Fiat 500

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

Fiat 500
1970 Fiat 500 L
Overview
ManufacturerFiat
Also calledPuch 500
Production1957–1975
3,893,294 units[1]
Assembly
DesignerDante Giacosa
Body and chassis
ClassCity car (A)
Body style
LayoutRear-engine, rear-wheel drive
Doors
Related
Powertrain
Engine
  • 479 cc I2
  • 499 cc I2
  • 594 cc I2
Transmission4-speed manual
Dimensions
Wheelbase
  • 1,840 mm (72.4 in)
  • 1,940 mm (76.4 in) (Giardiniera)
Length2,970 mm (116.9 in)
3,185 mm (125.4 in) (Giardiniera)
Width1,320 mm (52.0 in)
Height1,320 mm (52.0 in)
Kerb weight499 kg (1,100 lb)
Chronology
PredecessorFiat 500 "Topolino"
Successor

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,[2] as a successor to the 500 "Topolino", it was an inexpensive and practical small car. Measuring 2.97 metres (9 feet 9 inches) long, and originally powered by a rear-mounted 479 cc two-cylinder, air-cooled engine, the 500 was 24.5 centimetres (9.6 inches) smaller than Fiat's 600, launched two years earlier, and is considered one of the first purpose-designed city cars.[citation needed]

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.[3]

  1. ^ a b c Bouchat, Christian (19 June 2007). "Fifty years since the launch of the Fiat 500 (Part II)". automania.be. Archived from the original on 5 December 2014.
  2. ^ "Used Car Test: Fiat 500D". Autocar. 818 (130): 49–50. 17 April 1969.
  3. ^ "Fiat - The people". fcaheritage.com. Retrieved 6 December 2020.