Named for a Genoese boy who threw the first stone against Austrian troops in 1746, not for Mussolini's youth corps.
Lead trim: 508A 1.0 side-valve four (1932–1933; 20 hp at 3,500 rpm) · up to 24 hp
Fiat 508 Balilla 508A508A · 1932–1934
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Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Fiat 508 Balilla 508A yet. See one on the street, point the app at it, and the first card is yours — with your @handle permanently credited on this page.
FactNamed for a Genoese boy who threw the first stone against Austrian troops in 1746, not for Mussolini's youth corps.
The Fiat 508 Balilla was a compact car designed and produced by Fiat from 1932 to 1937 (about 113,000 built), the effective replacement of the 509 and launched at the Fiera Milano on 12 April 1932; it was developed by Nebbia, Fessia and Tranquillo Zerbi (the small "people's car" designed by Dante Giacosa) and named for the 1746 Genoese boy-hero, not the fascist youth organisation, selling for 10,800 lire. The first 508 (retrospectively the 508A) had a front-mounted 995 cc four-cylinder side-valve engine with a listed 20 hp at 3500 rpm and a top speed of about 80 km/h (50 mph), through a three-speed non-synchromesh gearbox to the rear wheels and four-wheel drum brakes; at the end of 1933 power rose to 24 hp at 3500 rpm and speed to 85 km/h (53 mph), with a four-speed gearbox. Body versions were the 2-door Berlina (with a Lusso version), Spider, Torpedo (1933, a sand-coloured Torpedo Coloniale for Tripolitania) and van. It was assembled as the Polski-Fiat 508, the Fiat-NSU (NSU-Fiat) in Germany, the Fiat 6CV (later Simca-Fiat 6CV) in France (26,472 to 1937) and the Walter Junior in Czechoslovakia. Length 123.6 in, width 55.1 in, height 60.2 in, curb weight 1,510 lb. The Sport versions are catalogued separately.
Collectors Spotted in the Fiat 508 Balilla Lineage
No member has published a public street spot of the Fiat 508 Balilla yet — the First · Worldwide stamp is wide open.
Trims & Figures
2 published trims in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 508A 1.0 side-valve four (1932–1933; 20 hp at 3,500 rpm) | 1932–1933 | 1.0 L Inline-4 | 20 hp | — | — | RWD | — | — |
| 508A 1.0 side-valve four (end 1933–1934; 24 hp at 3,500 rpm) | 1933–1934 | 1.0 L Inline-4 | 24 hp | — | — | RWD | — | — |
Owning one
We don’t estimate running costs for a car like this. What it costs depends on its condition, its specialist and how it is driven, and an average would mislead.
Owners’ builds
Nobody has claimed one yet.
Photographs
Poland kept building this generation as its own model, badged 508 II, after Fiat had already moved on at home.
Ghia's 1933 insect-tail body on the 508S made it the small Fiat that could actually be raced, unlike the family sedan it was based on.
Named for a Genoese boy who threw the first stone against Austrian troops in 1746, not for Mussolini's youth corps.
Rivals
Same body, same money, other badges — tap any card to flip.
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