Category: Cars and Bikes

Hot on the heels of the Fiat 500 comes another cult car from the archives – the Trabant – which is set to be re-launched in 2009.

The Trabant was the car of the common man in East Germany from the 50s through to unification, a light and durable car with a two-stroke engine and plenty of room for a family of four. Amazingly, it was also eco-friendly before its time, using ‘duroplast’ for much of the car’s structure – a recycled material, made from cotton waste from Russia and phenol resins from the East German dye industry.

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Got your order in for the brand new Fiat 500? Well, here’s something that might knock the wind out of your sails – there’s a convertible model coming out.

According to Fiat insiders, the convertible could be here as soon as the summer. Although saying that, it seems that Fiat hasn’t quite worked out how to remove the roof without compromising safety and strength. Which could mean a removable roof piece rather than a full-on convertible. Either way, it’s sure to be the thing to be seen in when the sun comes out.

More on this as soon as we hear more…

Find out more about the new Fiat 500

Back in May, we mentioned that Ford was producing a limited edition Ford Mustang Bullitt to commemorate 40s years since its appearance in the movie. And as we enter 2008, more details and pictures have emerged.

The 2008 Ford Mustang Bullitt has a 4.6-litre V8 engine, a sport-tuned chassis and suspension to boost handling (if you fancy re-creating that car chase) and a ‘revised rear-axle ratio’ for better acceleration. The paint job will be Dark Highland Green (as the original), the car will be without logos – again as the film car was and most bizarrely of all, the exhaust sound will be just as the original, with the designers having listened to the movie soundtrack to get it just right.

I’m personally not excited by the look of the car, but it could be a shrewd investment, with just 7,700 of these being made. Expect it in 2008 for $31,075 (around £16,000).

More details and images at the Forbes Autos website

Piaggio has a new range of retro accessories available for Vespa owners, including these rather fetching vintage-style scooter helmets.

Three designs are available, a Union Jack, a ‘mod’ target and a target design in the colours of the Italian flag (as pictured here). However, these open-face helmets do benefit from modern construction, using lightweight ABS material that keep the weight down to under 1kg and with a shape that fits easily into a (modern) scooter storage compartment.

The helmets are available from Piaggio dealers in sizes extra-small through to extra-large, retailing at £59.99. Goggles are also available to go with them, priced at £19.99.

Find out more at the Piaggio website