The Fiat 500: Italy’s Little Giant
How a tiny engine, clever packing, and bold design moved a country…and created an Icon
Hi there. And once again, welcome back on Iron Masters.
As you might have guessed, Italy is my motherland; the place I’ve come to love and hate at the same time. So, it proved to be a rather daunting task singling out a car to start the long and vast journey inside the wonderful Italian automotive world.
If back breaking performances and elegance were the things I believed to be the most important characteristics to highlight in this topic, luxury brands like Ferrari, Lamborghini, or any other well known and pricy brand would have surely provided ample choice to pick from. However, I’m not sure they would have been the right choice to start things out. After all, those are brands aimed to be luxurious.
You know, I recently had a discussion with a close friend about which Italian car is the most iconic of them all. We talked. And argued. And drank copious amount of alcohol. Then argued again, in a never-ending cycle. In the end however, as much as it pains me to admit it, we had no other choice but to admit the harsh truth. The Fiat 500 IS the most iconic car.
Before we dive into this thing, I’ve got a confession to make: I’ve got a problem with the 500 Abarth. (Or better, I’ve got it with most of the clientele. At least here in Italy. I don’t know if it’s the same everywhere else.) Just because you’ve got decent car doesn’t mean you’ve to tailgate every sport car you might come across or show off every single time you’re out and about. I’ve lost count of how many meetings were shut off because of an asshole with his fucking 500 Abarth.
There. I said it. Don’t like it? Deal with it.
Now, with that out of the way, let’s truly begin this journey into this little, wonderful machine.
Though…where should we star? The 500 is a car with a load of history. If we were to talk about every single model ever released since its first appearance on the market, which we might do if you’re interested, this article would be ten pages long. So let’s just focus on the models we all know about: the second and fourth generation.
It might come off as a surprise to some of you, but the current Fiat 500, the electric one to simplify things, is the fifth gen. The first generation instead is the direct result of an evolution that must be traced all the way back to the prototype produced in a single exemplar during 1915.
All things considered, the history behind such an iconic car is more than a hundred years old. Still, the first gen didn’t particularly sell well. So why was the second gen such a hit, with more than 5 million cars produced, when the first gen sold less then a tenth of that in twenty years of production?
The second gen, sometimes referred to as New 500, rode the wave of sales that the 600, another Fiat car, had generated. Those were the years of the Italian economic boom, and the first itineration of instalments. But, if the 600 covered quite a lot of market, most of the Italian didn’t have the necessary funds to buy a car. That’s where the New 500 was introduced.
It was immediately a hit.
With its compact design, the second gen was cheap, easy to use, and fairly cheap to maintain, perfect for the many working-class families that didn’t have much in terms of economic power. So how has a car that was meant for the lower end of the market, turn out to be such an icon over the course of the years?
Perhaps it’s the simple but captivating design that Dante Giacosa, Fiat’s chief engineer, and designer Giavanni Michelotti came up with that donned such a minuscule thing with such a gigantic appeal. Or perhaps it’s the vast array of customization possible. We’ll never know for certain.
What we know, however, is that the 2007 Fiat 500, the fourth gen to be precise, is the clear spiritual success of the 50s icon.
Really, if you place side by side an older model and a new one, you’ll clearly see how many similarities they share despite the blatant age difference. So, who designed the fourth gen? Surely not the same guys from the 50s, right?
Well, obviously.
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The fourth gen was designed by Roberto Giolito. Who, for reasons still unknown to mankind, managed to create that misshapen mass that was the Fiat Multipla (If you’ve never seen one, lucky you). I still wonder how such an ugly looking car managed to get the green light for production…
In any case, the resemblance with its 50s ancestors is striking. It was perhaps for that reason that the colour palette offered on the 500 kinds of reflects the simplicity of its ancestor, with basic colours being offered as a primary choice.
Now, I won’t talk about the normal 500. We don’t care about that. Instead, let’s focus on the Abarth version.
As far as the 500 Abarth is concerned, the only one worth buying in my opinion, we should make a clear distinction between the 595, the base, most common version on the market, and the more expensive 695 Biposto.
While colours like Black, White, Red, and Grey are by far the most popular choices, the offer is wider than that. Colours like Blue and Orange are also available for the 595. The 695 instead, to remark its sense of rarity, is offered in a couple of exclusive colours: Olivine Green and Campovolo Grey. Just like always, if you’re curious about all the colours available, you can check out more at this link: https://www.carwow.co.uk/abarth/595-abarth/colours#gref
The interiors are pretty much the same thing. While leather and cloth are the most common materials in a wide array of colours combinations, special editions like the 595 Competizione, or the 695 Biposto stand out against the rest.
The 595 Competizione may include sportier carbon fibre trim, racing seats, and special gear shifts; the 695 instead, is a more track-focused version equipped with bucket racing seats and lightweight materials. All things considered, it’s 595 with less comforts mounted on it.
As always, here on Iron Masters we talk about tuning. So let me assure you.
For those of you looking to modify its appearance, the market is full of parts for the 595. From the more extreme Liberty Walk kit, to something as minor as fender flares, it’s just a matter of finding the one that strikes your notes the right way.
Still, the real thing that I always found worth of respecting, is the engine.
Regardless of the version, the fourth gen 500 Abarth is offered with a single, wonderful engine. While I’m in no way, shape, or form a die hard fan of the 1.4L T-Jet mounted under the hood (Hp ranges 160/180), as a car enthusiast I’ve got to admit that it’s a really good engine.
Without any major modifications (turbo, pistons, valves, and so on, for example) this little straight 4, 4 valves per cylinder, DOHC motor has all the right characteristics to withstand 250 Hp without risking reliability. Maybe you could push it to 275 Hp, but that would be really asking for trouble sooner or later.
But, in case you’re looking to completely mod a stock one, with all the goods necessary for one hell of a tune up, you could “safely” push it to 350 Hp or more. Which, given its compact size and reduced weight, makes up for a little beast, ready to devour litres of gasoline.
As you can see, the fourth gen Abarth is a good little thing. One that is even cheap. The second version? Well, things are getting pricy.
For those of you looking for a second gen, doesn’t matter which version, a price range between 7k and 18k euro is what you should aim for, depending on condition. Let me warn you though. A non-restored model could hide a ton of rust (Those cars weren’t exactly renowned to be sealed perfectly…)And you don’t want to fix that. Seriously. It’s such a pain in the ass that even pros are reluctant to do it.
For the fourth gen instead, an honest price for a 595 should be priced between the 8k and 20k euro, depending on year and condition. As for the 695, prices veer between the 15k and 27k euro.
So, is it a car I would recommend buying? It really depends on what you’re looking for. But one thing is for sure. As a daily car, the fourth gen 500 Abarth is the perfect mix between performance and price range. And that perhaps it its strongest point. The second gen? Well, that’s an Icon. One that will never fade away from the annals of history.
Until next time.
P.s. If you’ve got any cars, motorcycle, or any other thing that has a motor in it that you want me to write about, please let me know!
For those of you interested, you can also find me on X, Instagram, Ghost.org, and Medium.
