Elle bent on the 500C

ELLE Macpherson was one of the first in the world to take delivery of Fiat’s new-generation 500C convertible last week – on the same day she was the star attraction at Jaguar’s glitzy world reveal of its new XJ limousine.

The 500C, which pays homage to Fiat’s original 1957 fabric-roofed 500 and goes on sale in Australia in early 2010, was revealed at the Geneva motor show in March.

It went on sale on July 2 in the UK, the first market in the world to take delivery of the sardine tin-roofed, open-top version of the born-again 500 hatch, before one of the first examples was presented to the Australian-born supermodel and 500 hardtop owner outside her Notting Hill home.

Just hours later, a week after the 500C’s UK launch at the exclusive Whisky Mist, another swanky London car reveal was co-hosted by Elle, this time for Jaguar’s rather more upmarket new luxury flagship.

“I love the Fiat 500C – it has that sexy, cool, Italian thing going on,” said Elle. “I like the way the car drives – it is perfect for cities with its small turning circle and the easy way it manoeuvres through London.” The 500C will come with the same 1.2 and 1.4-litre petrol and 1.3-litre turbo-diesel engines as the 500, which has now attracted close to 400,000 orders from 59 markets worldwide, including 783 in Australia since April 2008.