By now, you’ve probably seen the new commercial for the FIAT 500. Online and on TV, the image of the iconic 500 peacefully driving through its homeland and along the Amalfi Coast, suddenly diving into the ocean only to reappear in New York City, has announced to viewers that the FIAT 500 has arrived stateside and it came to party. If you haven’t seen it, take a minute to watch before we take you behind the scenes with exclusive photos and stories from the set.
The question that we’ve seen most often has been, “Were those real cars going into the ocean?”
The answer is yes. In total, we submerged six vehicles during the shoot. The FIAT with the most death-defying jump is the Giallo (yellow) Sport. For that shot, the Sport was dropped from a crane at more than 70 feet in the air.
Yes, vehicles were harmed in the making of this commercial.
Not all of the 500s were dropped from a crane, however. The vehicles were pulled into the water by boat, tractor and tow truck. In one case, the ocean was too rough and would not allow for a track to be put into the water. Without missing a beat, our stunt driver leapt at the chance to drive a FIAT 500 Abarth off of a pier and into the waiting water. He pulled off the stunt without a hitch, but three scuba divers were ready just in case.
The commercial was shot over 12 days and in two countries. In Italy, we shot along the Amalfi Coast, including Amalfi, Positano, Atrani, Maiori, Minori and Furore. A month prior, our first attempt to shoot in Italy was completely rained out, and the stormy weather became a theme of the trip. At one point, lightning struck just 200 yards from where we were shooting. The New York weather was much more cooperative. While there, we shot in Manhattan and Brooklyn and took some skyline shots from New Jersey.
Perhaps, other than the locals from the town in Italy who were cast, the star of the commercial may be the FIAT 500 itself. A natural on land, in tight curves, leaping from great heights and submerged, we knew that we had the best in the biz.
Now that you’ve seen the behind-the-scenes, are you itching for your chance to roam around Italy?
You’re in luck! We have something special up our sleeves just for our FIAT Backstage readers. Stay tuned for your chance to travel to the same streets on the Amalfi Coast that you saw here.
Is your passport ready?
Photos courtesy of Paul Papanek
