The Mitty and impressions of the new 500

[ga.spyder]

I attended The Mitty this weekend(pics to follow),and was truly disappointed in the Fiat participation.Despite sending emails to all FLU chapter members and posting on 3 forums,we had 2 Spiders show up.Me and Elial...the same 2 that are always there.Other than kmac and Denise(who both had a prior commitment),nobody even responded.The Alfa guys were also no shows,although I wasnt there on Sunday and maybe they attended then.We did have 5-6 Ferraris each day,and a couple Maseratis.It is really frustrating that the German and British corrals were so crowded that the spillover had to park in our corral.
On the bright side,FLU prez,John Montgomery came Sat. morning with his new 500.Anyone that knows John,can attest that he is a tireless promotor of the Fiat marque,and of FLU. He opened the doors ,trunk,and hood and let anyone who wanted to,sit in the front or the back.He told anyone who would listen about the virtues of the car.He had printed comparisons of the 500 vs. the Mini.It was amazing to see the way people absolutely mobbed the car.Here sits 6 newer Ferrais,a Maz,many Lotus,Porsches,Bimmers,etc..in our corral ,and everyone is around the 500!!Unreal the attention given to that car.There was a magazine/talk show writer who drove the car and told me he couldnt think of a single reason to not buy this car.He was gushing over it.I sat at lunch with John Weber ,who is a lead writer for Classic Motorsport,and he wants to do a full test and a Nuevo vs. Topolino comparison.If they promote it right,and get them out there soon,I think Fiat has a winner on their hands.

[mdrburchette]

I'm sorry I had to miss the show this year, Craig. We had a full weekend of racing or I would have been there! I'm glad to hear the 500 is making waves. I really love mine!

[leftfield6]

Craig, I would have attended (warning, excuse to follow) but.....my Spider is nowhere near roadworthy at the moment, and I was out of town doing something "kind of" Fiat related. In order to justify buying my Spider, I had to sell one of my other toys, a 26 year old motorcycle. Here it is behind my VW Westfalia at a rest area in SC. While all the Mitty fun was going on, I was heading North, where I was meeting the buyer halfway. He was coming down from Ohio.



Sorry I missed out on meeting you and other Fiat enthusiasts, I'll do my best to make the next event!

[courtenay]

Sorry to sound ignorant - but what is the Mitty?

[kmac33]

The "Mitty" is a classic racing event held annually at Road Atlanta.
http://www.roadatlanta.com/event_detail ... Token.id=3
The Mitty was actually one of the first racing events that my dad took me to - we went to the very first one. It is a great weekend of racing with an unbelievable mix of cars.

Craig,
I hope you guys had a good time. I hated to miss it this year, but at least we had a good weekend of soccer - Trevor's team won both games Saturday and their game Sunday.
My friend Mike was there in his 65 Fastback, he said that he saw you and Elial's Spiders. I had told him to look for you, but I guess he was feeling too "shy" to introduce himself and say hello.
I look forward to seeing some pictures!

[ga.spyder]

I'm soorry...I really wasnt trying to make anyone feel guilty.I get frustrated that so many clubs make the Mitty their meetup for Spring.We try,but it doesnt work with our group.We always have a great turnout for Italian Car Day,though!The attention that was given to the 500 was,to me,incredible!One girl,had a picture of one,on her phone,that she took in a parking lot in Atl.I invited her to sit in John's(I knew he wouldnt mind...she was really,really hot!!!!!! ),and I guarantee you she is going to buy one.She was estatic.That scenario was played out all day long.Odd to me to see all those classics sitting nearby,and a huge crowd around the 500

[kmac33]

Let's just hope Fiat gets the dealership experience "right" and they may be successful in the US