and rugged.
Regarding your remark about “variety”. Fact is that all mainstream automakers offer models in the A-segment (minis) up to the D-segment (midsizers). E- and F-segment is basically German territory (Audi, BMW, Mercedes).
Within those segments you can have gasoline and diesel engines (or hybrids), with manual transmissions or automatics. Plus the full spectrum of body choices: sedan, hatchback, wagon, coupe, convertible, panel vans, MPV, SUV, CUV.
I am surprised to see quite a few Ka in Germany. They must be tough. I meanwhile like their unique shape. It seems to say: “I am cheap and proud of it!” That they are cheap and long lasting is a nice surprise. They could be a good canvas for art cars too.
1st series Ka were really tough. Built as solid as a clamshell: try and drive into one or be driven into by one, no modern car of the same segment stands a chance. And fun to drive !
I like the mini, circa 98 Sienna, Toyota Picnic near the top. Too bad about the diagonal-D, E pillar arrangement, though. It must make for a terrible blind spot. Maybe if one blurs the eyes and takes a holistic approach doing a wide-eyed Rodney Dangerfield impression for the shoulder check…
(God rest your soul, Mr. Dangerfield…you were one in a million)
It’s a stump not a stomp, but that’s alright……
Love that dorsal fin on the Barchetta – I thought these things only showed up on US-market cars. I don’t remember the Barchetta having a center fin from the pictures I saw years ago when it was new. Still looks great to my eyes.
Didn’t know about the Fiat Freemont, had to wiki it….. “Freemont” sounds like the name of a Ford product that lasts only 2 years or so.
It’s a stump not a stomp, but that’s alright……
Corrected, thanks.
I confirm I never saw that fin before.
The Freemont was one of the most untimely introduction on the market by Fiat: it got out just as the SUV market shrank badly !
Considering the recent article about the Ford Five Hundred and their “F” naming scheme, the appearance of that Freemont is timely!
Bravo to whoever’s keeping that XM in service.
I’ve never stopped to photograph a Pluriel even though one would imagine it would be rare in Australia and Citroen has had a very small presence here in recent years. Surprisingly, I see them more than the conventional C3 hatchback!
Love the XM. When I was little, I had a little Matchbox XM that I promptly lost and mourned for. Always thought these cars were crazy cool but you’d want to be crazy rich to buy one used.
The Renault Scenic really took Europe by storm and started a huge trend towards compact MPVs in the late-1990s, that has only dissipated this decade I believe (now crossovers are hot just like EVERYWHERE ELSE IN THE WORLD). The RX4 was a weird thing to behold: the egg-shaped, van Scenic jacked up and with “tough” cladding. I thought it was hideous then and I still think it’s hideous now.
I always thought the Citroen C2 was a gorgeous little car, whereas the contemporary C3 was a bit too blobby. The C2 and C3 both replaced the Saxo, which was always a little too small for its segment. The C2 was supposed to be sportier: VTR and VTS sporty models, no 5-door hatch. But the C2 only lasted a generation, I guess because then the C1 (shared with Peugeot and Toyota) entered the picture.
Lovely Lybra. While I thought the Dedra, Kappa and Delta were handsome, I really admire that Lancia tried to establish a bolder design language. The Lybra is intriguing with its Taurus-esque design elements. The Delta that has recently been discontinued was one of my favourite compact hatch designs. But now Lancia is just down to one model, the cute Ypsilon. It’ll be dead soon.
The Citroen XM is my favorite picture from this article
The computerised suspension scares me as its known to go wrong but the cars are awesome, the 2.1 Turbo diesel models go well.
…”now crossovers are hot just like EVERYWHERE ELSE IN THE WORLD”…
Agreed, and just like the first gen Renault (Megane) Scenic took Europe by storm, it happened again with the current Renault Captur crossover. Technically fully based on the B-segment Renault Clio hatchback / wagon.
Agreed on the Pluriel William, I suppose that it gave a reason for people to buy a Citroen because I don’t think the C3 hatch was terribly compelling; not quite there plus a bit expensive.
Johannes, I gather the RX4 gearboxes have a notorious weakness. The Captur has started well here too, but so have the rest of the class. There have been a few comments in the press that people would be better off with a C-segment hatch rather than a B-segment CUV. But then I read the new Megane hatch has a 30mm lower ride height! It is like these designers live in a magical world where there aren’t steep driveways or wheel stops in parking bays.
The Lancia Delta, also known as the Chrysler Delta. Was displayed at an American auto show but sadly never made it here.
Love these wheels! Just a nice upscale-looking compact. Not a perfect design but certainly unique.
From the rear, this model looks like 1 of any number of Japanese CUVs, while from the front it could be a Hyundai….or with slight modification it could be a Chrysler.
Yohai, did you see any examples of the Lancia Thesis?
Intriguing car.
the rear end of the Thesis reminds me of a Rover 75
No, not at all. Plenty of those Lybras, though.
I believe the Italian taxing scheme made these atrociously expensive there and hence bought only by the rich and the authorities (not so much the mafia, it moved on to German cars by then). You do see them here and there in Vienna where I live; your way into a cheap luxury sedan here in Austria (heaven help you if anything goes wrong or you need body parts though). It was another car I considered before I bought my current vehicle but, ultimately, sanity prevailed.
Now that’s a rarity ! The last big Lancia sedan, apart from the rebadged Chrysler 300C (with a bit of extra luxury).
The Thesis’ predecessor, the Kappa, did relatively well. Available as sedan, wagon and coupe.
I always found it curious, though a nice surprise, that the Kappa was available as a coupe. Rare to see big coupes anymore–wonder what the take rate was?
The Thesis was gorgeous from most angles, awkward from a few. I saw one when I was in Italy (summer ’01) and it looked like it was from another planet.
The Lancia Kappa (and Thesis) was an E-segment car. That means it was a Mercedes E-Class, BMW 5-series and Audi A6 competitor. These brands also offer sedans, coupes and wagons in that segment. With a wide range of both gasoline and diesel engine options.
I quite liked the Kappa, below its interior.
“There are more Lancia Lybra SWs than sedans present.”
That’s hardly surprising, as in Italy wagons vastly outsells their sedan counterparts. We’re talking about a more than 90% ratio for certain models.
http://bestsellingcarsblog.com/tag/station-wagons/
That Toyota Picnic looks like, basically, a Corolla tall wagon. Spiritual predecessor of the Matrix, perhaps?
Love the XM. One of my favorite Euro sedans of the 90’s.
There was actually a 2nd gen Picnic. At least, in some markets it was called the Picnic. In Europe it was called the (2001-2009) Toyota Avensis Verso. It was based on the Toyota Avensis, a D-segment car. As far as I know it didn’t have a US edition.