A Classic Fiat Goes Electric

While you might not think highly of trying to trust a 1966 Fiat 500 Giardiniera, it is a car that at least one customer chose to be the one that would receive a special treatment. Unless this car has been cared for extensively and upgraded properly over time, it’shard to imagine that it would be one that we want to drive, but when the team at Icon got hold of it, things changed in a hurry. This team is the one that brought us a 1949 Mercury coupe with electric power from Tesla at the 2018 SEMA show and now they’ve done it again with this little Fiat.

Creating a Derelict Fiat

The car that was chosen to receive the electric treatment from Icon was a Fiat 500 Giardiniera which is from the 1966 model year. Originally, it was misidentified as a 60 Giardiniera, but once properly identified, the Icon team went to work to create something special. This car showed up with an interior that reeked and had upholstery that was practically destroyed. Even though the inside was in foul shape, the exterior was in good shape, which made the job of restoring the car a bit easier for the Icon team.

With a stable shell in place, the Icon team went to work to create a car that not only brings an electric powertrain to a classic Fiat but also now has new Marine-grade seats and impressive interior electric elements that can be admired when this car is driven. In addition to adding new elements under the hood and in the cabin, Icon took care to rid this little Fiat of the typical squeaks and rattles that come with a car of this age and from this brand that can become noisy when a quiet powertrain is under the hood.

Adding Reliability to this Fiat

In order to add more reliability to the Derelict Fiat 500, the Icon team gave this car a set if six Tesla batteries to give it a total of 30 kWh and a range of nearly 120 miles on a single full charge. In order to handle this added weight, the suspension was converted to coil-overs, a stronger rear axle was added, and the brakes were upgraded to disc brakes. These improvements make this car more reliable and smoother to drive on the road than it would have been when the car was new.

A Great Change for the Drive

The new 1966 Derelict Fiat 500 Giardiniera is a car that we might all like to drive, even if it’s simply a novelty car that’s made to be a fun. There’s a new gear select dial to replace the gearshift and the ignition is a push-button model with a discreet black button to handle starting the car. This car makes 100 horsepower and with the electric powertrain, the power is immediate to give this little car a zippy and fun feeling for the owner to enjoy every day.

Find a new or used Fiat today!

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