When it was time to replace the Fiat 500, many engine and chassis configurations were designed, built, and tested. The layout for the 600 was chosen for a simple reason –low manufacturing costs.
The 850 Coupé seen here is a bitsa’ car, as the British would say (bits and pieces from other cars). When the museum acquired this 850, we opened up the front luggage compartment to find an engine and a water-cooled, front-wheel drive set up as well!
Following the introduction of the 850 Sedan in 1964, Fiat debuted the 850 Spider two-seater convertible in 1965 to compete with the MG Midget and Austin-Healey Sprite. While the Sedan and Coupe were styled and built in-house by Fiat, the Spider was designed and built by Fiat’s frequent stylist and carrozzeria (coachbuilder) Bertone.
Carlo (Karl) Abarth selected the scorpion emblem to represent his high-performing, powerfully tuned, sports cars. Abarth vehicles were small and agile, dangerously fast and did exceptionally well in competitive racing.
This fiberglass-bodied, Fiat 500-based microcar was built in San Remo, Italy by Carrozziere (Coachbuilder) G.A.M.C. Baldi. Baldi produced several different Fiat and Renault-based models, but the Frog was by far the most popular.
This car started life as a Fiat Cinquecento. As rallies are a very popular form of motorsports in Europe, most manufacturers offer “kits” to transform a production car into a rally car.
A testament to the adaptability of the Fiat 500 platform, this apparently homebuilt homage to coachbuilder Giannini’s Camioncino (translation: pickup truck) is itself based on the Fiat 500K Giardiniera (wagon).
During the 1960s and 70s, rugged utility cars had become very popular with the public in Europe. Manufacturers seemed to share a common design for these cars: take an existing model, strip it down to its most basic components, and market it as “rugged” and “fun”.
One year after the introduction of the Fiat 600, another version was introduced–possibly the first minivan–the Multipla (which means “all service”). This vehicle had three rows of seats for a total capacity of six people, the two rear pairs of seats could be folded into the floor, leaving a large flat loading area.
Introduced on July 4th, 1957, the successor for the Topolino, the “Nuova (which means “New”) 500" used a layout similar to that seen on the 600 with a rear mounted engine driving the rear wheels and independent suspension on all four wheels.
Introduced in July 1957, the successor for the “Topolino,” the “Nuova (which means “new”) 500" used a layout similar to that seen on the 600 with a rear mounted engine driving the rear wheels and independent suspension on all four wheels.
The Fiat Panda has proven to be a very popular city car; over the course of three generations, more than 9.5 million have been sold. The second-generation Panda seen here, known as the Nuova (New) Panda, was designed largely by Bertone.
Danish-born American automotive designer Henrik Fisker is best known for designing luxury cars such the BMW Z8, the Aston Martin DB9, and the Aston Martin V8 Vantage. The Fisker Karma began production in July 2011 as the world’s first luxury Plug-in Hybrid-Electric Vehicle.
When Henry Ford introduced his new low-priced Model T in 1908, he could not have conceived what impact the humble “T” would have on the world. By making cars available to the masses, this newfound mobility would soon alter American’s living patterns, their landscape, their leisure time, and even their air.
