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TURIN, Italy, July 4, 2007 -- Some cars go down in history for their technological or stylistic innovations. Others deserve to be remembered for the role they have played in the daily life of an entire generation or an entire country. Few succeed in combining the two: technology and sentiment.
They leave an indelible mark, becoming a sort of icon of their age. The Nuova 500 is one of these. In a lifespan lasting 18 years, from 1957 to 1975, exactly 3,893,294 were built, and it helped Italians and numerous other Europeans to satisfy their need for individual mobility that began to gain momentum during the early 1950s.
The Nuova 500, even more than the 600 (1955), also brought the end of the post-war emergency period for motorisation and the automotive industry in Italy, and the start of the striving for comfort, albeit minimal yet economical. With the Nuova 500, and its four popular wheels, the country of the ‘Poor but beautiful’ became, or tried to be, not quite as poor and to a certain extent it succeeded. This car finally allowed people to move around more freely.
The Nuova 500 was the culmination of the rebirth of Fiat after the devastation of the Second World War. Dante Giacosa, the ‘father’ of the Nuova 500, but also of the previous 500 Topolino and of numerous other models, said in his book ‘Progetti alla Fiat prima del computer’ (Design at Fiat before the computer), that when the 500 was launched on July 4, 1957, Fiat ‘realised its programme of renewing its models, to replace those born before the Second World War’.
At two-year intervals, the 1400, 1900, 1100 – 103, 600, Nuova 500 and their derivatives were launched on the international market. In just 10 years, Fiat had conceived and begun building four completely new basic models that had their roots in the technological culture that had grown up in its offices and laboratories. This was a heady time in the automobile business. In the late 1940s and 1950s, Lancia and Alfa Romeo both operated autonomously in Italy and were Fiat’s competitors. In Germany, and above all in the United States, the car makers seemed to be one step ahead in many ways.
Dante Giacosa wrote about the launch of the Nuova 500 and said that the ‘Press Office, run by Gino Pestelli assisted by the hyperactive Mariuccia Rubiolo, wanted me to collaborate on the advertising launch’. Once the name ‘Nuova 500 had been chosen to recall the famous Topolino’, the message soon followed, with a slogan that claimed: ‘twenty years after the original 500 (the Topolino was launched in 1936), on a similar wave of success, here comes the Nuova 500, completely new, modern, less expensive, more economical, a worthy successor to the world’s first runabout, built by Fiat’.
Giacosa revealed that the term ‘Big little car’ was also coined at Mirafiori, but the pragmatic engineer said that ‘people just called it the 500’. Fifty years after that Summer of 1957, in an age when television is even available on mobile phones, with shots and reports from all over the universe, it is fun to read that ‘the launch was held in great style. National television installed itself in the Mirafiori workshop on a boiling hot evening in July, and turned its eye on the assembly line.
Eighteen years after that ‘boiling hot evening in July’, during which time almost 3.9 million cars were built, another very hot day dawned, August 4, 1975, the day on which the ‘last’ car, at least of the 1957-75 Nuova Fiat 500 series, was built, not at Mirafiori but at the SicilFiat plant in Termini Imerese (Palermo).
Today, as the world witnesses the launch of the next generation of 500s with their highly sophisticated technology it’s amusing to take a look at the car that inspired the legend, the first, Nuova 500.
The versions from 1957 to 1975
The Nuova 500 (1957 - 1960)
Output: over 181,000 units
(including the ‘economica’: ‘normale and ‘Sport versions)
Launch price: 465,000 lire
The Fiat Nuova 500 made its debut in the Summer of 1957, with an excessively Spartan outfit, just two seats and a rear bench. The car could only accommodate two people, but could carry 70 kg of luggage (very important at the time). The 500 was 2.97 metres long, 1.32 metres wide and 1.325 metres tall. It had a wheelbase of 1.84 metres. Empty it weighed 470 kg, and fully laden 680 kg. The rounded, well-proportioned lines recalled an egg, and one distinctive feature was the canvas roof that opened right to the rear of the vehicle, like the one on the 500 Topolino. The roof incorporated the transparent plastic rear window. The design of the Nuova 500, by Dante Giacosa, won the designer the prestigious ‘Golden Compass’ award for industrial design in 1959.
The engine of the 500 was a new petrol engine with 2 cylinders in line and air-cooled (it was Fiat’s first air-cooled engine) with a capacity of 479 cc, delivering 13 bhp/Cuna. The gearbox had 4 speeds with rapid engagement on 2nd, 3rd and 4th. Braking was hydraulic on all four wheels. The transmission was of the oscillating axle shaft type and drive was obviously to the rear wheels, with the engine positioned at the rear of the car, the second time in Fiat history, after the 600 launched in 1955. Top speed was 85 km/h and average consumption was 4.5 litres /100 km.
The front suspension was independent with upper cross links, a transverse lower leaf spring and telescopic dampers at the front, and independent, with cross links, large coil springs and telescopic dampers at the rear. Because there was no other space available, the 20-litre barrel-shaped fuel tank was located under the front bonnet.
One of the characteristic features of the Nuova 500 were the pressed metal wheels without hub caps that were painted a light color; the headlights were recessed flush with the body at the front, and oval at the rear. There were no direction indicators on the front, replaced by the large drop-shaped indicators on the sides.
On the front was the Fiat logo, surrounded by a sort of grille with two chrome-plated whiskers. There was a chrome trim on the front bonnet, which had a purely stylistic role. The doors were hinged at the rear, opening with the wind.
The equipment and fittings were kept to a minimum; for example, the windscreen wiper did not have an automatic return, and the few tools provided, such as the jack, were kept in a canvas bag in the boot.
The Nuova 500 first series received its first alterations for the 1957 Turin Motor Show (i.e. just three months after its launch). It had not been a great success with the public. The clientele found it much too Spartan, and two seats were considered too few. In other words, the improvement over the scooter (and a costly one at that) was not yet perceived or perceivable by the clientele.
That was not all: the difference in price with respect to the basic 600 (launched in 1955) penalized the new Fiat. The 600 had a more powerful engine (633 cc, 21.5 bhp and a top speed of 95 km/h) and carried 4 passengers + 30 kg of luggage. It also had better equipment, was more of a car, and cost 590,000 lire, just 125,000 lire more than the 500. So Fiat was quick to act, introducing two modified versions, which it called the 500 ‘Normale’ and 500 ‘Economica’. Although their names seemed to indicate the opposite, they offered more equipment, could seat 4 thanks to a ‘real’, homologated rear seat that was also slightly padded, and had a more powerful engine, but cost 25,000 lire less than the first 500. The comparison with the 600 improved.
The additions to the car included chrome-plated shields to the front headlights, descending side lights, deflectors, front quarter lights, lateral trims, improved facia controls, chrome-plated hubcaps, and a new rear model tag. The canvas roof stopped at the rear edge of the roof, and remained like that on subsequent versions of the car. The engine was also boosted by increasing the compression ratio, and adopting a new carburettor and camshaft. The power delivery increased from 13 to 15 bhp, and the top speed to 90 km/h (+5 km/h).
The price was 490,000 lire, therefore more than the first 500, and just 100,000 lire less than the 600 with which it was compared.
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The Nuova 500 Sport saloon and open roof (1958 - 1960)
Price: 560,000 lire (saloon) and 495,000 (open roof)
In the Summer of 1958 Fiat launched the Sport version to differentiate and further strengthen the 500 range. The car initially had a rigid roof and a red stripe below the roof, and in some cases, even a two-tone body. The engine was more powerful, and the capacity increased to 499.5 cc, delivering 21.5 bhp, for a top speed of 105 km/h (+10 km/h). Consumption also increased, but only marginally, to 4.8 litres/100 km. But it returned to the 2-seat layout, with a rear bench that was not suitable for passengers. However the luggage capacity increased to 70 kg once again.
In 1959 an open-roofed version of the Sport appeared, with a canvas roof that stopped just behind the front seats. The doors were still hinged at the rear and, where styling was concerned, the tyres no longer had white walls (synonymous with elegance at the time) but were plain black, more gutsy but also less expensive, and the seats were made of plasticated, washable solid tone fabric (mainly red) with a red band at the top.
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The 500 Giardiniera (1960 – 1977)
Output 458,000 units
(including the cars built by Autobianchi)
Launch price: 565,000 lire
The Giardiniera, the station wagon version of the 500, was launched in May 1960. The car had a 499.5 cc engine delivering 17.5 bhp, which took this mini estate to 95 km/h, with fuel consumption of 5.2 litres/100 km. The most important element, technically, was the different architecture of the twin-cylinder engine which was laid on its side ‘like a sole’, as they said at Fiat, so that it could fit under the flat loading surface. This same engine also powered the 126 in the latter days of its life, on the Bis version of the late 1980s which had a rear opening tailgate, and even on the first Cinquecento in 1991, suitably modified and evolved.
To go back to the Fiat 500 Giardiniera, the engineers at Mirafiori increased the wheelbase by 10 centimetres to boost the load capacity. This made the car 3.182 metres long, 1.323 metres wide and 1.354 metres tall with a wheelbase of 1.940 metres. Empty, the car weighed 555 kg and fully laden 875 kg. In terms of engineering, the brakes were still hydraulic on all four wheels, the gearbox still had 4 speeds with rapid engagement on 2nd, 3rd and 4th, and the suspension architecture also remained the same.
The Giardiniera had a payload of 4 adults + 40 kg of luggage, but the rear seat squab folded down to increase load capacity. With only the driver on board, the 500 Giardiniera could carry up to 200 kg of luggage.
The styling was typical of a small station wagon of its day, with the rounded lines of the 500 saloon at the front and the addition of two round direction indicators, while those at the side were smaller, with two front doors (still rear-hinged), and a small rear tailgate that opened from right to left, being hinged on the left. The rear side windows slid open to improve ventilation and change the air. There was a long canvas sunroof. The Giardiniera was initially built at Mirafiori, on the same assembly lines as the saloon, but in 1966 it was transferred to Desio and built by Autobianchi (which had entered the Fiat orbit in the mid Fifties).
A total of 327,000 Fiat 500 Giardiniera's were built (and at the end of its life, some appeared with only the Autobianchi name and without the Fiat logo on the front and rear).
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The 500 D (1960 – 1965)
Output: over 642,000 units
Launch price: 450.000 lire
The new 500 series D was launched in the Autumn of 1960. The engine capacity was increased to 499.5 cc, and this version inherited the engine of the Sport version, which was taken off the market. It had a power output of 17.5 bhp, a top speed of 95 km/h and average consumption of 4.8 litres/100 km. The car was homologated for 4 people with 40 kg of luggage.
The unladen weight also increased to 500 kg (the first 500 of 1957 weighed 470, and this reflected an important increase in content and stronger materials) and 820 kg fully laden.
The line obviously did not change, and the doors were still hinged at the rear but the design of the front and side direction indicators changed, adopting those on the Giardiniera, the rear light clusters changed and the canvas roof was now sturdier, easier to open and slightly smaller. The white walls returned on the tyres.
The fuel tank on the 500 D lost its barrel shape but remained in the front; its new less bulky form took up a little less space in the boot although it increased in size from 20 litres to 22 litres. A fold-down rear squab was adopted, after the success of the solution of the Giardinetta.
500 F (1965 – 1972)
Output: 2,272,000 (including the 500 L)
Launch price: 475,000 lire
The 500 F made its debut in March 1965 (it was joined by the 500 ‘Lusso’ in 1968), and it was the first version to feature front-hinged doors which were safer even in an accident, and made it possible to hide the ugly door hinges for the first time, 8 years after the first series of the 500. In terms of engineering, the transmission was made more robust, with a number of improvements to the clutch, drive axles and differentials.
The engine still had a capacity of 499.5 cc, but now delivered 18 bhp, taking the 500 F to a speed of 95 km/h. Fuel consumption also increased compared to previous versions, to 5.5 litres/100 km. The weight rose to 520 kg empty and 840 km fully laden. The car maintained its 4-seat homologation definitively with a maximum 40 kg of luggage. The gradient negotiable was now 26% compared to 23% on the first series.
Inside, there were a number of improvements and additional equipment and materials. With the 500 F, Fiat began to differentiate the range by price, styling and content. The engineers at Mirafiori designed a ‘basic’ version, the 500 F and a better equipped version, the 500 ‘Lusso’, which was launched in 1968.
500 L – ‘Lusso’ (1968 – 1972)
Output: 2,272,000 units (including the 500F)
Launch price: 525,000 lire
This version, which appeared in September 1968, had a clear mission: to meet the demands of a clientele looking for a car that was more comprehensive, more customised and more ‘luxurious’. These motorists were prepared to spend as much as 525,000 lire, in other words, 100,000 lire more than the 500 F. Marketing, evolving tastes and changing lifestyles were leading the people at Mirafiori to develop a car that was a small status symbol for its day. The age of the Spartan car was already coming to an end, because the customer wanted more.
The 500 L did not change where the engineering and performance were concerned (engine capacity of 499.5 cc, 18 bhp, top speed of 95 km/h), but fuel consumption was down to 5.3 litres/100 km from 5.5 litres/100 km on the 500 F. The interior and exterior styling of the 500 L was new. Chrome nudge bars on the front and rear bumpers increased the length to 3.025 metres compared to 2.970 metres on the 500 F (the weight also increased by 10 kg to 530 km empty). The front and rear light clusters changed radically, and the two round front headlights, the direction indicators and the rear lights were all larger.
The Fiat logo on the front also changed, becoming rectangular, whereas on the 500 F it was still surrounded by a grille, with two chrome-silver painted plastic whiskers. A chrome-plated trim appeared on the roof drip channels for the first time.
At the rear, the model name in italics used on previous series was abandoned in favour of new rhomboid-shaped brand and model graphics with black upper case lettering, positioned horizontally and no longer transversely on the bonnet, surrounded by squares with a metallic grey background which recalled the rhomboids of the Fiat trademark, that were used on all Fiat models from 1968.
There was plenty of chrome work, and not only in the seals, new hub trims and radial tyres, an important novelty in safety terms. But it was inside that the 500 L lived up to its name as the ‘luxury’ version. For example, the design of the steering wheel changed; it still had two spokes, but with a central recess that was no longer made of plastic but of metal painted matt black, the facia and a number of interior details were redesigned, and the seats were upholstered in leathercloth with vertical quilting, usually in a light hide colour or red. The seats themselves were better padded with reclining squabs, and the number and size of the storage compartments increased (for example on the doors).
But the 500 L was a sort of swansong for the model. In 1972, when it was taken off the market, there was a new small Fiat, the 126, and from 1972 to 1975 only one version of the 500 was still in production, the last, and most Spartan version, the 500 R.
500 R (from 1972 to 1975)
Output: over 340,000 units
Launch price: 600,000 lire
Simultaneously, with the presentation of its ‘heir’, the 126, the last 500 was launched in 1972 at the Turin Motor Show. The car concluded the story begun 15 years earlier, in 1957, with a total of 3,893,294 units built at Mirafiori, at the Autobianchi plant in Desio and, finally, at the SicilFiat plant in Termini Imerese (Palermo), where the last 500 would come off the assembly line in the Summer of 1975.
In the last three years of its career, the 500 R (meaning ‘Rinnovata’, renewed) used the 594 cc engine of the 126, downgraded to 18 bhp from the 23 of the 126, but it kept the old 500 gearbox. The top speed was increased to 100 km/h, and it fitted new pressed sheet metal rims with a light alloy effect, but the interiors had less equipment than the previous 500 L; black predominated, on the steering wheel, plastic once again, on the instrument surround and the telltale trims, as well as on the upholstery and some oddment compartments. The 500 R marked a step backwards from the 500 L in terms of equipment and content, which clearly indicated that the model’s life cycle had come to an end.
Fiat’s goal at the time was clear: customers had to move to the square lines of the 126. The age of the rounded curves of the 500 was over, and Italy was no longer the same country that had motorised itself in 15 years (1957 - 1972), thanks in part to the small car designed by Dante Giacosa.
Altogether, the output of the various versions of the 500 exceeded even the 600, another car created by Giacosa, which closed its career with a total of 2,677,313 in 15 years of life, from 1955 to 1970. The 500 Topolino, which was built in Lingotto from 1936 to 1955, reached little more than 509,000 units, partly because of the war. So for many years, until the Uno, Panda and Punto passed the one million mark the legendary 500 of 1957-1972 remained the biggest selling and most built Fiat car.
Tuned versions and interpretations
The Abarths
Abarth is an Italian firm famous for tuning car engines for regular road use and racing. At the 1957 Turin Motor Show, Carlo Abarth exhibited a version derived from a model just launched by Fiat which boosted the standard delivery of 13 bhp to 20 bhp, and the top speed from 85 km/h to 100 km/h, without altering engine capacity.
And at the same Show, Abarth teamed up with Pininfarina to exhibit a delightful coupe version of the 500. In 1958 the car-maker, who was Austrian by birth but lived in Turin, built a 500 GT with Zagato.
In 1963 the 595 saloon 1st series appeared, with an engine derived from the 500 D and a power delivery of 30 bhp. It was a bullet, totally re-engineered compared to the basic version, and could be ordered as a ready assembled car or as a kit for an extra 145,000 lire. Several evolutions of the 595 appeared in 1964, the 595 SS convertible saloon, the 695, and the 695 SS in 1965 and 1966.
Over the years, 500 Abarths became icons and introduced the fashion of tuning one’s own car to Italy, to the point that people unable to purchase an Abarth would at least try to get hold of the styling accessories. As a result, there were a number of very normal 500 D on the road that resembled the 595, stylistically at least. This may make us smile today, but it was fairly common in the unsophisticated Italy of the 1950s and 1960s.
The 500 Giannini
If we mention the tuned versions of the 500, we cannot overlook Domenico and Attilio Giannini, two brothers from Rome. Their company, which was created as a mechanical repair shop, was linked to the Itala in the 1920s, and in the 1930s began to modify Fiat cars, including the Topolino, and the Nuova 500 from 1957. The years up to 1960 were the best for Giannini, which even opened branches and workshops, and launched several tuning kits, in addition to ready models for everyday use and racing.
The coachbuilders and the ‘modified’ 500
Numerous coachbuilders and stylists also worked on the 500, including Vignale who launched the Gamine model based on the 500 F, Moretti (who also worked on an electric engine), Francis Lombardi with his 2-seater coupé the Coccinella, and Fissore, who tried his hand both with a coupé and, in 1966, with an off-roader, the 500 Ranger, which fitted sturdier engineering borrowed from both the 500 and the 600, but still had two-wheel drive to the rear wheels.
Rapid guide to an icon
Ignition. The operation was divided into three stages. First you had to insert the key into the switch at the centre of the dashboard and turn it to the right. Then you had to lift the choke and carburettor lever on the left behind the gearshift between the two front seats, modulating the height on the basis of the outside temperature. It was a fine art. You learned it with practice, and it helped to avoid flooding the engine or causing it to malfunction. The third and last part was to pull the other lever up, which was connected to the starter motor. One turn, two turns, sometimes a small bang, the 500 gave a shudder… and that was it. The two-cylinder engine had started with its unmistakable sound. As the engine temperature increased you could lower the first lever. But if you did it too soon, the engine would hiccough and lose power… So you lifted the lever again slightly and the engine ran more smoothly, until it had warmed up and you could lower the lever altogether.
Battery. The technologies of the 1950s and even later, meant that the battery had to be treated with great care. And not only because the 500’s battery was tiny, stuck in the front boot next to the spare wheel. The manufacturer recommended ‘every 2,500 kilometres, when the battery is rested and cold, check the electrolyte in each cell’, adding distilled water if necessary, verifying the levels again in the Summer and checking the terminals every 10,000 kilometres. But in spite of all this, in those days batteries seemed to have a mind of their own. They decided when they were going to ‘go on strike’, and you never knew when, or why.
Keys. There were two, one that opened the doors and the other for the ignition. No duplicates were provided, and you had to note down the serial number immediately, so that you could obtain a copy from the Fiat network if one was lost or damaged. Anyone who has had a 500, of whatever series, will remember that the keys were made of very light metal, which deformed easily, but which could also be heated with a cigarette lighter in Winter if the locks froze in the cold weather, to open the doors.
Quarter lights. The two glass triangles were needed to regulate the quantity of outside air that entered the interior if you did not want to lower the two side windows to change the air. When it was wet, they helped to demist the interior of the windscreen. And because of the minute size of the ashtray on the 500, well-mannered smokers also used the quarter lights to tip their ash outside, while the less well-mannered, unfortunately, tipped out their fag ends. The quarter lights were also very useful to car thieves: by twisting one slightly (they were hinged precariously to the frame) and fiddling with the seal, the window would not be irreparably damaged but would open sufficiently for a hand to reach the lever and release the door.
Economy. ‘Bear in mind that a few minute’s advantage gained by covering a certain distance at excessive speed may mean considerable extra expense in terms of fuel, tyres and maintenance. It is like throwing money out of the window, while common sense can save money’. This advice, which is pertinent today in spite of the rather old-fashioned tone, was contained in the 16th edition (1963) of the booklet ‘Advice for users’, a sort of collection of ‘guidelines for good motorists’ that Fiat enclosed with every Owner’s Handbook on its cars. ‘Avoid useless acceleration’, the text went on, ‘and do not remain in lower speeds when the engine is over-revving, avoid sharp braking and slow down by exerting less pressure on the accelerator. Consider the vehicle as a living being that has its own needs and limits, like all organisms, beyond which it is best not to force it. Do not expect more than it is able to give, only use the whip in exceptional circumstances, give it hay and oats, store it carefully in the stable and if it has problems, have them looked into …’.
Fiat refrigerator. This does not seem to have much to do with the 500, but in a way, it does. The well-being of the 1950s and 1960s in Italy was due partly to the car and the increase in mass motorisation, but also to the development of ‘white’ home appliances, cookers, refrigerators and washing machines. In the Lingotto plant, Fiat also manufactured refrigerators and washing machines, which were extremely sturdy and efficient, as the many people who had one or saw one work can testify. The home appliance sector was not marginal for the company, and numerous reports by the Board to the Stockholders proudly refer to ‘the considerable developments of the electric home appliances that we (the company ed. note.) make at Lingotto’ among the Complementary and accessory activities.
Grinding the gears. This is a rough term, even linguistically, which referred to the need to double declutch, i.e. touching the accelerator between one gear and the other with the clutch pedal depressed, which was typical of the 500 and ‘cinquecentisti’. The ‘masters’ of the “double declutch” would do so when they changed down and up. For many people, if it was executed perfectly, “double declutching” improved the performance of the 500, it certainly made gear changes easier, and represented an action typical of the car and of the times for anyone who ever drove a 500 even for a few minutes.
Hot. The heating on the 500. It was decidedly rudimentary, regulated by a lever at the back of the tunnel on the right, behind the passenger seat, and therefore practically unreachable by the passenger without a great deal of arm-twisting. Only the driver could easily control the lever which, when it was turned to the right, directed hot air from the engine bay into the interior of the car, and through a pipe up to two slits on the facia. The small size of the 500 cabin, a sporting spirit and the younger age of most occupants, meant that the 500 was never considered a ‘cold’ car. If anything, at times, it was almost too hot.
Switches. There were 3 on the 500: one to illuminate the instruments, one for the external lights and one for the windscreen wipers. They were all on the facia, each one a small flick switch surrounded by a knurled ring nut. One of the distinctive features of the 500, apart from the switches, was the legendary black rubber pump for the windscreen washer (to the right of the steering wheel under the edge of the facia, and it had to be held down, just the right amount of time, to prevent it from clogging). Then there was a manual accelerator, positioned under the document pocket below the facia on the latest series (from the F of 1965).
Lubrication. The mass of lubricants required by the 500, and the short interval between oil top-ups or changes underline how cars have evolved, as in the case of the battery mentioned earlier. Today, when fluids only have to be changed after tens of thousands of kilometres, it is difficult to accept that on the 500 the engine oil level had to be checked every 500 km, and changed every 10,000 km or 6 months; when the engine was new, the running-in oil had to be replaced after 1,500 km and then again after 4-5000 km. There were also three types of ‘grease’ needed to lubricate other mechanical parts. The 500 was an extremely sturdy car, but roads, materials and technologies required activities and remedies that are unthinkable today. For example, every 20,000 km, Fiat asked that the door hinges be lubricated ‘using a brush dipped in engine oil’.
The precious 16th edition (1963) of the booklet ‘Advice to users’ contained some advice about driving in traffic that is worth rereading. ‘Using the horn and flashing headlights is not an insurance policy against accidents. Misusing them will only earn you unflattering comments from other people’. Or: ‘Avoid any nervous reactions when you are at the wheel; do not get angry with other road users and refrain from retaliating (sic) against drivers of other vehicles: the road is not a race track’. And finally, ‘remember that driving well is no more difficult than driving badly, and make sure that anyone you know will be able to praise your skill and prefer you to be at the wheel rather than other people’. We must underline that the booklet was written 44 years ago.
Naphthalene. The ‘Advice to users’ also recommended that ‘if the car is not used for some time, it is best to scatter naphthalene, camphor or similar products on the upholstery in order to prevent attacks from moths’. The interior of the 500 was upholstered with plastic fabrics, but Fiat decided it was better to be safe than sorry. As for the tyres, the booklet recommended removing them, storing them in a safe place, and ‘dusting the insides of the tyres and the inner tubes with talcum powder’.
The advantages of plastic. This material is considered cheap if it is used on a car today. But on the 500 L of 1969, where the L stands for Lusso or Luxury, Fiat underlined several times in the Owner’s Manual that the polished and black plastic materials used for certain components were not just aesthetic but ‘made of plastic’, a material which, 30 years ago, evidently represented a ‘plus’.
Performance and maximum gradients negotiable in the various speeds by the 500 F (engine 499.5 cc, 18 bhp) as indicated in the User’s Manual: 23 km/h in 1st, 40 km/h in 2nd, 65 km in 3rd and approximately 95 km/h in 4th. Gradients: 26% in 1st, 13% in 2nd, 7% in 3rd and 3.5% in 4th. We should also mention the 500’s ashtray again. It was assembled in a single piece, with chrome plated metal for the surround and the opening tag, while all the rest was painted matt black; it had to be removed from the facia to be cleaned (considering that it held a maximum of two butts). The result was usually ash all over the interior, and an invitation not to smoke.
Control panel. The speedometer and mileage counter was round, under a light plastic dome with the numbers indicating the speed against a black background. Inside the pointer was red and the speeds were marked with small discs that indicated the maximum speeds as well as a numerical mileage counter, without decimals. At the bottom there were four telltales: a green one for the side lights, red for low generator or battery charge, red for the fuel reserve (not present on the first versions) which was illuminated when there were from 3 to 5 litres remaining in the tank, out of a total of 22, and another red one for low oil pressure. The 500 L, or Lusso, on the other hand, had a rectangular control panel, which looked enormous on the 500’s small facia, and was derived from the larger panels of bigger models.
Running in. For the first 700 km, Fiat advised motorists not to exceed 15 km/h in 1st and 60 in 4th, and from 700 to 1,500 (first maintenance between 1,500 and 2,000 km) 20 km/h in 1st and 75 in 4th. A second maintenance check was envisaged at 4,000 km at ‘the Service Stations that Fiat has established in Italy and abroad for better assistance to its customers. And what about a radio. Fiat did not offer one, not even as an option. From the mid 1960s Autovox and Voxson radios began to appear, and some people fitted a German Blaupunkt which provided the best sound quality, even if it was more expensive. Because it was impossible to fit a radio into the facia, it had to be mounted on two slides attached under the facia, together with the single loudspeaker, which limited passenger legroom to a certain extent. The aerial emerged from the edge of the nose next to the bonnet and was anchored to the driver’s side drip channel.
Seats. The front seats moved on two metal runners and the position could be adjusted with a lever. To access the rear seat, the squab of the front seat was folded forward, lifting and inclining the entire seat (cushion and squab). To load luggage the rear seat could be removed and the squab folded. On request (standard on the L), from the late 1970s, the squab of the front seats could have 4 adjustments. And after the 4th position, the squab rested on the rear seat.
Sunroof. Always useful; to change the air inside, to make the 500 feel like a cabrio, to celebrate some sporting event (who does not remember the nights of the Mexico 70 World Cup when flags and celebrating fans emerged from the roof of the 500), but also to give a unique car a unique feature.
Tools. These were initially supplied in a canvas and then a plastic bag. Two spanners of various sizes, a punch, a double screwdriver, an Allen key for the sparkplugs, the crank to fit the wheels to the hubs and the jack. It was actually an extensive assortment for a runabout, which reflects the period in which the 500 was built, a time when doing your own repairs was a point of pride. In addition to which, the simplicity of the 500 also made for fast emergency repairs.
Engine bay. This could be opened by a lever, but the lid could also be removed completely. This solution was very popular with mechanics when they had to carry out longer, more complicated operations entailing more than a simple check and top-up.
To some the story of the 500 concludes with a pumpkin. In the story of Cinderella, the pumpkin is transformed into a carriage and allows her dream to come true because ‘dreams are desires’. The 500 was certainly no pumpkin, but it was transformed into a dream car in its 18 years of life, accompanying people’s dreams and making them come true. And it did so 3,893,294 times.
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