Fiat and Riva have teamed up to create a limited edition version of the 500 supermini known as the Fiat 500 Riva, which will launch in the summer of 2016.
Riva is best known for making yachts that are so laughably expensive only one per cent of the earth’s population could actually afford them, but then the collaboration with Fiat hasn’t resulted in a dashboard made from gold.
The Fiat 500 Riva is, in fact, going to be relatively affordable and separates itself from the standard 500 supermini with a unique ‘Sera Blue’ paintjob, which was the most popular colour for the Aquariva Super boat.
It also gets new 16-inch, 20-spoke alloy wheels, chrome detailing here and there and a Riva badge on the boot lid, wheel arch and inside the car. For the hatchback, you can expect a panoramic roof as standard while the convertible gets a specially made new blue soft top.
The Fiat 500 attempts to the mimic the lavish interiors of the Riva boats by using some premium materials. Take the dashboard, for starters, which is made from hand-painted mahogany, while the seats are trimmed from ivory leather created by Italian furniture maker Poltrona Frau and the gear stick is solid wood.
Besides supplying the underlying car, Fiat has also ensured the standard level of equipment is more impressive than usual. Think rear parking sensors, Hill Holder, seven-inch infotainment system with Riva logo and background, automatic climate control and front fog lights – all the good stuff, except 3D mapping as that will cost you extra.
As for engines, the Fiat 500 Riva will be available with a 69hp 1.2-litre, 85hp TwinAir and 105hp TwinAir. No word on an exact price for the Riva edition, sadly, but there’s no doubt it will cost a lot more than the entry-level £11,050 Fiat 500.
But not as much as hundreds of thousands needed to buy a Riva Aquarama, a boat that Jeremy Clarkson once described as, “man’s most beautiful creation”.
Leave a Reply