Fiat Expedition
Australian adventurers, Lang and Bev
Kidby completed an expedition to drive a 1969 FIAT 500 Bambino
35,000km around the world - the smallest car ever to undertake
such a challenge!
The Expedition
After
several thousand kilometres across Australia, Lang and
Bev loaded the Bambino on a ship bound for Vladivostok,
Russia. The drive, commencing in mid-May 2007, took the
tiny car 13,000km across Siberia and Russia, Latvia, Lithuania
and Poland to Kiel in Northern Germany.
Joining
hundreds of other Bambinos, they participated in a
growing convoy through Germany, Holland, Belgium, France
and Switzerland to arrive at Garlenda, on the Italian
Riviera, for a week of celebration. The Australian Bambino
created considerable interest at a huge
gathering of over 1,000 FIAT 500's. Distances such as
they travelled are almost unheard of in a baby car
designed as an around the town runabout.
Leaving
Italy the pair traveled to UK where the Bambino was
once more be loaded on a ship for the USA. What followed
was a journey not lightly undertaken these days in
a modern four-wheel drive. They traveled all the way
to the West Coast before turning North to drive thousands
of kilometres through USA and Canada to Anchorage in Alaska,
arriving at the end of September 2007.
Having
gone as far as it was reasonably possible to travel, the
car was be shipped home to Australia to complete the
journey - a grand total of 35,000 road kilometres in the
smallest car ever to do a circumnavigation.
Regular
reports of the trip can be seen by clicking on "Latest
News" above.
FIAT
500 Bambino Details
Nearly 4 million Bambinos were built from 1957 until the
early 70's.
Although there were some design details upgraded and changed,
the car remained basically the same for its entire production
life.
499cc (30cu in) Rear Twin Cylinder, air-cooled motor of
22 horsepower
4 seats
Sunroof on all models
Weight 530kg - 1187lb
4 speed gearbox - no synchromesh
20 litres - 4.5gal fuel tank
Fuel Consumption 5L/100km - 20km/L - 55mpg
Top Speed 100kph (63mph)
