Siata Amica History

The Amica was Siata's debut as a complete-car manufacturer rather than a tuner. Introduced in 1948, it used a tuned Fiat 500 cc inline-four producing around 22 hp — roughly a third more than the stock Topolino — in a purpose-built, lightweight two-seat body. Open spider and coupé variants were clothed by Bertone and other Italian carrozzerie, giving the tiny car a genuine sporting elegance.

A specially prepared Amica racing variant, known as the Fiat Siata 500 Pescara, won the 1948 Italian Road Racing Championship using a five-speed gearbox and a modified 500 cc engine tuned to 40 hp — more than double standard output. Road-going Amicas topped around 105 km/h (65 mph), a meaningful achievement for a city-car-derived platform. Approximately 50–100 examples were built before the model gave way to Siata's more ambitious Daina and 300BC programmes.