Fiat launches retro 500
The Italian car giant's latest pays homage to a cheeky but iconic small carExactly 50 years after first launching the Nuova Fiat 500, the Italian company has unveiled the new Fiat 500.
Today's version (more here), developed by the Fiat Style Centre, is a compact 3-door model, measuring 355 cm long, 165 cm wide, 149 cm tall, with a 230 cm wheelbase.
The car currently offers three engines: a 75 bhp 1.3 16v Multijet turbodiesel and two petrol-burners -- 69 bhp 1.2 8v and the 100 bhp 1.4 16v. All versions have either five or six speed mechanical gearboxes.
The line-up will eventually see a potent 900cc twin-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine and initial sporty Abarth versions will be powered by a 135bhp turbocharged version of Fiat's 1.4-litre 16-valver.
There's also the suggestion of a 150bhp Abarth, expected to top 200 km/h...
Much like MINI, Fiat has worked hard to maintain the appeal of the original. With a simple dash layout dominated by a large speedometer, flush-fitting switches and a cream steering wheel, the feel of the New 500 recalls a more innocent era.
A lot has changed along the way. For a start, the transverse engine is now up front rather than at the rear, where it was mounted longitudinally in the original 500.
Also, modern requirements are far more stringent than once they were -- to keep the bottle-nosed dolphin look and meet crash test regulations, extra bracing was needed at the front and seven airbags are fitted.
Unlike its revolutionary predecessor, much of the new 500's underpinnings come from the Fiat Panda.
The original 'Nuova' Fiat 500, when it was introduced on July 4, 1957, could only accommodate two people, but could carry 70 kg of luggage which was considered very important at the time.
Conceived as an alternative to Vespa and Lambretta scooters, which were outselling cars at a ratio of 10 to one, the new small Fiat effectively halved scooter sales.
Just over 18 years later, with almost 3.9 million cars built, assembly of the 1957-75 Nuova Fiat 500 series stopped on August 4, 1975 and the Fiat 126 was introduced in its place.
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