Fiat · 1957–1975

Fiat 500

The Fiat 500 (Italian: Cinquecento, pronounced [ˌtʃiŋkweˈtʃɛnto]) is an economy / city car that was manufactured and marketed by Fiat Automobiles from 1957 until 1975. It was sold as a two-door semi-convertible or saloon car and as a three-door panel van or estate car. Launched as the Nuova (new) 500 in July 1957, as a successor to the 500 "Topolino", it was an inexpensive and practical small car. Measuring 2,970 mm (9 ft 9 in) long, originally powered by a rear-mounted 479 cc two-cylinder air-cooled engine, the 500 was 245 mm (9.6 in) smaller than the Fiat's 600, launched two years earlier, and is considered one of the first purpose-designed city cars. In 1959, Dante Giacosa received a Compasso d'Oro industrial design prize for the Fiat 500. This marked the first time a Compasso d’Oro was awarded to an automotive manufacturer.

Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Predecessor: Fiat 500 Topolino · Successor: Fiat 126

All Fiat 500 data: UK builds, safety, recalls, model years → + Compare

History

In 1936, Fiat released the front engine Fiat 500 economy car, often better known as the Topolino. In 1949 to meet the demands of the post-war market, production resumed on the 500C with revised front and rear bodywork. Initially, it only had a 2-door coupé body with sun-roof, like before the war, which was later complemented by an Estate version, importantly offering some family-valued rear seating space. Both continued until 1955 when they were replaced by an all-new, lighter car: the Fiat 600. This new car had a rear-mounted engine, on the pattern of the Volkswagen Beetle. Two years later, Fiat introduced an even smaller rear-engined model: the Nuova 500. Several car makers followed the uncommon rear engine and drive configuration at the time and were quite successful. From October 1961, a 'Neckar' version of the 500 was manufactured in Heilbronn, Germany, under a complicated deal involving NSU motorcars, and Steyr-Puch produced a Fiat 500 version under licence in Graz, Austria. Despite its very small size, the 500 proved to be an enormously practical vehicle with large sales throughout Europe. Besides the two-door saloon, it was also available as the "Giardiniera" estate; this variant featured the standard engine laid on its side, the wheelbase lengthened by 100 mm (3.9 in) to provide a more convenient rear seat, a full-length sunroof and larger brakes from the Fiat 600. The Fiat 500 has a drag coefficient of Cd=0.38, a good number for its time. Although the 1958-61 Fiat 500N (Normale) was the only version officially sold in North America, the Fiat 500 was a popular gray-market car in the 1960s and 1970s, with private imports in the thousands. Sports models were produced by Abarth, as well as by Giannini. An Austrian variant, produced by Steyr-Daimler-Puch, the 1957–

Models

=== Nuova 500 (1957–1960) === The 500 features a 479 cc (500 cc nominal) two-cylinder engine, hence the name, producing just 13 hp (10 kW). This model also features a fabric roof, foldable to the rear of the vehicle, like that of a Fiat 500 Topolino — rather than the later roof design, which only folds half way back along the roof. The Nuova 500 is one of three models featuring "suicide doors." Including the Sport model, in total 181,036 examples of the Nuova 500 were produced from 1957 until 1960. Nuova 500 Sport (1958–1960). In mid-1958, Fiat introduced the Nuova 500 Sport, featuring a more powerful engine and a two-tone livery—white with a red stripe along the flanks. Unique to the Sport was an all-metal rigid roof with three longitudinal grooves. A short-open-roof model was added a year later, in 1959. Coded type 110.004, the 500 Sport's two-cylinder engine had been bored out to 499.5 cc from the original 479 cc (bore and stroke now 67.4 × 70 mm), giving it very respectable power with the same block: 21.5 PS (16 kW; 21 hp). Top speed was over 105 km/h (65 mph). 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 (13 kW)—this engine is used 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 500 D was sold as the "Fiat Bambina" (Italian for "baby"), a name that is still in to describe this car. 500 Giardiniera (1960–1968). The 500 Giardiniera (

2007 Fiat 500

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 Petrol engine, sport exhaust, suspension, and transmission. The Fiat 500 automobile platform is the basis of the second-generation Ford Ka.

Sections adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0); text is shortened. Read the full article for the complete history and citations.

Specifications

name

Fiat 500

aka

Puch 500

Manufacturer

Fiat

Production

1957–1975, 3,893,294 units

Assembly

Italy: Turin, Italy: Desio, Italy: Termini Imerese, Austria: Graz (Steyr Puch), New Zealand: Ōtāhuhu (Torino Motors)

Designer

Dante Giacosa

Class

City car (A)

Body style

2-door saloon, 2-door semi-convertible, 3-door estate ('Giardiniera'), 3-door panel van

Layout

Rear-engine, rear-wheel drive

Related

Autobianchi Bianchina, NSU/Fiat Weinsberg 500, Vignale Gamine, Autobianchi Giardiniera

Engine

479 cc I2, 499 cc I2, 594 cc I2

Transmission

4-speed manual (non-synchronous)

Wheelbase

1840 mm, 1940 mm (Giardiniera)

Length

2970 mm, 3185 mm (Giardiniera)

Width

1320 mm

Height

1320 mm

Kerb weight

499 kg

Predecessor

Fiat 500 "Topolino"

Successor

Fiat 126, Fiat 500 (2007)

sp

uk

Specification summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Measured facts from Wikidata (CC0). Check the linked sources for citations.

More photos

US EPA fuel-economy records

US EPA test figures (US MPG, US test cycle).

Sources

• Wikidata — https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q467767CC0 1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-01
• Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiat_500CC BY-SA 4.0 · Text © Wikipedia contributors; revision 1372192145 · retrieved 2026-10-01
• Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1970_Fiat_500_L_--_2011_DC_1.jpgPublic domain · Photo: IFCAR · retrieved 2026-10-01
• Manufacturer website (link only) — http://www.500clubitalia.itLink only; no content copied · retrieved 2026-10-01
• Car Model Index — https://models.autoculturesociety.com/Compiled record. Sources that do not permit reuse are not copied; this index is credited instead.

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