Banning dirty old gas-guzzling vehicles from Italy's cities in the name of environmentalism is all very well, but when a group of Italian lawmakers realised that it would mean the disappearance of one of their country's most beloved classic cars, they decided an exemption was in order.
The minuscule Fiat 500, as iconic to Italians as the Mini in Britain, the Volkswagen Beetle in Germany and the Citroen 2CV in France, could become a "protected species" when many of its contemporaries or successors are doomed to final extinction.
The tiny Fiat, 3,678,000 of which were turned out from 1957 to 1975, giving millions of Italians personal mobility for the first time, could benefit from an amendment to the law proposed by two members of parliament on opposite sides of the political fence and now before a Senate committee.
Its defenders say that the half a million or so rear-engined 500s still on the roads have a negligible effect on the environment, while its opponents retort that each one pollutes as much as 200 modern cars.
Proud owners included the late president Sandro Pertini, who during his time in office from 1978 to 1985 liked to escape from his escort and his presidential duties to nip around Rome anonymously at the wheel, according to the Fiat-owned daily La Stampa.
Another fan is Ferrari president Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, who does not feel he is slumming it when he drives his lovingly pampered 500, whose top speed is about a quarter of that of his Formula One creations, and gave one - red, of course - to his star driver Michael Schumacher.
A web search shows Fiat 500 fan clubs all over the world, including Japan, where well preserved models can change hands for up to 20,000 dollars.
Senators Luciano Magnalbo of the right-wing National Alliance and Cesare Salvi of the former communist Democrats of the Left introduced the "Save the Fiat 500" bill a year ago to national acclaim, shared by the Fiat company itself.
"It's more than an excellent idea, it's a plan that every Italian can sympathise with," said Lapo Elkann, grandson of Fiat boss Gianni Agnelli, who died in 2003.
"This car, more than most, has a special significance for the country. It marked the first years of mass mobility and is a symbol which this company is very proud of, and an enviable heritage."
In fact the bill does not single out the Fiat 500, but exempts from current legislation, aimed at phasing out cars without catalytic converters, vehicles of less than one litre engine capacity and at least 25 years old, provided they have regular checks.
The head of the environmentalist organisation Legambiente is Ermete Realacci, who says that as a member of parliament for the centre-left Olive Tree coalition he could never vote for the bill when it comes before parliament some time next year. "One can't build the future with nostalgia," he told AFP. "Allowing the Fiat 500 in our historic cities would do nothing for our lungs.
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