Fiat 500 (Nuova) History

Launched on July 4, 1957, the Nuova (new) 500 was Dante Giacosa's answer to Italy's need for affordable personal transport. At just 2,970 mm long and powered by a rear-mounted 479 cc air-cooled two-cylinder engine, it was one of the first purpose-designed city cars — smaller and cheaper than the Fiat 600 that had debuted two years earlier.

The 500 sold in enormous numbers across Europe, produced in three main variants (the Normale, Lusso, and Sport/Abarth derivatives) and offered in both a fixed-roof berlina and a fold-back sunroof version. By the end of its run in 1975, nearly four million had been built.

Its cultural impact dwarfed its modest specifications: the 500 became a symbol of la dolce vita, Italian design, and postwar optimism. Giacosa was awarded the Compasso d'Oro design prize for it in 1959 — the first time the award went to an automobile.