Fiat South Africa has announced that 20 units of the limited edition, nautical-themed Fiat 500 Riva have been set aside for the local market.
Designed “in partnership” with the Riva shipyard, the limited edition model features various interesting inclusions, such as a mahogany dashboard featuring maple inlays, as well as a gear-knob carved from solid mahogany.
Available in hatchback and convertible body styles, the Fiat 500 Riva is finished in “Sera Blue” paint, an exclusive colour set aside for this limited edition model and one also offered on the Aquariva Super, the Italian shipyard’s symbolic yacht and successor to the Aquarama.
The convertible version boasts a blue soft-top, again created exclusively for this model, while the hatchback features a black panoramic roof. The price? Some R267 900 for the hatchback and R303 900 for the convertible, with three-year or 100 000 km warranty and maintenance plan included.
Other details include chrome mirror-caps, door handles and bonnet trim, as well as double aquamarine stripes running along the belt lines. The car also features model-specific 16-inch 20-spoke light alloys with a blue finish. The Riva name, meanwhile, has been included on the bonnet, the wheel arches and on the wooden insert on the side moulding.
The wood covering the dashboard was applied onto a lightweight carbon shell (to ensure stability), with the maple inlays inserted by hand. The door sills and gear-knob are also fashioned from mahogany, while for the seats an ivory leather created by Poltrona Frau was selected, with ivory stitching in a different tone on the Sera blue seat piping and ivory tone seatbelts.
The limited edition Riva is powered by Fiat’s familiar TwinAir two-cylinder engine, which sends 63 kW/145 N.m to the front wheels via a five-speed manual gearbox or an optional automatic transmission.
Pricing:
Fiat 500 Riva hatchback: R267 900
Fiat 500 Riva convertible: R303 900