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The
Fiat 500 |
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The idea for a new
FIAT 500 started out in 1952 after the huge success of the previous 500 (the
Topolino) it was hoped that it would boost
Fiat’s production recovery The
idea was to build a new small economical car that was affordable to all The Nuova 500 was finally launch in July 1957
at the Turin car show, the trim was quite Spartan on the first version called
the Economica but after a rather cold reception a better trimmed version
called the Normale was produced to run alongside the previous version . The car being primarily intended to provide
super-economy motoring for the small family, Despite the small engine it
could hold its own with the traffic of the day provided that it was driven to
its full performance, The two-cylinder engine which is mounted at the rear
has a capacity of only 499cc with a power output of 18HP at 4,000 RPM the
cylinders being vertical in-line air cooled by a fan in conjunction with a
thermostatically controlled shutter which determines the amount of cooling
air passing through. Car interior heating is by ducting some of the heated
air from the engine to vent at windscreen and foot level which when the
engine has warmed up works quite well. It will be easily appreciated that with only a
little reserve of power the performance can vary considerably with changes in
total load carried, Two adults plus two children will amount to an increase
of about half the cars unloaded 520Kg weight The overall length being only 3m (119in) with
a wheel base of 1-8m (72-5in) and a turning circle of only 403m (169in) makes
it a very manoeuvrable car able to turn within the width of many roads. The
front wheels are independently suspended by means of wishbones and a
transverse leaf spring that also performs as a stabilizer, Whilst the rear
suspension is by independent coil springs and wishbones making for a firm but
pleasant ride. The braking is hydraulic single leading shoe all round, They
are also self-centring and self-adjusting providing safe braking that would
be capable of stopping a much heavier car. The four speed gearbox has no synchromesh the
gears being engage instead with dog-toothed gears which with practice (and
luck) the gears can be changed quietly without double-declutching. Fuel is carried in a 21lt (4-5gal) tank fitted
under the bonnet (at the front) along with the spare wheel, jack, tool roll,
brake fluid reservoir, windscreen washer bottle, fuse box and battery there
is some room left for a small amount of luggage. The body has two doors with opening
quarter-lights and wind up windows the two rear windows are fixed also fitted
as standard is a sun roof (which although nice to have open; lorry
drivers do tend to use you as an ashtray) A nice touch is that the rear view
mirror also incorporates an interior light that will operate on opening the
doors, Another item that is fitted is a hand throttle this is very useful
when the engine is cold to prevent stalling. The seats are scaled down in size to suit the
car but are still very comfortable
with adjustable backs and ample fore and aft movement although the rear seats
are best suited to children, the driving position in general is good with
lighting and indicator switches being on the steering column and a good part of the windscreen is
swept by the wipers in general all-round vision is good. The
car that we have is the 1971 FIAT
500L de-luxe version. With the introduction of the a more
sophisticated version called the “L”
it was the first real example of a Fiat utility car which was more than
spartan with the design giving some attention to the comfort of the occupants,
The mechanics remained the same but with the then new radial
tyres fitted the road holding was improved as was the fuel consumption, The
changes being mainly cosmetic to the body outside a new rectangular badge on
the front and on the rear instead of “Nuova 500” a new badge with FIAT500 L the de-luxe had even more changes the main
ones being -windscreen and rear window rubbers now had bright chromed plastic
inserts - bright chromed plastic fitted to the roof troughs,- overriders
fitted to the front and rear bumpers, - dashboard covered with a plastic
lining, -a new oblong Speedo / instrument panel,- map pockets on doors,
-utility tray on floor tunnel -new chromed hub caps, -new trim on seats and
doors and a proper carpet instead of the normal rubber mat, altogether a much
smarter upmarket looking little car without loosing the fun factor of driving
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Below are
Extracts from the Fiat 500 Handbook |
