"We are the Ovaltineys...." Oh the innocence of youth. Gathered round the wireless, which would be tuned to Radio Luxembourg, half a dozen of us would sing along, "...because we all drink Ovaltine." But sometimes the bell would go and we would have to slide quickly down the pole before the fire engine left without us.
Our rest-room radio was a Dansette - all cream and plastic, with big knobs and simple controls. I saw something just like it the other day - attached to the fascia of the new Fiat 500, which is so pleasantly retro that anyone over 40 will immediately want to drive it down memory lane. "I had one of those," said almost everyone who stopped to look at the Fiat parked in my driveway, invariably adding: "They've done a good job."
Yes, Fiat has done a very good job. At first glance, the new, Polish-built, Fiat 500 is immediately recognisable to anyone who has ever seen one of the original Dante Giacosa models, launched 50 years ago. The DNA is obvious, although in every possible respect the new car is vastly different. Yet the latest 500 has so thoroughly captured the essence and ethos of the earlier car that it immediately transports those of us with sufficiently long memories back to the days of micro motoring in a half-litre car.
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escape the congestion charge |
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Needless to say, the engine is no longer at the back, and is no longer 500 cc: the new 500 line up includes a range of engine options of which the smallest is a massive - all things are relative - a massive 1242 cc. This tried and tested unit has seen service in a number of Fiat models during recent years, but for the 500 has been fettled - at just the right moment - to a new standard of efficiency and economy.
With a combined fuel consumption of 55.4 mpg, and CO2 emissions of 119 g/km, this lead-in engine is now the perfect choice for London. From 27 October 2008, it will qualify for the new 'Low CO2 discount' and thus escape the congestion charge. And since 119 g/km falls into VED Band B, the annual trip to the Post Office will cost only £35.
But despite its light thirst, the 1.2-litre 500 is quite sprightly. Top speed is 99 mph and the 0-62 dash takes under 13 seconds. That may not sound particularly fast, but in a small car around town, such performance is more than adequate. And it's a along way removed from the original 500, which would scarcely reach 60 mph, and took all day to get there.
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