In 1957, under the aegis of automotive architect Dante Giacosa, the first Nuova 500 was produced. With four seats, 13 HP and a rear-mounted engine, this little Fiat could reach speeds of up to 90 km/h, with a fuel consumption of just 4.5 liters per 100 km.
In 1968, the Italian company came up with the idea of offering a convertible model that gave the Fiat 500 its wings. The “Tetto Apribile” won over a wide public and was the best-selling car in Italy from the start.
This success soon spread beyond Italy’s borders, and the Fiat 500 convertible was seen on roads all over Europe.
In Italy in the 70s, major social changes and the economic crisis made Fiat think that the time had come to launch a new small car which, while retaining the philosophy and mechanics of the 500, would stand out aesthetically: squarer shapes were therefore chosen, reminiscent of the larger 127 presented the previous year.
At the Turin Motor Show in November 1972, the new Fiat 126 was presented as a novelty. This was followed by the latest version of the 500, R for (Rinnovata = renovated). In its early days, it was called the “Unified” 500.
The famous twin-cylinder engine that had equipped the 500 from the start was increased from 499.5 cc to 594 cc, giving a top speed of 105 km/h. This model will not be manufactured in Turin, but in Sicily, at Termini Imerese and Desio, near Milan.
Live the Dolce Vita at the wheel of an Italian myth: the Fiat 500, nicknamed the “pot de yaourt” in France, is in fact the world’s smallest car of its time.
