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Save The Fiat 500sThey're squat and snub-nosed, slow but steadfast. The Fiat 500 -- the tiny Italian car with the big personality -- last rolled off assembly lines nearly 30 years ago, and today it is still fighting retirement.
With more than 600,000 Fiat 500s still on the roads, two Italian senators are pushing a bill to make sure the beloved mini-car that thrust Italy into the motor age isn't done in by modern anti-pollution laws.
Despite protests from environmentalists, Senators Cesare Salvi and Luciano Magnalbo want the car and others like it to get greater access to smog-conscious big cities, where they are often restricted. The cars were built without catalytic converters, which eliminate many of the pollutants in exhaust fumes.
The proposal, which went before a Senate committee last week and still must make its way through parliament, has been dubbed the "Save the 500" bill. It argues that such cars deserve special treatment as part of Italy's "historic, cultural and technological" heritage. Like the Vespa scooter, the 500 is an icon of Italian transport.
Environmentalists complain that backers of the bill have lost their heads to nostalgia. Most of the cars, beyond having no catalytic converter, have no seat belts.
"Me too, I have great memories of the 500, of going out with my friends, my girlfriends. Those were very
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November 8, 2004 | Viewed 20,904 time(s)
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