Buying Guide

Fiat 500

‘The Fiat 500 provides charm and desirability by the bucketload’

With all the hoo-ha surrounding the Mini’s 60th anniversary it’s easy to overlook another small car – well, tiny actually – that beat the classic Brit to market by a couple of years.

Designed by Dante Giacosa, the Cinquecento was launched in 1957 and around 3.5 million were made during a production run lasting almost 20 years. The car was all about mobilising the masses and persuading Italian families to give up their beloved scooters and swap to four wheels, and with so much character it’s easy to see one and instantly be transported to La Dolce Vita.

But for all the misty-eyed nostalgia, the 500 makes just as much sense today, providing fun, charm and desirability by the bucket-load. It measures just under 10 feet in length although it still has room for four and eschewed the Mini’s clever front-wheel drive

and transverse engine in favour of a simple rear-mounted twin-cylinder, air-cooled unit. It never had much power, the earliest models managing a meagre 13hp from the 496cc motor. That did improve over time, the arrival of the 500 Sport in 1958 bringing a larger 499cc engine and a whopping 21hp, while other variants made do with 18hp. The largest engine was reserved for the 500R that shared a 594cc engine with the 126, production overlapping for a couple of years before the 500 finally disappeared in 1975. Other key variants included the more practical Giardiniera estate of 1960, the 500F of 1965 (which finally saw a swap to conventional fronthinged doors) and the 1968 Lusso with luxuries such as carpets and a vinyl-covered dashboard.

But don’t worry about luxury or power and just revel in one of the most enjoyable small cars ever made.