These Bespoke Fiat 500 Wheels Are Flamboyant and I Love Them
If you’re into fashion, jewelry, or just plain, good design, you’ll love what Fiat’s new collab with Armani and Bvlgari has produced.
The electric Fiat 500e is coming back in 2024 with new styling and a more advanced electric powertrain after a short and lackluster first tour in the United States a few years back. While no vital specifications were revealed, I couldn't help but fall in love with the wheels of three swanky concepts Fiat refers to as "Made in Italy."
Italians are passionate about fast cars, delicious food, and high fashion. It's the latter that these new one-offs pay homage to, with bespoke creations by fashion icons Giorgio Armani and Bvlgari, as well as design house Kartell. This isn't the first time Fiat dabbles in the fashion world, in fact. When the 500 was launched in the States back in 2011, Fiat offered a Gucci Edition with various unique touches.
With these being special creations that aren't destined for production (boo!), customization was kicked into high gear. The orange paint in the Bvlgari 500e apparently features real gold dust, while its badges are gold plated. The steering wheel center has been embedded with a "500 brooch with precious gems." The former gemologist and jewel aficionado in me really wants to love this 500e, but I personally think Bvlgari would've been better represented with an emerald green than a sparkly orange—but what do I know?
Back to the wheels. You can't go wrong with any of the three designs because they're all flamboyant. However, the Giorgio Armani wheels take the cake for originality. It's as if Mr. Armani himself said, "Let's take our iconic belt buckle and turn it into a wheel." Maybe he said, that maybe he didn't, but either way, that's what it looks like.
The interlocking G design (similar to Gucci's emblem) isn't just fresh; the level of detail designers paid to the overall piece is impressive. You'll notice that the wheel actually features two different colors, a sort of matte silver for the Gs and a polished light gold for the background and surroundings. Then there's my favorite touch: the fluted rim, which is reminiscent of a gold bezel found in a Rolex.
The wheels on the Bvlgari are also a 10, though I love them just a little bit less than the Armani's because of how they clash with the car's orange paint. Pay close attention to the center cap's design and you'll notice it hints at the house's iconic B.ZERO1 ring. A very cool touch, nonetheless. Kartell's design is much more modern than the other two, with the furniture design firm employing Kabuki patterns throughout the grille, mirrors, and the hard-to-ignore blue wheels.
We have lots of cool wheels nowadays, with everyone from Hyundai to Mercedes and, of course, Rolls-Royce putting out killer designs. That said, it's cool to see something as wild as these Fiat designs on what's still essentially an economy car. Surely, these concepts cost much more to put together than their proletarian counterparts, but that doesn't make me love them any less.
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