Dante Giacosa's 500 won a Compasso d'Oro in 1959, the first time the design prize went to a carmaker.
Median 50 hp across 45 similar cars
Lead trim: Nuova 500 479 cc (13 hp) · up to 21 hp
Fiat 500 / 500 D / F / L / R1957–1975
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Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Fiat 500 / 500 D / F / L / R 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.
FactDante Giacosa's 500 won a Compasso d'Oro in 1959, the first time the design prize went to a carmaker.
The Fiat 500 (Cinquecento) is an economy / city car manufactured and marketed by Fiat from 1957 until 1975, sold as a two-door semi-convertible or saloon and as a three-door panel van or estate. Launched as the Nuova (new) 500 in July 1957 as the successor to the 500 "Topolino", it was originally powered by a rear-mounted 479 cc two-cylinder air-cooled engine, was 245 mm smaller than the Fiat 600 launched two years earlier, and is considered one of the first purpose-designed city cars. In 1959 Dante Giacosa received a Compasso d'Oro industrial design prize for it, the first time the award went to an automotive manufacturer, and its drag coefficient is 0.38. The Nuova 500 with the 479 cc engine produced just 13 hp and was replaced in 1960 by the D, which used an uprated 499 cc engine producing 17 bhp, retained through the end of the L in 1973; the F of June 1965 finally had front-hinged doors, the L or Lusso of September 1968 was a more richly trimmed F, and the last incarnation, the R or Rinnovata of November 1972, used the 594 cc engine of the new Fiat 126. Production ended in 1975 after 3,893,294 units, and a Nuova 500 Sport of mid-1958 used a bored-out 499.5 cc engine. Steyr-Puch built a version in Austria with a Puch boxer twin, Abarth and Giannini produced sports models, and a US-market Fiat 500 America with 15 hp was made in about 300 examples between 1958 and 1960.
Collectors Spotted in the Fiat 500 Lineage
No member has published a public street spot of the Fiat 500 yet — the First · Worldwide stamp is wide open.
Trims & Figures
6 published trims in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 500 D 499 cc (17 bhp) | 1960–1965 | 0.5 L Inline-2 | 17 hp | — | — | RWD | — | — |
| 500 F 499 cc (17 bhp) | 1965–1972 | 0.5 L Inline-2 | 17 hp | — | — | RWD | — | — |
| 500 L Lusso 499 cc (17 bhp) | 1968–1972 | 0.5 L Inline-2 | 17 hp | — | — | RWD | — | — |
| 500 R Rinnovata 594 cc | 1972–1975 | 0.6 L Inline-2 | 18 hp | — | — | RWD | — | — |
| Nuova 500 479 cc (13 hp) | 1957–1960 | 0.5 L Inline-2 | 13 hp | 20 lb-ft | — | RWD | — | — |
| Nuova 500 Sport 499.5 cc (21 hp) | 1958–1960 | Inline-2 | 21 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
Fiat lost about $14,000 on every 500e it sold — CEO Sergio Marchionne said the only reason it built the electric 500 at all was to satisfy California zero-emissions quotas.
Did you know the pocket-rocket Abarth 500's turbo wasn't Italian at all? Its 1.4L engine breathes through an IHI turbocharger, made by a Japanese corporation.
Fiat's own CEO admitted this one was a loss leader: Sergio Marchionne said Fiat lost $14,000 on every 500e sold, building it only to satisfy California's zero-emissions quota.
About 1,000 Abarth 695 SS versions of the Nuova 500 were built — only around 150 are believed to survive today.
Dante Giacosa's 500 won a Compasso d'Oro in 1959, the first time the design prize went to a carmaker.
Rivals
Same body, same money, other badges — tap any card to flip.
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