Imagine chatting up a girl by saying I drive an Impala and you turn up in that for the first date, Lol. What a great idea, from a time when you could turn your ideas into reality.
I had an old 500 in the late 70s. A great wee motor. I loved the crash gearbox, double de clutching and matching the revs up and down through the box. She could keep up with traffic so long as you were prepared to rev the nuts off her!
Yes, four wheels each. One sold in the tens of millions since the Fiat 500 first appeared, and this variant sold in the handful to UK safari adventurers wanting to hop from one cassock of grass to the next without the encumbrance of a fixed roof while chasing the lesser spotted Pennine rhinocerous known to lurk in deeper nettle thickets.
A car like that TRULY engages the driver. Double declutching, thrashing the engine to keep up with traffic, all while being mildly terrified in a vehicle with an NCAP rating on par with one of those comedy clown cars. I want one!
"Don't worry, it can get through this, its a quattro. Watch this..." (quattro with an air intake that is about 4 inches above ground level). I suspect the one at the side of the road floated there. A bit different to Harry Metcalfe's baby Fiat!
Absolutely love it. A day 20 degrees warmer might have been welcome though. I bet this would cope with floods better than most cars. If it died it would probably float.
"there's an advantage the wing mirrors can be reached from the drivers seat, oh ford explore" let me turn round and adjust the phone.....On the right the Police van in the gateway !
The real Impala (Aepyceros melampus ) can attain a speed of 75 to 90 KMh running in a zigzag, some one had a sense of humour when naming this sweet little car !!!
Another unique vehicle - and interesting choice of name because when I think l of the name Impala on a car, it's usually that big American Chevy. This car does look a lot like a Moke.
Oh yes! A car I had no idea existed - new knowledge acquired! Guessing the seatbelts mainly are there for the rescue personel to quicker locate the bodies, was there an accident... 😳 besides that - it looks like a run-away fair ground attraction and I suppose that was what it felt like too 😁
Thank you, Ian … thank you for driving this, so we don’t have to … Richard (Electric Classic Car) needs to throw a motor and a battery pack at that there mowchine.
I had 2 Fiat 126 in the 1980s the main reason why I had 2 of them was they were very cheap mine was over 10 years old the first one I got from a friend at work for £50 the clutch had gone but I changed it in less then a hour and I not a mechanic. The last one I paid £75 they weren’t troubled that much with rust it was usually the steering or suspension, not finish them off. And the 124 was just as noisy as the one that impala. The last one I swapped for a Lada 1200 The Lada was like a Rolls Royce after the 126
It just needed further development. If the body is substantially lighter...the suspension spring rates need to be adjusted. That light checker plate engine cover is just a sound box...needs Dynamat all over every surface in the engine compartment A Dymo label or two on the switch gear might be "in period" and useful..
Fun video - kept me smiling all the way through. Good point about German cars and floods. Seems to be a BMW/Audi issue primarily so perhaps driver influenced. I have noticed a number of BMWs stuck in floodwater with their handbrakes locked on - would be good to get viewpoints for AA/RAC and rescue vehicle drivers on this.
I can remember a former BMW technician telling me tales of hydro-locked X-series cars because of their well-heeled owners over-estimating the ability of their cars.
@@brianlaunchbury4491 Not all: the inertia reel belts on my Renault 16 only locked when it detected the car was rapidly decelerating - I think there may have been some sort of pendulum arrangement, because whilst stationary no amount of tugging on the belt would cause it to lock.
Its surely an " impala", imagea Cheeta can easily outrun it😂 Speedometer is of the 126. Lucky weve been spared, on the meanland of this , fine piece of craftsmanship 😂😂😂
A definite hint of Duzgo there..... There was a quite pretty 126 based coupe kit around at about the same time, the MCA as I recall, would be an interesting comparison !!!!
Oh goodness no, give me a proper 500 any day. It is a bit of a novelty and it seems they were trying to compete with the likes of the mini moke, but in all honesty it looks like a death trap, a fiberglass box ready to crush lol. But it does look fun i guess. You mentioned the Chevette, now thats one i did iwn back in the very early 80,s, a car you never hear of or rarley see nowadays. These were great cars, disappointment was the viva engine..
I think using the parts to keep another 500 on the road would of been better use of the parts even back in period. Like I said each to the own but its not for me, its one step removed from Top Gears Eagle Hammer thing.
Where I live that would be great fun, but not when I lived in Isleworth (just round the corner from the Rugby Stadium Twickenham) so like EVs it's a horses for courses car.
Did they really name it the Impala "Butter" (burro in Italian) ? Yes, I know what Burro means in Spanish, but the basis is an Italian car after all, so "butter" it is.
At least there was no chance of you falling asleep after your night in the Berlingo 🎧
Imagine chatting up a girl by saying I drive an Impala and you turn up in that for the first date, Lol. What a great idea, from a time when you could turn your ideas into reality.
I wish I had a rabbit in a hat with a bat and a 64 I M P A L A 🤣
At least you don't have to be a little bit taller to drive this car...
Lol 🤣
I had an old 500 in the late 70s. A great wee motor. I loved the crash gearbox, double de clutching and matching the revs up and down through the box. She could keep up with traffic so long as you were prepared to rev the nuts off her!
Are the wipers from Volvo headlights? 😂
Makes the NZ Skoda Trekker look like a Ferrari.
I got white finger just holding my phone watching this.
Looks like fun, but definitely a summer car 🚗
Sadly we don't see fun cars like this made anymore, sort of says something
Presumably Chevrolet saw no need to take legal action to protect its own Impala brand........!
What? You mean this isn't a Chevrolet Impala?
...And yet they're so similar...
Yes, four wheels each. One sold in the tens of millions since the Fiat 500 first appeared, and this variant sold in the handful to UK safari adventurers wanting to hop from one cassock of grass to the next without the encumbrance of a fixed roof while chasing the lesser spotted Pennine rhinocerous known to lurk in deeper nettle thickets.
A car like that TRULY engages the driver. Double declutching, thrashing the engine to keep up with traffic, all while being mildly terrified in a vehicle with an NCAP rating on par with one of those comedy clown cars.
I want one!
A hint of terror and comedy, a right old carry-on.
I thought it was one of those Land Rover kids toys you used to see in the car magazines.
I love it.
You can really mess around with this without getting a speeding ticket.
In case you haven't seen "6D DIESELS" are rebuilding a Fiat 500 based Autobianchi having to replace all the usual stuff like the floor pan, sills.
Oh lovely! Drove one a while back.
Well that's a very cute car! I would have loved to see it without the top tho, but I know it must be chilly out there... Thanks!
One vehicle I loved as a child was Postman van and...that is Pat's van ;-D Love it! Another great video, sir ;-)
The sound takes me back to my childhood and my mums Fiat 126! Love it.
"Don't worry, it can get through this, its a quattro. Watch this..." (quattro with an air intake that is about 4 inches above ground level). I suspect the one at the side of the road floated there.
A bit different to Harry Metcalfe's baby Fiat!
Absolutely love it. A day 20 degrees warmer might have been welcome though.
I bet this would cope with floods better than most cars. If it died it would probably float.
If you’ve ever seen the Rufford Ford videos you’ll know how many people are willing to risk driving through deep flood water ⚠️
"there's an advantage the wing mirrors can be reached from the drivers seat, oh ford explore" let me turn round and adjust the phone.....On the right the Police van in the gateway !
An excellent Review as always Ian.
What a car. Thanks for showing us this quirky and boxy little thing. Impala. Lovely… ❤
If your intention was to communicate a feeling of blind terror you succeeded.
Awesome Ian 👍
mate you find the quirkiest little cars that ive never heard of!....nice to finally meet you at the NEC classic event!
Great video as usual, but i would prefer the chevette rear light attached to a chevette, interesting vehicle tho thanks ian.
I was about to.mention this put me in mind of your Austin 7 review and then you mentioned it. Love these slightly terrifying reviews!
Cute, but better at home on a beach or country lane? 😂
FIAT 500 Impala, what a find and sooooo cute 😁
Spare wheel through the windscreen. I couldn't shake this thought, through the entire video. 😳
It's an early airbag
A new addition to the fleet....maybe lands end trial ......
What a lovely little car!😍
Thanx for your Videos!!👍🏼
Great video Mr HubNut fantastic
The real Impala (Aepyceros melampus ) can attain a speed of 75 to 90 KMh running in a zigzag, some one had a sense of humour when naming this sweet little car !!!
*"THEY TURNED MY TIGER SPECIAL INTO A* *_TOY TANK?!"_*
The wiper pattern is a lot better than in the Citroen Pony.
Another unique vehicle - and interesting choice of name because when I think l of the name Impala on a car, it's usually that big American Chevy. This car does look a lot like a Moke.
Oh yes! A car I had no idea existed - new knowledge acquired! Guessing the seatbelts mainly are there for the rescue personel to quicker locate the bodies, was there an accident... 😳 besides that - it looks like a run-away fair ground attraction and I suppose that was what it felt like too 😁
Wow. Battery right next to the fuel tank. An explosion waiting to happen! 😂
Thank you, Ian … thank you for driving this, so we don’t have to … Richard (Electric Classic Car) needs to throw a motor and a battery pack at that there mowchine.
I like it as is, Well with a new battery.
I certainly liked it with a conventional engine and gearbox, fun as the electric ones are.
@@HubNut Did you have a jump pack with you when it cut out? Or did you just push and jump in ?? !!
From Harry’s Garage ‘JaGuar’ 00 to this. Sublime to ridiculous!
I was waiting for you to find that one of these unmarked switches was for an ejector seat.
I love it when you test drive weird stuff
If a Mehari shrank in the wash, this would be it... :P
Less Tame Impala, more Wiggly Elephant me thinks.
I had 2 Fiat 126 in the 1980s the main reason why I had 2 of them was they were very cheap mine was over 10 years old the first one I got from a friend at work for £50 the clutch had gone but I changed it in less then a hour and I not a mechanic. The last one I paid £75 they weren’t troubled that much with rust it was usually the steering or suspension, not finish them off. And the 124 was just as noisy as the one that impala. The last one I swapped for a Lada 1200 The Lada was like a Rolls Royce after the 126
Here trying to quell my infatuation with the song track "Neverender" and you start with a Tame Impala pun. xD
Well, at least with a fibreglass monocoque it won't go the same way as my now late Yaris... :( Probably much better in the summer though :)
I can't be the only one thinking of Postman Pat's van.
It just needed further development.
If the body is substantially lighter...the suspension spring rates need to be adjusted.
That light checker plate engine cover is just a sound box...needs Dynamat all over every surface in the engine compartment
A Dymo label or two on the switch gear might be "in period" and useful..
The 500s had no switch labelling too...
Fun video - kept me smiling all the way through. Good point about German cars and floods. Seems to be a BMW/Audi issue primarily so perhaps driver influenced. I have noticed a number of BMWs stuck in floodwater with their handbrakes locked on - would be good to get viewpoints for AA/RAC and rescue vehicle drivers on this.
I can remember a former BMW technician telling me tales of hydro-locked X-series cars because of their well-heeled owners over-estimating the ability of their cars.
A proper Hubnut car, i approve.
That seatbelt would get me swearing. Great video.
A bit of cleaning might have it behaving. Like I say, this one hasn't yet been prepared for sale.
All early inertia reel belts did that.
@@HubNut Pull them out steadily instead of jerking them.
@@brianlaunchbury4491 Not all: the inertia reel belts on my Renault 16 only locked when it detected the car was rapidly decelerating - I think there may have been some sort of pendulum arrangement, because whilst stationary no amount of tugging on the belt would cause it to lock.
Reminds me of the fiat 126 I had, The spark plug kept blowing out 😂
Centre clock by Metamec 😉
Now you mention it, I know EXACTLY the style of Metamec clock you mean!!😁
Never seen an integral fibreglass body before.
See also Lotus Elite MK1.
Clan Crusader, Mini Marcos!
An absolute joy!
Did you leave something for Mr Furious to drive? He often reports from Stone Cold! 😀
They have a couple of cars he has previously enjoyed.
I think them indicators were used on the last of the Imps. Could easily be wrong
Its surely an " impala", imagea Cheeta can easily outrun it😂
Speedometer is of the 126.
Lucky weve been spared, on the meanland of this , fine piece of craftsmanship 😂😂😂
A definite hint of Duzgo there..... There was a quite pretty 126 based coupe kit around at about the same time, the MCA as I recall, would be an interesting comparison !!!!
AY UP MR HUBNUT
What a lovely little thing!!!!!!
Sounds lovely ❤
Oh goodness no, give me a proper 500 any day. It is a bit of a novelty and it seems they were trying to compete with the likes of the mini moke, but in all honesty it looks like a death trap, a fiberglass box ready to crush lol. But it does look fun i guess.
You mentioned the Chevette, now thats one i did iwn back in the very early 80,s, a car you never hear of or rarley see nowadays. These were great cars, disappointment was the viva engine..
This is worst thing ever 😂😂😂 excellent 🤣🤣
Aw. I reckon I've driven worse...
You are an exceptionally lucky man though with these kinds of adventures @@HubNut
If your 500 is fooked, take to it to Folkes
Vorsprung Duck Technik
I think it tells us the Germans were better at Uboats than Ucars.
Only its mother could love it ...
Pure comedy. I love it 😅
And one thing we also found out is that German cars are not immune to flooding 😊
Its very HubNut I'll give you that 😂. Why you would donor a stylish cool car to build that thing I find mental but each to their own 😅
@@ijbailey Well if the stylish and cool bits have rusted to dust you might as well put the remnants to good use.
When this was built you could have got an MOT failed 500 or 126 for nothing.
I think using the parts to keep another 500 on the road would of been better use of the parts even back in period. Like I said each to the own but its not for me, its one step removed from Top Gears Eagle Hammer thing.
If the body was cheap enough;
the suspension spring rates and NVH problems sorted ....
it would have worked.
How very HubNut. Wonderfully crazy.
Think that may have floated in deep flood water, provided no leaks where bolts went through the body.
Brilliantly bonkers!
OMG never heard of it!!
The Mirrors look familiar they are motorcycle rear vision mirrors l had similar types of mirrors on my motorcycles back in the 1970s
Where I live that would be great fun, but not when I lived in Isleworth (just round the corner from the Rugby Stadium Twickenham) so like EVs it's a horses for courses car.
Achtung! Nicht driven in der wasser. Die car vill bekommen kaput.
Oh my...
I am trying to figure out what the point of the radio is in this car?
Very hub nut unusual vehicleanother great video has always Ian and Carly miss/mrs hubnut and hublets and hubmutt 👍
Be better off driving a sit-on lawnmower!
Wouldn't fancy that at 45mph...
@@HubNut 😂😂😂
Did they really name it the Impala "Butter" (burro in Italian) ? Yes, I know what Burro means in Spanish, but the basis is an Italian car after all, so "butter" it is.
Am I getting old or did that look like no fun at all? PS Are those front indicators stolen from a late model Imp's tail?
Nice fiat 🎉
DID YOU SAY Fiat 500 are amazing!!??
And yet first time you drove one you said you didn't like it!? :P
smol
Shake rattle & roll Ian. Think your camera was about to fall off.
Makes me wonder how it never ended up on a Q plate 🤔
Takes the identity of the donor vehicle. Quite common with kit cars.
😁👍
Vorsprung durch U-Boat?
I see some garages are getting snotty about under-boot fuel tanks & refusing to authorise the pump if the boot or bonnet is open.
Apparently. I've never had an issue with my Invacar.
Millions of VW Beetles are like this. Rear engined Renaults have the fuel tank and its filler next to the engine.
That was one service station "manned" by two "women" who had no clue.
The brand's national HQ soon sorted them out.
I had an uncle who in the early 80's restored a 500 Vignale Gamine - was better looking than this Impala but just as noisy and boisterous
That's a travesty and a crime against 500s
Remember this was built at a time when 500s were just cheap bangers.
😎😎😎😎😎
Hey i drive a merc and i know better than to cross rivers
Pure Hubnut
Nope , Not a fan of that .... little TWC over that any day .
Similar loudness...
i would suggest you stop looking backwards to mess with or talk to the camera, and KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE ROAD.👎