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Milanese coachbuilder Carrozzeria Castagna, which is looking to follow Fiat's shift towards the United States and establish its own design studio Stateside, is announcing this ambition in a typical extravagant manner, with limousine versions of the Fiat 500 and 500C.

The overriding theme of the new project is American classic limousines, and Castagna, the historic Milan atelier which was reborn in the mid-1990s, has blended its traditional cues from these opulent vehicles (as well as its constant 'Landulet' design thinking) with newer ideas drawn its recent projects involving the Fiat 500.

The A-segment 500 - Castagna is already out of the blocks in the United States and has used the bodyshell built by the Chrysler Group at Toluca in Mexico - has been stretched to 5.32 m long, with the wheelbase extended from the standard 2.3 m to 4.08 m. The height is also increased, as the proportions of the tiny city car are reworked to allow it to transport passengers in comfort, from the standard 1.49 m to 1.58 m.

First up is the Castagna Fiat 500 LimoSun, which is based around the underpinnings and features of the roll-roof Fiat 500C. Castagna has expanded design ideas it has previously used on the 500, but now has created an enclosed (air conditioned) cockpit for the driver, along with a larger open rear end with four seats, situated in two pairs facing each other. The styling theme represents an extension of the unique 500 which was built especially for now-disposed Libyan dictator Colonel Gaddafi and which hit the headlines when it was looted during the fall of the capital city Tripoli last autumn. The same alloy pillar theme and yacht-wood is used, while above the passenger bay, the 500C's roll-roof is retained and can be folded away (with a flush glass sunroof at the forward end). Castagna will have to pay close attention to the project, as the Gaddafi machine was quite poorly-finished.

To fully enclose the passenger compartment, transparent panels can be fitted to the sides. There is also a wide, ribbed access step which sweeps in and out of the sill line. According to Castagna, the 500 LimoCity is to be targeted at beach resorts, and of course the Middle East, where it might also appeal to buyers with less conventional tastes.

The second version is the 500 LimoCity, which features the attributes of a classic limousine, such as a circular sofa adjoining an obligatory drinks cabinet. Ironically, it could find itself lining up Stateside as a potential rival to another Chrysler Group product, the Chrysler 300, which has long since earned itself the title as the 'hen' party limousine of choice. The LimoCity has a stiffened bodyshell, equipped with one or two new rear doors (one on each side) depending on the customer's requirements, as well as a similar wide sill step to the LimoSun, and a glass panel in the rear roof section.

Finally, there is a special derivative of the LimoCity, which Castagna has dubbed the LimoCity President. Styled to ape traditional presidential limousines, its visual cues include new chromed body mouldings (with slim repeater light strip), twin aerials and bonnet flag posts. However, it is under the skin where the most striking innovations lie. Just like the Castagna-built 500 that was 'liberated' by freedom fighters from Colonel Gaddafi's Tripoli compound a few short months ago, it is powered by two electric motors, that Castagna claims will allow the LimoCity President to reach 160 km/h and have a range of 250 km.

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