The decade is coming to an end, it is taking a lot of things with it and the one we care deeply about is the good ol’ internal combustion engines. The future is electric for a good reason and there isn’t much that one can do about it with the changing climate and dwindling oil reserves but as long as we have these glorious mechanical marvels in the form of fuel-burning engines, it is important that they are enjoyed to the fullest in any and every form.

Bren Garage recently picked up a very yellow and cheerful Fiat 600, a huge albeit very tasteful deviation from his track weapon artillery and we couldn’t help ourselves but ask for a photo op with the tiny Italian car. Boopesh Reddy, the gentleman behind Bren Garage, being the ever so magnanimous man that he is, agreed in no time and we found ourselves in his rather aesthetically pleasing courtyard on a cold Sunday noon. The subject for the day was the Seicento but looking at the vast lineup of other cars there, we couldn’t help but throw the Ferrari 488 Pista into the mix. Soon, we found ourselves in the company of two very bright Italian cars.

A Fiat and a Ferrari. To a petrolhead, both these names invoke a strong emotion, the names that put Italian cars on the world map. What Fiat did to the tasteful common man, Ferrari did the same to the affluent — ensured that no journey from point A to B is just a journey. The Italian cars are notoriously known for their poor ergonomics and reliability, rather the lack of it. But these cars make up for every negative with their undeniable charm that puts a smile on your face every time you get behind the wheel of one of these cars. While one may be lightning quick around a race track, the can comfortably seat five despite is Lilliputian size. Both the cars come from different eras but yet come with oodles of the same Italian charm.

The Fiat 600 was a city car which derived the formula from the VW Beetle - small yet spacious with an engine stuck up its rear end. The car is powered by a straight four making a modest 36 horsepower. In their peak, Fiat build about a 1000 cars per day as these peppy little cars found a lot of takers. Over a million cars were sold within six years of production and the 600 became almost a cult. It’s practicality and cute form found a lot of takers back in the day and even today, the Fiat 600 is quite a sought after collectors item so when Bren Garage found one on sale, there was no thinking twice. This yellow 600 was picked up at an auction. The car has had just one owner all its life before being sold off and recently got a thorough one over making the car a mint example of the Italian classic. The car happens to be yellow which is Mr. Reddy’s lucky colour, “It is almost like this one was meant for me!” he quips! Visibly chuffed with his new acquisition, “Once you start driving this, you don’t want to stop”, he says with a wide smile. As good as modern cars are, these classics have an old school charm of their own. All the niggles and issues add to the experience which if dealt with in the right manner, can be rewarding in ways that few other things can match.

Parked a few feet to the left of the Seicento is a flaming red low slung coupe, a Ferrari 488 Pista. Ferrari is almost synonymous with supercar, no matter what make it is, a low slung two door car is a “Ferrari” to a layman, more so if it’s red. While this is usually tends to annoy the car-nut lot, it goes a long way to talk about Ferrari’s decorated provenance. They have not only pioneered performance car in many ways but also have built an entire lifestyle around these cars. As they say, there is something special about owning a Ferrari. Something that cannot be put into words but something that is tangibly felt every time you plonk yourself in the driving seat of one. And this exact feeling was the reason why this 488 Pista holds a special place in Bren Garage. Specified in the traditional Rosso Corsa and shod on some lightweight wheels finished in Gunmetal grey, this one looks timeless. There is absolutely no ways one can get bored looking at this! The sculpture on the car in the name of aerodynamics is nothing short or otherworldly. The scoops, intakes, fins and flicks all culminate into this wonderful piece of artwork. So good that it almost seems like the fact that it drives so well comes in as an added bonus to its sculptural allure. 

With these two Italian cars parked side by side, it is hard to keep one’s lower jaw fixed in a place. The 600’s simplicity and the Pista’s complicated yet beautiful lines, both have the same dopamine-releasing effect on one’s brain. These two cars are 55 years apart and they have a lot more similar between them than what meets the eye. Both cars were built with some strong passion, which the Italians are hard to better at. Both cars put a wide smile on your face at the turn of a wheel. Both cars have engines which emit some lovely musical noises. And ultimately, both cars use internal combustion engines. While this may not make too much sense right now, it definitely will make a lot of sense a few years hence as the batteries take over. While the EV takeover is a matter that can be debated endlessly over, it is best we enjoy these motors while they are still around. Thousands of components that make an engine can be very easily replaced with a pack of batteries but the charm of the mechanical engines can never be replaced. And this is what makes these two cars here so special. Both are distinctly different in a million ways but one thing that they both do equally well while taking different approaches to it is putting a big wide smile on one’s face. The Ferrari does that its ferocity while the 600 does it with it’s quirky old school aura. The Ferrari’s V8 makes some aurally pleasing sounds while the 600 does exactly the same with its tiny water cooled engine spluttering into life. The Ferrari would get your adrenaline pumping with its 710hp while the 600 manages to do the same with it’s very very mechanical and basic 36hp engine. Bottomline being, it isn’t always about the fastest or the most versatile car being the best that one can buy. The best car one can buy is simply the one that will make you want to stare at it in the garage before you step into your house.