The Car of the Economic Boom (Part Two)

Half a billion units produced, six hundred thousand still on the road. By the numbers alone, the story of the car that defined the early postwar era promises substance—and indeed it begins in 1957 with its first big gamble. The model 600 hadn’t even been around for two years, and yet launching a new line so similar to its predecessor was, in every sense, a bold move. Fiat was competing with itself. And yet the fate of the 500 was already sealed. This marvel of rapid technical innovation, designed to be ultra-competitive, was destined to become the miracle car…

And so it was: a bare-bones rear bench with no padding, fixed windows, exposed wheel bolts without hubcaps, recessed headlights without trim. No chrome, and a canvas roof that even included a clear-plastic rear window. By design—and necessity—fuel consumption and running costs were stripped to the bare minimum. It was tiny. There was no real rear seat and no accessories to speak of. On the plus side, the handling was impeccable. It was ready to roll, if perhaps a little too small. The engine was decidedly modest: just 13 hp.

In November of that same year, at the Turin Motor Show, Fiat set out to fix its flaws. The engine was beefed up, acceleration improved, and the revamped version proved undeniably more comfortable—retractable windows, wheel covers, aluminum trim—but it also cost a bit more. After all, half a million lire was a sum no factory worker could afford, roughly six times a civil servant’s monthly wage. How could the Nuova 500 persuade millions of buyers?

Pros and cons of a prototype revised again and again… but what exactly were they? For starters: only two seats. What was meant to be the family car could barely carry two passengers, though it could still hold up to 70 kg of luggage. Dimensions: length 2.97 m, width 1.32 m, height 1.325 m. Unladen weight 470 kg, rising to 680 kg fully loaded.

The engine was the smallest Fiat had ever produced. Codenamed Project 110, it was a 479 cc air-cooled inline twin. Four-speed quick-shift gearbox. Four-wheel hydraulic brakes with oscillating half-shafts at the rear. Top speed: 85 km/h, average fuel consumption: 4.5 L/100 km. List price: 490,000 lire.

Keep in mind that the 600 cost 640,000 lire, yet it was a four-seater with a four-cylinder engine—and, thanks to clever installment plans, it wasn’t out of reach. Fiat had no choice but to cut prices. In one year they made the first reduction; over the next seven months, they pushed prices down further until, by 1975, production topped four million units.

Success often springs from bold moves, and here’s the proof. In 1959, the Fiat 500 became the first car ever awarded the Compasso d’Oro for design. Fiat kept investing in and refining a model it believed in, tackling its most obvious drawbacks—starting with the cramped rear seats.

The Nuova Fiat 500 folding-roof model could now be regarded as a near four-seater. Price and mechanics remained the same as the previous “Transformable” version, but the engine’s output rose to 16.5 hp. New road-traffic regulations and homologation standards prompted further tweaks: the air intakes under the front headlamps were removed to make way for parking lights and turn indicators, and circular side repeaters were added to the bodywork.

In 1960 the “Nuova 500 D t.a.” marked a decisive turn. Produced until 1965 in 640,520 units, its secret lay in an advanced engine: greater displacement and 17.5 hp. The chassis designation changed, the front leaf springs grew from five to six leaves, and a host of refinements followed: a fold-forward rear seatback, metal starter and choke levers, headrest mounts on the rear pillars, hand-pump windshield washer, ashtray, padded sun visors, courtesy lights, and a wiper-return function… all part of Fiat’s irresistible charm offensive.