Fiat 500 Gucci: Putting the Cute in Couture

There's a wonderful old tale of Queen Mary's visit to the Ocean liner that bore her name. She spent a full afternoon poking around Cunard's Art Deco flagship and then, upon returning home to Windsor, wrote in her diary "Toured the new Queen Mary today. Not as bad as I expected."

Now I'm not going to pick on Fiat, the Marketplace has done that for me. Projecting sales of 50-60,000 units and actually retailing 12,000 is a problem. Enough of a problem to get leader Laura Soave unceremoniously sacked. Actually I liked Laura, but from our first interview didn't think her plan- promising customization without the production capabilities to match- would work. And when I first heard of the upcoming Gucci edition, which made no reference to interior upgrades, I was skeptical.

But since it was this little car that caused the nice folks at Automobile to make me globally famous and put my cell phone number on the speed dial lists of designer car crazed supermodels, it occurred to me that I should at least take a look at the damn thing. And just like the Queen Mary, it's not bad.

The exterior comes in black or white (shades of the 1979 Gucci Seville) with two different stripe configurations, interlocking G wheel centers and a decklid badge. The interior has contrasting seat panels with the legendary seat stripe. Hardly earth shattering, but nicely tailored. And then the whimsical touch- Red and green Gucci seat belts. Take my gold card, I MUST HAVE IT! Well, no, but I smiled (and I never actually do that.) Clever and charming- I approve. Besides, my car chick friend Rockit dug the Gucci accessories. Now I'm ready to tour the Queen Mary. We'll see what I think of that.

Project Driveway

The December iPad edition of Automobile Magazine launched this week, featuring a piece on the Gucci Fiat 500 for whom your humble servant was interviewed. Guess my forty year obsession with designer cars has finally paid off. So for those who are iPad bereft, here are the screen caps:

For those of you dying for more background, here is my three part series on the Evolution of the Designer Editions. Pay attention as there will be a quiz afterwards.

Part I 

Part II

Part III 

Have a Gucci day, everyone!

Couture Cars: Designer Wheels and Special Editions of the 70's- Part III

by Jeff Stork

This is the third installment of the series.

Part I

Part II

Part III





The Mark V Designer's Series had been phenomenally successful, so Lincoln came to market for 1978 with variations on a theme. Cartier remained monochromatic, but changed the actual color to triple Light Champagne. Givenchy continued successfully in Midnight Jade and Chamois, with a sumptous velour interior standard and leather as a credit option. Bill Blass switched from Navy and Chamois to a subtle Dark Cordovan with a Light Champagne top, and Emilio Pucci went wild, offering a Silver Metallic car with two tone oyster and maroon leather interior Pucci silk sunvisors , a black cayman grain landau top, and wild special stripe. It was stunning. Several new options debuted this year, includting turbine vane wheels and a simulated convertible top option, which woudl catch the eye of one of the designers the following year. Luxury groups continued to thrive as well, but the most luxurious Lincoln in 1978 wasn't a Designer Series.



An even more special edition came along that year in the form of the Diamond Jubilee Edition Mark V. Fully loaded with every conceivable option, it, along with a companion Thunderbird, celebrated the 75th Anniversary of the Ford Motor Company, the Diamond Jubilee was Diamond Blue or Jubilee Gold and featured color matched tops, wheels, grilles and even bumper strips. The deck lid was padded to match the top, the dash top was hand stitched leather, the bucket seats and door panels were unique, and even a tool kit and umbrella were fitted. The opera windows featured imitation diamond chips, HFII had been willing to pay for real ones but the crime rate in Detroit deterred him- the notion of smash and grab was very real. Stunning, over the top luxury to mark the 75th Anniversary in a year which was not all good news for Ford- they actually recalled more cars than they sold. But they looked great in their designer editions.




General Motors introduced their special edition Seville Elegante in Black and Platinum Silver, with upgraded interior and genuine wire wheels, and the Custom Biarritz Classic in Arizona Tan and Demitasse Brown to commemorate the final days of the full sized Eldorado. Some excitement came to the de Ville series as well with the limited edition Phaeton, a factory simulated convertible top on a Coupe or Sedan de Ville in three color combinations. GM also pushed out a few LXXV, a special black and silver Buick Riviera coupe (with silver leather) that wished Buick a happy 75th birthday. And while GM resisted affixing a designer label to one of its offerings directly, the marketplace rushed in where GM feared to tread. The Cadillac Seville by Gucci, a symphony of overstatement with Gucci fabric-trimmed landau top, seats and headliner, and copious garish Gucci badging, was offered by a Florida company for $22,900, inclusive of a trunk full of Gucci luggage and Aldo’s blessing, if not the General’s.









If like the Village People, the designer party was about to end in 1979, one wouldn’t know it from the offerings. The Designer Continentals were completely revamped again.

Most dramatic was the Bill Blass Edition in white with two-toned navy sides, a white leather interior piped in Navy, and a white simulated convertible top. Expressive gold striping and no fewer than eighteen BB logos completed the look. It was so far over the top, it was already half way down the other side. The Cartier continued in its monochromatic Light Champagne, the Givenchy went ultra chic with a special color, in Cristal Blue-violet with dark blue forward roof section, and Emilio Pucci outdid himself- a medium Turquoise exterior color, dark blue full vinyl roof, and white leather interior accented with blue. Of course, the Pucci sunvisors again completed the look.

In addition, the Collector’s Series Mark V and Town Car were offered, in Navy or White with sumptuous special blue Kasmin cloth interiors. They were the successors to the Diamond Jubilee of 1978, offered to commemorate the final editions of the big Lincolns before the scheduled downsizing of 1980.







Cadillac kept up its special editions with d’Elegance trim on the deVille and Brougham, Elegante two-toned Sevilles (with genuine wire wheels, bucket seats and special slick top styling) and totally restlyed Eldorado whose Biarritz Edition of featured a stainless steel and landau roof combination, which the buyer could pair with an optional sunroof or astroroof. A very special models appeared as well, the Coupe de Ville d’Marchand was a factory built special edition in Black and Slate Firemist, and featured black leather inserts and red piping in a slate interior. It was a spring offering. The mid year 1978 Phaeton edition de Villes were continued as well. The aftermarket offerings were plentiful - the Gucci Seville was alive and well. The San Remo Seville, a highly customized four place Seville convertible with beautiful craftsmanship (and a super exclusive Ultima option with freestanding headlamps) debuted, and even a Pierre Cardin Eldorado featuring elongated front fenders and custom front and rear styling (along with a sumptuous interior) was announced, although actual introduction was delayed until 1980. They were sold in very small numbers, mostly to celebrity clients like Jack Webb of Dragnet fame.

Although the designer offerings would continue in 1980, their days were numbered. The newly downsized Continental Mark VI sold at approximately one-third the rate of its predecessor. The Biarritz and the Seville Elegante, newly styled as an expressive “bustleback” hardtop sedan took off like wildfire. The highline car would prosper in the Dynasty years, but for the designer cars, their days were as fleeting as the Jimmy Carter Presidency.

Couture Cars: Designer Wheels and Special Editions of the 70’s-

by Jeff Stork

Part II of the series. For Part I, go here.







High Gear

It all broke loose in 1976. Ford took the driver’s seat with the debut of the Continental Mark IV Designer Series. Four distinctive models, each with its own color scheme, designer identification, and distinctive special features chosen by a prominent designer: the Cartier Edition in triple pearl gray, the Bill Blass in Navy Blue and Cream, the Givenchy in Pale Turquoise accented with White, and the Emilio Pucci in Maroon with a silver landau top and Pucci fabric on the sunvisors. Each included alloy wheels, landau tops, and ultra plush velour interiors as standard with leather as a delete option. And each were very pricey- $2000 with velour or $1500 with leather. Yes, probably the first time in history where leather was a credit option. Very profitable, popular and prestigious entries, they accounted for 27% of Mark IV sales that year.



Other manufacturers noticed and the popularity of special models increased. Cadillac went for the velvet rope of exclusivity and produced exactly 200 identical Eldorado Bicentennial convertibles, with identical color schemes and dash plaques, and launching a specially trimmed Eldorado Biarritz coupe at mid-year.



Sporty Pontiac released a limited edition Trans Am SE, in black with gold pinstriping and trim, which was warmly received but would later become a sensation when a certain Burt Reynolds film was released. And sadly, the company that started it all seemed to back off at this point, as the Cassini Matador was replaced by a trim level called Barcelona, and the Cardin and Gucci were long gone, although the popular Levi’s editions would remain.




Ford shifted into high gear in 1977 and never looked back. The Continental designer series were totally revamped to suit the new Mark V. Cartier retained its cool and elegant triple Dove Gray look, The Bill Blass was newly suited in Navy Blue and Chamois Orange, including a Chamois landau top and special pigskin grained chamois leather. Givenchy got a completely new look in Midnight Jade with a Chamois forward roof section and Emilio Pucci started the year with a black and white ensemble of black paint, white landau and white leather interior. Pucci was always a limited demand item, but when the Adam-12 look failed to inspire it was replaced with Navy and Dove Gray at midyear. Such is the prerogative of fashion. The new styling and the Designer Series were a smash hit together- Continental sales hit 80,000 units and a large and very profitable percentage of them were Designer Series models.



The big news at General Motors was tiny indeed. The Chevette Sandpiper, in Cream Gold with triple yellow striped reef cloth interior (including yellow dash pad, headliner and carpeting) and special Sandpiper decals on its rear fenders marked the smallest special edition out of Motown. It sold in appropriately tiny numbers and was not continued. But the Trans Am SE went stratospheric, having been featured in Smokey and The Bandit. It soon became known as the Bandit T/A.

AMC, the little car company who so often couldn't, made one more stab at the market with the Matador Barcelona II Coupe. It featured two tone paint, a padded landau roof, stand up hood ornament and even body colored bumpers. This one deserves a video- have a look



Next- Part III- Winding Down

Couture Cars- Designer Wheels and Special Editions of the 70's- by Jeff Stork

Part One: In The Beginning

It was probably inevitable that the decade which saw the meteoric rise of designer jeans and conspicuously branded handbags would also see the birth of the designer automobile. The wonderfully outrageous design sensibility of the label obsessed 70’s practically demanded such a creation. But how did such a wonderfully audacious marriage first take place? The answer may not be what one would assume.

While it is well established that all of the domestic producers were actively engaged in producing ever more luxurious (and thus more profitable) upgraded trim packages for the status conscious consumer, the stroke of Genius (or possibly the Fickle Finger of Fate) in this case goes to those dapper fellows at little old AMC.



Like many marriages both then and now, this one began in the back seat-literally in this particular case. In the fall of 1971, for the grand sum of $142, AMC spontaneously created a new class of automobile with the introduction of the Hornet Sportabout by Gucci. The cute yet humble little grocery getter was transformed by a totally unique interior featuring hunter green and beige deluxe vinyl seats and door panels. The Gucci signature red and green striping, generously applied, accented the interior trim. A full Gucci striped headliner was fitted as a finishing touch. The special Sportabout was offered in four distinctive exterior colors- White, Stardust Silver, Yucca Tan and Grasshopper Green. A total of 2,583 customers added the Gucci touch to their little Sportabouts.



AMC was sufficiently buoyed by the results to take the next step. They followed up at mid-year with their next entry, the Pierre Cardin Javelin. It featured an avant garde interior of Chinese red, plum, white and silver stripes on a black background. Cardin striping raced down the headliner as well. It featured silver striping on the exterior and was offered with several exterior shades, although it was most commonly paired with Wild Plum. A total of 4,152 fashion mavens plunked down an additional $85 each for the Cardin makeover.



The year 1973 brought yet another AMC designer edition, this time pairing up with a name more widely known to the American public- Levi’s. The Levi’s edition Gremlin bowed to polite yet denim-clad society, featuring spun nylon denim-esque fabric on its seats, door panels and map pockets. It also featured the famous flame orange stitching and copper rivets, Levi’s tags on the seats and Levi’s exterior ornamentation. It was the most costly AMC designer package to date, listing for $277 (but included a deluxe interior with luxurious touches like insulation and a glove box door), and was so successful that it was offered through the 1978 model year and even expanded to other AMC models. The Gucci Sportabout and Pierre Cardin Javelin were continued for 1973 as well. Clearly, AMC had taken the lead.



Bless those dear souls at General Motors- they almost got there so many times. They thought about it when they offered an upgraded velour interior as a 70th anniversary option on the 1972 Cadillac Fleetwood, but it bore no signature. Their first near miss happened in May of 1972, when they affixed a Tiffany clock key ring to the special edition 1972 Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight Regency. The car had a gorgeous pillowed interior, rear seat back pockets, special door panels and came in a special color, Tiffany Gold, but they stopped short of labeling it as a designer edition. Instead they resisted the addition of anyone else’s name to their products and ignited the Battle of the Broughams-almost every series would soon be offered in an upgraded Limited, Brougham, or d’Elegance. Luxurious velours and plaid fabrics were everywhere and some pretty plebian nameplates were enriched- like the Luxury LeMans and later the Luxury Nova. You’ll know you’ve made it when it’s written on your fender in a calligraphic sweep of chrome. From here a few unique editions were only a small step.



Enter Hank the Deuce, over at Ford. Those dears from Dearborn decided to stick their toes into the water, rather boldly at first, with bicentennial themed Sprint décor option packages offered on Ford Maverick, Mustang and Pinto. A field of white inside and out with bold blue accents and red pinstriping, they were set off with USA flag decals on the rear quarters which looked as it they had literally been purchased at a truck stop in I-80. But the cars were bright and youthful, and it was a start. Their next move was considerably more soigné- an elegant triple silver luxury group for the 1973 Continental Mark IV: special metallic silver exterior finish with a special silver finish long grain roof. Inside, silver metallic leather or rouge red velour. It was remarkably handsome, and profitable at an additional $400 MSRP.

The trend continued to build momentum in 1974 and 1975. AMC’s popular Levi’s trim was expanded to the Hornet carline. Silver Luxury Group Mark IV’s were supplanted by the Gold Luxury Group in 1974, and the launch of Continental Designer Groups in 1975 in a bevy of colors including the popular Lipstick and White.



GM ventured further into special editions with its Spirit of America Impala, Nova and Vega models. They featured a Navy Blue or white exterior with white vinyl roof, white vinyl interior accented by blue, color matched wheels, and special striping and ornamentation. Tres Bicentennial, indeed. Cadillac debuted its special d’Elegance De Villes (with striped Mardi Gras velour interiors) and the ultra swank four-passenger Fleetwood Talisman, featuring front and rear bucket seating and two consoles with locking storage compartments. That particular option cost approximately the same as a new base Vega.



Over at AMC, the Cardin Javelin was retired and the youthful coupe market was being captured by an all new 1974 Matador coupe. To keep the momentum going, an Oleg Cassini Matador was offered in 74 and 75, featuring copper carpeting, seat buttons, and even gauge faces fitted to a black knit fabric interior. The exterior choices were Black and White, each with copper painted accents (grille background, rear cove, wheel covers) and usually fitted with a Copper vinyl roof. Of course appropriate badges rounded out the package. AMC owned the game at the moment, but a major competitor was about to shift into high gear

Coming Next: Part II- Hitting the Stride