Looks like a Chrysler Sebring to us?
A shipment of Fiat 124 roadsters to Baltimore and more to the Port of San Diego is the first time in more than three decades a that new 124 Spider roadster has arrived in the United States. The question is does anyone care?
The all-new 2017 Fiat 124 Spider claims to blends “classic Italian styling” with modern technology, safety features and performance. Care was taken to ensure each car was carefully off-loaded from the ship.
“The typical perception of a port is one filled with shipping containers and bulk materials. This is primarily a carport on this side of Baltimore Harbor,” said John Griffin, manager, International Port Operations, FCA US. “The cars are being handled by expert car handlers.”
Initially, the port was used for exporting vehicles to 110 countries, but with the bankruptcy induced merger of Chrysler with FIAT, the facility is also used for imports.
Griffin said this began with the Fiat 500L in 2013, followed by the Alfa Romeo 4C, Jeep Renegade and Fiat 500x. He added that FCA also uses ports in Jacksonville, Delaware and a harbor in the Pacific Northwest.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
