Fiat has teamed up with luxury Italian yacht manufacturer Riva to create a special edition of the iconic 500. Available as a sedan and a cabriolet, the new model from Fiat aims to combine the elegance of Riva motoryachts with the practicality of a city car.
The Fiat Riva 500 makes the most of the materials traditionally seen on Riva boats. The dashboard is made of real mahogany with maple inlays, the same woods used by Riva. There is also a solid mahogany gear knob. The “Sera blue” (Italian for ‘Evening blue’) bodywork of the car is an exclusive colour for this limited special series. It is one of the most popular colours offered for Riva’s Aquariva Super motoryacht.
The convertible version boasts a new blue top, created exclusively for this version. A double aquamarine line runs around the middle of the car, evoking the line of a yacht. It also comes with 16-inch alloy wheels. Chrome plating has been used to further enhance the visual link between Fiat and Riva. The mirror caps are chrome-plated, as are the handles and the bonnet trim which emphasises the streamline style of the bonnet. It is also the only 500 which has the logo of Riva on the bonnet. The name is also spelt out on the wheel arch, on the wooden insert on the side panel and on the dashboard. Inside, the yachting theme is continued. The central dashboard is hand-painted mahogany with maple inlay work.The Riva logo also features. According to Fiat, an “innovative engineering process” was implemented to make the dashboard. The wood is applied onto an ultralight carbon shell to ensure stability, flexibility and strength over time. The maple inlays are inserted by hand.
