Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati, Alfa Romeo, etc are all synonyms of Italy. Much to the fascino of Italy, the 500 was quite the opposite. With sporty cars and luxury grand tourers, Italy was a hub for design and sport, but Fiat which was aimed to get the hearts and not the eyes or years of a passerby designed the 500 also fondly called the "Cinquecento". The compact size, affordability, simple mechanism, and the appealingly cute look put the 500 on top of everyone's car list back in the days. The popularity, the Cinquecento earned was so great that even celebrities to this day haven't sold their rustic Italian masterpiece.
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| Classic Fiat 500 "Cinquecento" |
Launched in 1955, the Cinquecento designed by Dante Giacosa was just about to be the marvel of its time. Sold as a car that was cheap, economical and simple really appealed to the Itals who had just returned from the war. When the rest of the world was manufacturing larger cars and bigger engines the Italians had a far-sighted thought of downsizing. Launched five years prior to the Mini, the 500 was the godfather of rear-engined superminis. It is also speculated that the Brits were inspired by the Cinquecento, that lead to the creation of the Mini. The Mini and 500 are so closely related that both were launched in similar body styles and engine configurations.
The Cinquecento powered by a 479cc two-cylinder engine and measuring only 9feet long was the first of city cars. The Cinquecento gave rise to several cars, from the Mini to the Reliant Robin to the Trabant P50 and even to the Tata Nano of the 21st century. Although the 500's production ceased in 1975, it is a timeless classic selling over 4 million units until 1975.
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| New Fiat 500 Electric |
The love for the car which carried on to the 21st century saw Fiat resurrect the 500 again in 2007 to celebrate its 50th anniversary. The new gen 500 had a lot of cosmetic changes and shared many parts with the Fiat Panda. For the 21st century, the 500 had a front mounted engine, and over 500,000 options or combinations on offer, the latest being an electric variant the 500es.
The 500 has lasted in the hearts of people and with it was born an era of compact city cars. the 500 will last another century given the launch of the electric variant and tell a tale of its journey through the centuries.
