Fiat 500

This article is about the car manufactured from 1957 to 1975. For the car manufactured since 2007, see Fiat 500 (2007). For other uses, see Fiat 500 (disambiguation).
Fiat 500

1970 Fiat 500
Overview
Manufacturer Fiat
Production 1957–1975
3,893,294 units[1]
Assembly
Designer Dante Giacosa
Body and chassis
Class City car (A)
Body style
Layout Rear-engine, rear-wheel drive
Related
Powertrain
Engine
  • 479 cc I2
  • 499 cc I2
  • 594 cc I2
Transmission 4-speed manual
Dimensions
Wheelbase 1.84 m (72.4 in)
Length 2.97 m (116.9 in)
Width 1.32 m (52.0 in)
Height 1.32 m (52.0 in)
Kerb weight 499 kg (1,100 lb)
Chronology
Predecessor Fiat 500 "Topolino"
Successor Fiat 126

The Fiat 500 (Italian: Cinquecento, Italian pronunciation: [ˌtʃiŋkweˈtʃɛnto]) is a rear-engine two-door, four passenger city car manufactured and marketed by Fiat Automobiles from 1957 to 1975 over a single generation in coupé and station wagon bodystyles.

Launched as the Nuova (new) 500 in July 1957,[2] it was a cheap and practical town car. Measuring 2.97 metres (9 feet 9 inches) long, and originally powered by 479 cc two-cylinder, air-cooled engine, the 500 is considered one of the first city cars.

In 2007, the 50th anniversary of the Nuova 500's launch, Fiat launched another new 500, stylistically inspired by the 1957 Nuova 500, featuring a front-mounted engine and front-wheel drive.

History

To meet the demands of the post-war market which called for economy cars, in 1949 a front engine Fiat 500 was released. It had a 2-door coupe body with sun-roof, which was later complemented by an Estate version. Both continued until 1954 when they were replaced by an all-new, lighter car. The new car had a rear-mounted engine, on the pattern of the Volkswagen Beetle, just like its bigger brother the 1955 Fiat 600. Several car makers followed the now uncommon rear engine configuration at the time and were quite successful. The Neckar version of the 500 was manufactured in Heilbronn under a complicated deal involving NSU, and was introduced in October 1961.[2] Steyr-Puch produced cars based on the Fiat 500 under license in Graz, Austria.

Despite its diminutive size, the 500 proved to be an enormously practical and popular vehicle throughout Europe. Besides the two-door coupé, it was also available as the "Giardiniera" estate; this variant featured the standard engine laid on its side, the wheelbase lengthened by 10 cm (3.9 in) to provide a more convenient rear seat, a full-length sunroof, and larger brakes from the Fiat 600.

Sports models were famously produced by Abarth, as well as by Giannini. An Austrian variant, produced by Steyr-Daimler-Puch, the 1957–1973 Steyr-Puch 500, had a motorcycle-derived Puch boxer twin motor, a sports model of which was the 1965–1969 Steyr-Puch 650 TR2.

Production of the 500 ended in 1975, although its replacement, the Fiat 126, was launched two years earlier. The 126 was never as popular as its predecessor in Italy, but was enormously popular in the former Eastern Bloc countries, where it is famed for its mechanical durability and high fuel economy. The Fiat 500 has a Cx (aerodynamic resistance coefficient) of 0,38, a very good performance for its time.

Models

Nuova 500 (1957–1960)

The 500 features a 479 cc (500cc nominal)two-cylinder engine, hence the name, producing just 13 horsepower. This model also features a fabric roof, foldable to the rear of the vehicle, like that of a Citroën 2CV — rather than the later roof design, which only folds half way back along the roof. The Nuova is one of three models featuring "suicide doors." There is also a Sport version of the Nuova, which features a distinctive red stripe and a more powerful engine, bored out to 499.5 cc from the original 479 cc engine, giving a very respectable car bhp with the same block.

500 D (1960–1965)

Replacing the original Nuova in 1960, the D looks very similar to the Nuova, but there are two key differences. One is the engine size (the D features an uprated 499 cc engine producing 17 bhp as standard—this engine is used right through until the end of the L in 1973) and the other is the roof: the standard D roof does not fold back as far as the roof on the Nuova, though it was also available as the "Transformable" with the same roof as the Nuova. The D also features "suicide doors".

In New Zealand, where it was locally assembled by Torino Motors, the 500D was sold as the "Fiat Bambina" (Italian for "female child"), a name that is still in use there to describe this car.[3]

Fiat 500 D 

500 Giardiniera (1960–1975)

Fiat 500 Giardiniera

The 500 Giardiniera (500 K on some markets) estate version of the Fiat 500 is the longest running model. The engine is laid under the floor of the boot to create a flat loading surface. The roof on this model also stretches all the way to the rear, not stopping above the driver and front passenger as it does in other models of the same period. The Giadiniera also features "suicide doors" and was the only model to continue to use this door type into the 1970s. In 1966 production was transferred to Desio where the Giardiniera was built by Fiat subsidiary Autobianchi.[1] A total of 327,000 Giardinieras were produced, later examples having Autobianchi rather than Fiat badging.[1]

500 Furgoncino

A van variant of the Giardiniera was offered as the Furgoncino.[4]

Fiat 500 Furgoncino 

500 F or Berlina (1965–1973)

The F spans two periods of 500 production, the D and the L. As such, it is the most frequently misidentified model. Between 1965 and 1969 the F carried the same badging as the D, but the two models are distinguishable by the positioning of their door hinges. The D has "suicide doors": the F, produced from June 1965, at last featured front-hinged doors.[2] Between 1969 and 1972 the F was sold alongside the Lusso model as a cheaper "base model" alternative. While the F and L are mechanically very similar, the key differences are the bumpers (the L has an extra chrome nudge bar) and the interior (the F interior is nearly identical to the original 1957 design while the L sports a much more modern look).

500 L or Lusso (1968–1972)

The penultimate model, the main change for the L is a much modernized interior (including a renewed dashboard) which brought the Fiat 500 up to date.

500 R or Rinnovata (1972–1975)

The last incarnation of the Fiat 500 was the R model. It had the same 594 cc engine of the Fiat 126, however, the power rating is the same as the L but at lower rpm (4000 instead of 4400) and with a bit more torque; a full synchromesh gearbox is still missing. The floor-pan which was from either the 'L', or later, the new 126. It was also more comfortable, but more simply trimmed and equipped than before — the fuel gauge was omitted and only the low fuel indicator remained. The 500 R was also a stop-gap for Fiat prior to the launch of the Fiat 126, and when the new 126 was launched, sales of the old Fiat 500 R plummeted. It was sold alongside the Fiat 126 for another two years before Fiat retired the 500.

Fiat 500 R 

Derivatives

Fiat 500 Jolly Ghia

Carrozzeria Ghia made a custom "Jolly" version of the 500 inspired by the limited edition Fiat 600 Jolly.[5][6] As with its bigger sister, this was a chopped-roof doorless version with wicker seats, often seen sporting a canopy roof.

Fiat 500 America

During the years in which it was produced the 500 in Italy, Fiat invented and produced a US-market version of the car with prominent headlamps (also used on the American 500 Jolly Ghia) and reinforced bumpers, this rare car was destined for the American market.

Fiat 500 (2007)

Main article: Fiat 500 (2007)

First announced in May 2006, Fiat previewed an all-new four-seat three-door hatchback 500 model in March 2007 – fifty years after the first Fiat 500 was presented. The design of the 2007 Fiat 500 is based on the 2004 Fiat Trepiùno concept.

The new model features a distinctive retro style - following the pattern of the Volkswagen New Beetle and BMW MINI - as modern reinterpretation of Dante Giacosa's 1957 original rear-engined Fiat 500. Production started in mid-2007 in Fiat facilities in Tychy, Poland, and later in Toluca, Mexico. Numerous trim, equipment, and performance versions are offered with a convertible body style available starting in 2009.

The 500 is also offered in Abarth trim, with 1.4L Turbo engine, sport exhaust, suspension, and transmission.

The Fiat 500 automobile platform is the basis of the second-generation Ford Ka.

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Fiat 500.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Fifty years since the launch of the Fiat 500 (Part II)". automania.be. Retrieved 27 April 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 "Used Car Test: Fiat 500D". Autocar. 818 (130): 49–50. 17 April 1969.
  3. ↑ Webster, Mark (2002), Assembly: New Zealand Car Production 1921-98, Birkenhead, Auckland, New Zealand: Reed, pp. 78, 80, ISBN 0-7900-0846-7
  4. ↑ Fiat 500 Model History, www.fiat500enthusiasts.co.uk Retrieved 22 June 2015
  5. ↑ Osborne, Donald (September 2005). "1961 Fiat Jolly 500". Sports Car Market. Retrieved 27 April 2015.
  6. ↑ "1962 Fiat Jolly 500". Microcar Museum. 2002. Retrieved 27 April 2015.

Bibliography

« previous — Fiat car timeline, 1940s–1970s — next »
Type 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
City car 500 "Topolino" 500
600 126
Supermini 850 133
127
Small family car 1100 (Type 103) 128
1100 A / B / E 124 Ritmo
1200 Granluce 131
Large family car 1400 1300 / 1500 132
1500 1900 125
Executive car 1800 / 2100 130
2800 2300
Coupé / Spider 850 Coupé / Spider
1200 Spyder 128 Coupé / 3P
124 Sport Spider
Pininfarina Coupé / Cabriolet 124 Sport Coupé
Sports car 8V Dino (135)
X1/9
MPV 600 Multipla
Off-road Campagnola (1101) Campagnola (1107)
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