Description
Fiat 500 Artwork: A short background piece on the Cinquecento
This Fiat 500 artwork celebrates the lovely and incredibly popular car that was designed by Dante Giacosa in around 1955. It replaced the earlier tiny Fiat “Topolino” (nicknamed in Italian after Mickey Mouse). Fiat produced the 500 from 1957 until 1975 and sold nearly four million all over the world. It was replaced by the Fiat 126; a very similar car but, with its much more squared-off design, the 126 figures far less in the popular imagination.
This is a quick excerpt from the FCA Heritage website, describing the beginnings of the legendary Fiat 500 on its launch in 1957:
The launch was not immediately successful, due in part to the craze for the 600, but after a few adjustments to the standard fittings and the price list, sales soon boomed. Initial market reaction to the Nuova 500 – also known as the 500 N – was less than spectacular: the new car was overshadowed by the success of the 600, perhaps due in part to its spartan set up, and also because it was registered as a two-seater car. Fiat, however, quickly made amends and inserted a padded rear seat so that the car could be registered as a four seater. Many new details contributed to the success of this new set-up: from the window-opening mechanism to the device for blocking deflector movement, to the chrome enhancing the bodywork and the aluminium wheel covers. As a result, the Fiat city car found itself on the right path and assumed a more assertive personality, confirmed by the appearance of the Nuova 500 wording on the bonnet.
You can see more examples of my classic car artwork on my Car Art main page.