A reputed Italian manufacturer of white goods decided to cross a classic Fiat 500 with a fridge, just for the fun of it. The resulting product is a retro refrigerator that keeps both car and beer lovers happy.
Manufacturers of domestic appliances do their best to stand apart from the others, and this is most often done either by focusing on crazy designs or by including unusual features. In the past, we’ve seen fridges that reminded of Han Solo frozen in carbonite, as well as fridges that record messages so that the other members of the family can play them back later. SMEG500, a fridge made by Smeg from half-a-Fiat 500, bears a retro design, so don’t expect it to have any otherworldly features. The fact that it’s made from a recycled car is pretty much its major selling point, and what a selling point that is!
Turning a Fiat 500 into a fridge isn’t that difficult, apparently, so if you have one of these retro cars laying round, you don’t have to visit Smeg’s stores. Well, the Italian company’s product might be a bit more refined.
After removing the back end and the engine, all that Smeg did was to add an icebox. Frankly, a few other adjustments had to be made, such as the inclusion of a control panel, but a fridge couldn’t possibly function properly without all that.
In terms of storage capacity, don’t expect SMEG500 to be very large. After all, it’s made from a recycled small car, so the net capacity of only 100 liters shouldn’t come as a shocker. The accurate dimensions of this retro fridge are 830 x 125 x 800 mm. Judging by its compartments, it’s pretty clear that Smeg created this refrigerator with beverage lovers in mind. The removable glass shelf and the three removable bottle holders hint at that, anyway.
SMEG500 was first available in white and green, but the manufacturer thought that a red version would be suitable, too, so it launched one in the UK. I like the symbolism behind all this, as Italy’s flag has exactly these colors: red, white and green.
The result of Smeg’s partnership with Fiat is all about recycling, so energy efficiency is also a problem that green heads may raise. SMEG500 has an energy rating of A+, unless you turn the headlights on and off again very often. Oh, I forgot to tell you that you can do that…
Lovers of retro fridges should stay away from this one unless they can shell 5,000 euros, or roughly $6,800. The idea is definitely unique, and owning a bit of history might somehow justify the price.
If you liked this post, please check this Star Wars fridge depicting Han Solo frozen in carbonite and the
