Bojan Vrbnjak
After 3,2 million units sold worldwide, the Fiat 500 with an internal combustion engine is being phased out. The Marani company has prepared something very special for this occasion. Namely the luxury special model "Principessa D'oro Nero", which roughly means "black and gold princess".
The Principessa is limited to 30 units and is also available as the Abarth 695 Edizione Principessa. Performance? 70 hp for the 500, 180 hp for the Abarth. Each vehicle is built by hand. A surprising feature is the two-tone metallic color: Champagne Gold Metallic / Vesuvio Black Metallic and decorative stripes in Bordeaux red. There are chrome trim strips on the front and rear bumpers and on the waistline, crystal embellishments on the waist-height trim strips (on the sides of the vehicle), and the 'MARANI' and 'Principessa' lettering are highly polished.
The glitter motif continues on the door panel with high-polished 'Principessa' lettering, chrome mirror caps, high-gloss chrome 16-inch wheels, chrome hubcaps embossed with '500', brushed aluminum door sill moldings and polished stainless tailpipe trims steel.
Luxury and glory
The interior of the Cinquecento model has also been upgraded accordingly:
- the interior features cream leather upholstery with diamond-patterned interior surfaces, double-stitching and silver-embroidered 'Principessa' lettering.
– front seats with gold trim
- headrest cover available in cream velvet with gathered pattern or cream leather with gold trim with crystal rings
– 3-spoke leather steering wheel with golden leather insert
– chrome gear lever with golden metal gear gates
– shift lever in cream leather with decorative strips in gold leather
The dashboard is available in: Vesuvio Black Metallic (standard), Chamgagner Gold Metallic or real ash wood with crystal-encrusted chrome '500' emblem. The handbrake lever is available in cream leather (standard) or crystal-embellished chrome.
Further details include:
– armrests on the doors and side panels in black leather (standard) or cream leather (standard)
– central panel in the door trim with a chrome ring
– cream leather sun visor, left and right, with make-up mirror
– A-pillar upholstery in cream leather (standard), cream Alcantara
– silver tweeter cover with chrome rings (standard)
– “Principessa” badge on the center console
– rear seat backrest with velor
Alcantara on board
– cream-colored Alcantara A-pillar trim with tweeter trim in silver with chrome rings
– "Edizione Principessa" badge on the center console
– top of the key cover in polished 925 sterling silver, bottom of the cover body in two-tone black and champagne gold with metallic paint and decorative stripes in burgundy red
– loop on the back door
– Marani pocket with embroidered logo for user manual, warranty and service booklet, parking disc with ice scraper
Of course, all this luxury comes at a price. The Fiat 500 Edizione Principessa costs between 43.438 and 48.478 euros, depending on the original version. The redesigned version of the Abarth is even more expensive: from 58.438 to 63.478 euros.
Marani is currently developing a special 'Speedster' body model based on the Abarth 695 C in the prototype development phase. Major changes were made to the body, engine performance and chassis for this project. Special models based on other manufacturers are also planned in the future.
