In 1907, the first edition of the Peking-Paris race was won by the Itala driven by Prince Scipione Borghese accompanied by journalist Luigi Barzini, special correspondent of the Corriere della Sera newspaper. To celebrate the centenary of this feat, the Overland expedition travelled the route in the opposite direction, accompanied by a very special guest: the Fiat 500.
In summer 2007 the Fiat 500 MultiJet Diesel, designed by Roberto Giolito, who now heads the FCA Heritage department, tackled the eleventh edition of “Overland", together with the famous orange Iveco vehicles and the mythical Itala which triumphed in the historic Peking to Paris race in 1907.
The little 500, with a 75 horsepower MultiJet engine combined with its 5-speed transmission, was painted the Overland orange colour and carried the team and event decals. No specific preparation, no changes, before joining an expedition facing all the challenges of a journey which is still an adventure, with many potential threats in store, even a hundred years later.
From Turin to Paris to meet up with the Itala and then, with her and the Overland team, across Europe to Russia, followed by most of Siberia and Mongolia, finishing in Beijing. The return trip, on her own, was no less adventurous and exciting.
Leaving Turin on 11 July, the Overland 11 convoy crossed Europe by way of Paris, Liège, Brussels, Hanover, Berlin and Warsaw, reaching the Baltic States and Russia in August. Leaving St Petersburg and Moscow behind, the expedition headed for the vast Asian lands of Siberia, stopping in the capital Novosibirsk, and on to the border with Mongolia: a tough journey of more than 2,500 kilometres, a succession of hard challenges but also of spectacular landscapes, which the Fiat 500 deal with brilliantly. On 20 September the Overland 11 expedition arrived outside the Italian Embassy in Beijing.
After this amazing journey, the Fiat 500 Overland returned to Italy alone, driven by Rocco Errico and Beppe Tenti, the creator of the famous Overland project. After setting off from Nanjing on 12 November, the two adventure veterans took less than a month to cover more than 16,000 kilometres, ending their journey at the Bologna Motor Show after passing through nine different countries: China, Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, Poland, the Czech Republic, Germany, Austria and, finally Italy.
FCA Heritage is proud to display this modern version of a great classic, only 10 years old but with all the glory of a true veteran, thanks not only to its appearance, which recalls its iconic forebear, but above all due to the adventure, with its strong overtones of the past, which it completed with such success.
