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Te original Fiat 500 or Cinquecento (Italian or ‘500’) asit was known across Europe, is an icon that or many is

the ultimate expression o simplicity in design and unction.Designed by Dante Giacosa to cater or the growing number o 

Italians who in the late ’50s were trading in their Vespas or vehicles with more wheels and greater passenger carrying capabilities, it waslaunched as the Nuova 500 in 1957 and carried o n rom where itspredecessor, the opolino, let o in providing cheap transportationor the masses. Te dierence with the 500, as compared to theopolino, was in the design – which stands now as one o the mosticonic car shapes ever.

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ast & present

1973 fat 500 & 2008 fat 500

Words Ben DillonPhotos Dan Wakelin

1957 saw the launch o Fiat’s iconic500 Bambina –we caught up with

ans o the old and new 500

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Reviving a legendExactly 50 years ater the release o the original 500, Fiatlaunched the new 500 – which borrows more than a ew stylingclues rom the original. It has brought new buyers to the Fiatold (possibly lured away rom the Mini) and continued thepassion or those who loved the original.

Giovanni Nustrini is one such enthusiast, and his passion orthe little 500 has played a starring role in his lie and that o hisamily.

Giovanni is the proud owner o this lovely 1973 Fiat 500F-model which has been in his possession since 2002. Far rombeing the rst 500 Giovanni has owned, this yellow Bambinais one in a succession o such cars that leads back to his child-hood when his ather owned one, but it wasn’t until 1982 thatGiovanni rst got to have a 500 to himsel.

Te Nustrini amily ownership o various Fiat 500s over theyears is a tale in itsel, with Giovanni and his siblings engagingin hand-me-downs and purchases o Bambinas or a very longtime. Even now there are a ew still oating around in the am-ily, as Giovanni’s sister also has a 500 that she uses regularly.

Conception and Revision With the little Fiat attracting such a vast ollowing it comes asno surprise that or many, the 500 was seen more as a part o theamily than a mere conveyance. As such, the 500 was knownby several dierent names around the world – which includedBambina, a name originally coined by the New Zealand Fiatdistributors in New Zealand. Oddly enough, in Australia themasculine orm ‘bambino’ was used. Te Cinquecento label – asused in Italy – spread through the rest o Europe and stuck inthe UK, where it is still known as such.

Te original Nuova 500 was the rst model available in 1957,and eatured a 479cc engine which produced a heady 9.7kW (13bhp). It had a ull-length olding roo that went all the way to the back o the vehicle in addition to rear-hinged suicidedoors. Initial sales o the Nuova were sluggish, so Fiat upped thepower o the two-cylinder unit to 11kW (15bhp), which helpedstart the little 500 on its way to global success.

Replacing the Nuova in 1960 was the ‘D’ model o the 500, which looked much like the Nuova but diered in engine size(499cc), with 12.6kW (17bhp) as standard, and in the opening

roo design which didn’t retract as ar as the Nuova’s.Te ‘F’ model, which was produced between 1965 and 1972,

 was sold alongside the D (in 1965), and diered only in that itdid not eature the trademark suicide doors o the D. It went onto become the staple o the range.

Giovanni’s 500 is an F-model, one o around 5000 that wereproduced in New Zealand. A more luxurious model, the ‘L’ (Lusso) o 1968, was sold

above the F and while being mechanically similar, the L had amuch more modern interior than the minimalist F. A variant o the 500 which proved to be long-lived (1960-

1977) was the ‘K’ or Giardiniera, a station wagon version o the500 which eatured the engine laid on its side to create a atloading surace. It was the only model to continuously eaturethe suicide doors. Te Giardiniera is a much sort ater modeland one which Giovanni would love to add to his stable.

Te nal version o the 500 beore the 126 replaced it wasthe ‘R’ or Rinnovata, which came standard with a larger 594ccengine producing 17kW (23bhp).

Te Bambina in New ZealandNZ production o the Bambina took place at urner’s VW actory in Otahuhu, which is where Giovanni’s yellow F-model

 was born.Te early part o this car’s lie is not exactly known, but what

is certain is that while not being a show-star, this 500 is one o the cleanest original cars in New Zealand. Until recently theBambina had been sitting in the oyer o Giovanni’s aviationbusiness (www.alcomposite.com) as a static piece o art but,

 with the recent rise in petrol prices Giovanni pressed the carback into service to help ease commuting costs. Te incrediblepart o this story though is that ater our years o standing still,the 500 burst into lie rst turn o the key.

Te engineering o the Bambina is a real surprise in thatthere is a unctionality and purpose to all parts o the car that isalmost Germanic in its logic. Te air-cooled two-cylinder engineis said to be incredibly reliable and, as evidenced by hot Abarthversions, eminently tuneable. Also having the engine behind the rear axle line (à la the VW 

Beetle) helps handling – which I can attest to ater some hardcornering with Giovanni at the wheel.

 An unusual eature on the original 500 is a small lever that isconnected to the accelerator and acts as a basic cruise control.

 Just what Fiat had in mind or the lever is open to speculation,but what it was almost certainly used or at some time probably involved the roo being open, driver and passengers sitting onthe roo and eet being used to steer the car. Tat is i we had toguess about its use.

ComparisonIn isolation, the newer car looks petite and crisp, a worthy successor to the styling ideas that Giacosa gave the world. Nextto the original, however, the new 500 looks decidedly bloated,especially at the rear end.

Side by side, the dierence in size between the two Fiats ispatently obviously – with the newer 500 dwarng the old. Tedisparity in size is almost cartoon-like, with the newer car lookinglike the older one comically lled to bursting point with helium.

Strangely, the old 500 has more ground clearance than thenew, but this is the only respect in which the original can boastany dimensional advantage over the new 500. Te original issuch a pure design with very little ornamentation and suchpetite proportions (the ront tyres are 135/70R12s) that it isvery appealing in a ‘less is more’ way. Te Bambina is so dier-ent to the new 500, which is packed with multiple airbags and aBluetooth connection, that I genuinely preer the original overthe reincarnation.

Te Modern View Our eatured new Fiat 500, owned by Mary Patterson –Giovanni’s partner – is the perect complement to their originalyellow ‘F’ model. Mary’s car is the 1.3 JD diesel model and

 was one o the rst in New Zealand. Originally Giovanni wanted the super popular white with iconic Italian tri-stripe,but worldwide demand or that particular colour combinationmeant a long wait, which didn’t suit Giovanni who, ater seeingthe new 500 on a trip to Italy, had to have one on his return toNew Zealand.

Te red car was subsequently acquired and has provided Mary and Giovanni with the perect counterpoint to the old 500.

It seems likely that the desire within Fiat to capture a segmento the nouveau pastiche-pie must surely have stemmed rom the

success o the reborn Mini, which has been a sales hit through-out the world or BMW.

Given the historic importance o the 500 to Fiat (and the salesprecedent set by the Mini) it would have been bad news hadthe designers made a mess o the new 500, but walking roundit you really can see that it has the old 500’s design DNA. Telights at the ront, the little ‘moustache’ on the nose (Giovanni’soriginal F-model came without one), the waistline crease below the windows are all trademarks o the original. Despite beingront-engined (the original 500 has the engine in the back), eventhe rear looks similar to the original.

O course, it is nowhere near as petite as the original and doeslook a bit portly rom the rear but the original lines are stillthere, however distended.

Te new 500s are all about style and the interior is a key pointin this respect. It is really very classy and looks great, but just likethe original Cinquecento the driving position or a tall driver isnot that accommodating. Te seating position is quite high, andthe steering wheel is adjustable or rake, but not reach. Tat’s

the newer car looks petite and crisp, a worthy

successor to the styling ideas that Giacosa gave

the world

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 where the problem starts as the 500 has enough legroom ortall people, but this comes at the expense o having to adopt agorilla-like driving position.

I couldn’t get comortable in the new Fiat, but in the older,smaller F-model it was not as difcult to nd a comortableposition. Strange that at 192cm I’m too tall or the new 500 butthe old Fiat was ne!

 Just like the original there is something that attracts you tothe new 500. It really does have a lot o character. Tis appeal isattributable to the original styling, but the new 500 is a little bitmore than just a modern take on the Giacosa idea.

Te interior atmosphere is rst-rate with the materials usedon the seats, dash and steering wheel giving a quality eel andmaking the inside o the 500 a nice place to be.

Te centre console plastics look a bit shiny, but the unctionsor the heater/radio are easy to use and the circular design isvery chic and makes the older car look incredibly Spartan incomparison.

Te driving experience, like the looks o the car, is unique andrequires a dierent driving style.

Much like the older car with its non-synchromesh gearbox, thenew 500 has a slightly vague throw, but this is part o the experi-

ence, as it allows you an exaggerated arm gesture every time youchange gear, i you are so inclined. As with the original 500, back-roads are what the new car

enjoys and are where you can have some un. Te suspension hasa tendency to ‘pogo’ a little over bumps and along uneven roads,

 which can be annoying on the motorway, but on back-roads itadds to the excitement and adventure. Te new Fiat is a bouncy,buoyant character that has un when you have un.

Te Passion When asked about what attracted him to the Bambina,Giovanni’s answer is immediate: “Simplicity”. It’s hard to argue

 with this idea when everything rom the early model suicidedoors to the hand operated window washer add up to make theoriginal a triumph o both orm and unction.

Dante Giacosa’s idea or a simple yet beautiul design hit itsmark 50 years ago, and the act the new 500 is being so warmly received now by enthusiasts like Giovanni and Mary is proo o that original appeal. 

Just like the original there is something that attracts you to

the new 500. It really does have a lot of character

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past & present

1973 Fiat 500

Engine: Air cooled, rear mounted

two-cylinder

Capacity: 499.5cc

Bore/stroke: 67.4x70mm

C/R: 7.1:1

Max power: 16.4kW (22bp) at 4400rpm

Transmission: Four-speed manual

Steering: Worm and roller

Suspension:  F: independent by

wishbones and leaf spring,

telescopic shock absorbersR: independent by trailing

arms, coil springs and

telescopic shock absorbers

Brakes: Drum/ drum

Wheels: 125x12-inch

Dimensions:

Wheelbase: 1840mm

Length: 2970mm

Width: 1320mm

Height: 1325mm

Track F/R: 1121/1135mm

Kerb weight: 520kg

Performance:

Max speed: 95kph

Economy: 5.5l/100km

2008 Fiat 500 1.3JTD

Engine: Front-mounted, four-

cylinder diesel

Capacity: 1248cccc

Bore/stroke: 69.6x82mm

C/R: 17.6:1

Max power: 56kW (75bhp) at 4000rpm

Transmission: Five-speed manual

Steering: Dualdrive electronic

Suspension:  F: independent by

MacPherson struts

R: torsion beam

Brakes: Disc/drum

Wheels: 14-inch

Dimensions:

Wheelbase: 2300mm

Length: 3546mm

Width: 1627mm

Height: 1488mm

Track F/R: 1414/1408mm

Kerb weight: 980kg

Performance:

Max speed: 175kph

Economy: 4.2l/100km