2014 Fiat 500l Trekking on 2040-cars

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Fiat 500 facelift found

Following a tumultuous few years on the US market (not to mention the several years it was sold in Europe before crossing the pond) Fiat is preparing a moderate refresh of its bread-and-butter 500 hatchback. As you can tell by the Hannibal Lecter look of this particular prototype, the focus of these updates will be on the front and rear clips. Sadly, it's virtually impossible to pick up any of the details due to the rather obtrusive camouflage. Although they're typically part of a mid-cycle update, it looks like Fiat will be leaving the headlights and taillights of the city car alone for the next model year. Beyond that, though, this is quite light as far as updates go. As for when we could see the freshened 500, it's open for debate. Geneva is certainly a possibility, as is April's New York Auto Show. Be sure to keep your eyes open then.

What a 28.5-liter LSR engine sounds like firing up for the first time in 100 years

Racecars seem to keep getting quieter these days, and if electric vehicles and fuel cells ever fully take over motorsports, then the bang, pop and growl of internal combustion engines may be gone for good. This clip of a Fiat S76 land speed record racer awaking after over a century of being dormant shows just what we would miss so much. The four-cylinder engine in this Fiat displaces about 28.5 liters, making it among the largest automotive engines ever, and it gives each cylinder around as much capacity as the whole mill in a Chevrolet Camaro Z/28. Once this thing starts firing with no exhaust in place, the look and sound is like a demon at work with a rain of fire and sparks. This clip is just the trailer for a documentary called the Beast of Turin chronicling the history of this period of racing. The movie also focuses on the rebuild and restoration of the S76 after over 100 years. If the rest of the film lives up to this tease, then it looks like something to watch for.

Fiat sells part of its historic Lingotto factory in Turin

Stellantis-owned Fiat is selling part of its historic Lingotto factory in Turin, Italy, in a bid to downsize its real estate assets. Inaugurated in 1923, the facility built numerous Fiat models until it closed in 1982, and a test track built on its roof made it famous all around the world. Italian website Motori Online reported that digital services specialist Reply purchased a roughly 215,000-square-foot chunk of the complex with plans to turn it into an office building. There's no word yet on how much Fiat sold the space for, but most sources agree that the firm will retain ownership of the test track. And, the building itself isn't going anywhere: Reply will move in, but it won't knock it down and rebuild it. The test track that made Lingotto famous wasn't merely a gimmick: it was an important part of the production process for several decades. Raw materials entered the building on the ground floor and cars made their way through several stations scattered across the five floors before ending up (in one piece) on the roof. They were then driven for about half a mile before being sent out of the complex. This sped up the production process because road testers could put new cars through their paces without having to leave Turin, and it allowed Fiat to test prototypes without worrying about getting spotted by spy photographers. The track was also featured in the 1969 movie The Italian Job.  This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Fiat isn't the first Stellantis brand to leave its historic home. Peugeot left its headquarters in downtown Paris for the same reasons in 2017. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Auto News Plants/Manufacturing Fiat