It’s been 30 years since I drove the Cinquecento

Ms. “nap” was a staff member at the “Italian Job” event where Italian cars gather. She told us that she has been driving a 500 (Cinquecento) for 30 years, and that it has been her shelter, cradle, and sometimes even her tank. How have you been with your car?

If it runs and stops in a good mood, that’s all that matters

Ms. “nap” was working as a staff member from early in the morning at the “Italian Job 2024” held at Fujihashi Castle in Ibi-gun, Gifu Prefecture, where she was in charge of the reception desk for visitors. She has been using her beloved 1968 Fiat 500L for 30 years, not only for participating in events like this but also as a daily driver on rainy and windy days, as well as for work. Its mileage has exceeded 400,000 km.

“For me, I never think about how long I’ve been driving or how many kilometers I’ve driven, but the distance to the moon is 380,000 km, right?　I guess I’ve ridden it just about as far as it takes me to the moon and back.”

That is quite a unique measure of a woman.

“I guess it was a youthful indiscretion when I bought it. I didn’t know anything about cars, but I got in because I liked the design, but it was small, and I thought, ‘This is a Mini Cooper.”

Every morning, the engine is started by “pushing”!

Even after he bought the car, he had to push the engine every morning to start the 500, which he says did not start very well on the first morning of winter.

“I thought old cars were like this. I didn’t know what the battery did, and I didn’t know if the cell was weak because the battery was weak. Even now, I don’t know anything about mechanics.”

When the clutch wire broke, she once jumped into the driver’s seat by pushing and coasting, put the car into second gear, and repeatedly drove until a red light to get to the “Auto-Meister” maintenance shop 7 km away.

She still uses the 500 he uses every day at work and has never once caused any trouble at his place of work. Even though she does not know the mechanism, she seems to have a good understanding of what works and how it works.

She has had to have her car towed only three times in its 30 years and 400,000 km, including when an engine mount broke on her way home from Kamakura, just before she was due to leave for Osaka. It’s quite a feat.

Decay with your car? Enjoy the chink in its natural state

Ms. “nap” enjoys her old car life with such unconcern, and her work involves coordinating and displaying space in stores and giving floral gifts. For this reason, the passenger seat of the 500 is rarely installed in order to secure cargo space.

“It’s unusually attached today because I had to pick someone up when I was working before coming to the event. There aren’t many of them, so please take a picture of it.”

The engine of Ms. “Nap”‘s 500 is in excellent condition. When she first bought the car, the yellow paint had peeled off in some places, revealing the original white color, but about two years later, the body was completely painted.

“I don’t know how long I’ll be driving it, but I’m sure it will decay around the same time as I do, while being haggled over.

Ms. “nap” has a very natural and wonderful relationship with her beloved car, the Cinquecento.

translated by DeepL