The Honda SFX is a small 50cc scooter from Honda. It has nothing special, apart from being extremely light, easy to drive, allowing the driver to escape from the traffic in short trips, it is extremely resistant (and has an hard suspension too, ouch!) and has an aggressive looking, unique in its kind. It is my favourite engine to go down to the next mall fetch some small but needed stuff, as some hardware for my hobbies, some last-minite food and drink, or just for a fun drive on the mountain of Sintra. It does not drive fast either. Its speed is limited to some 70Km/hour. Enough to do the job. It will stay with me as long as I can imagine.
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The beautiful Fiat Barchetta is another story. One day I was driving my Honda SFX on the Sintra-Lisbon IC19 when I saw a yellow Barchetta convertible stopped somewhere near its Sintra terminus. I stopped, looked at the stuff, thought I had never seen such a beautiful piece of industrial design in the form of a small convertible and I went home with the idea to get one in my mind. I looked at the Internet searching for some information on the subject and I came across Marc Kloosterman site, Fiat Barchetta World Club. I also was attracted by Ivo's personal site on the subject, Ivo's Barchetta. I contacted these two guys and they were extremely helpful in providing me information about the car (the b. as we call it in the Internet forums) at the same time encouraging me to get one. Meanwhile I was joining the >Barchetta International forum at the Internet.
Well, I went further on with the idea and ordered the car. The local Fiat stand told me I couldn't because the model had been discontinued. As I wanted to keep the car I wanted a new one, and I didn't gave up easily. I went to one of the main stands in Lisbon and the answer was the same. I then contacted the Fiat customer support line, based in Italy. There I met Paula Cação. After consulting with the main house she finnaly told me I could order the car. I ordered the car from Italcentro i perpared to wait 2 months for the car. This was in October 2002.
Time went by and when I got to Christmas I was prepared to enjoy the new b. on my short holydays. Nothing of the kind. Meanwhile the Maggiora factory ceased production, and I had to patiently wait till the end of May to finally get my hands on my b. As I had founded the Club Barchetta Iberia together with my Italian friend Mario Bruno who lives in Madrid, I had to get a car to go to the Salamanca meeting, so Fiat kindly lended me a yellow b. till I received my definitive one. I still miss its invasive color! If I could I would get the two!
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