Small Cars, Big Joy: 19 Adorable Vintage Microcars With One Fun Fact For Each

3. Fiat 500 (The Cinquecento) – Italian Phenomenon That Conquered The World

Country of Origin: Italy

Designer: Dante Giacosa

Production Years: 1957-1975

Units Produced: nearly 4,000,000

Length: 116.9 inches (2.97 meters) 

Top speed: 53 mph (85 km/h)

Power output: 13 hp (9.5 kW)

The Fiat 500 was the most succesfull micro car produced by the Italian automaker Fiat from 1957 to 1975. The Fiat 500, marketed for its charming rounded design, fuel efficiency, and affordability in post-war Europe, was introduced as The Cinquecento, meaning five hundred in Italian.

Sold in more than 100 countries, Fiat 500 accumulated more than 40 awards in its curriculum. Its designer Dante Giacosa was awarded the Compasso d’Oro industrial design prize in 1959. It was the first time an automobile company received the award.

According to the Customer Love Index poll, the Fiat 500 is the most loved automobile in the microcars segment.

Fun Fact: The original Fiat 500 earned worldwide fame for its back-hinged doors rather than the front. In 1965 with the Fiat 500 F, the car door design switched to a conventional rearward opening. Legend has it that this modification caused Italian men to complain that the new design prevented them from seeing women’s legs as they got into and out of the vehicle.