The Fiat 500 is one of the most striking cars of the 20th century, having made a major contribution to Italian motorization and served as an urban car throughout Europe. The Cinquecento was built to 3.7 million copies between 1957 and 1975. Designed by the famous engineer Dante Giacosa as a super economical car that can accommodate four people, the Fiat 500 is the “car of the people” to the Italian.  The car you see here is an authentic Abarth and not a replica. It bears the number ABARTH * 1997 *. The Abarth has allowed many aspiring pilots to get their start in motorsport. It is therefore on the basis of the Fiat 500 (17 horses, 90 km / h) that the “wizard” Carlo Abarth made changes to transform a peaceful urban cart into a “sport” car for the less fortunate young sports-loving automobile. Carlo Abarth produced a large number of models based on Fiat. It is to Italy what John Cooper is to England (Mini Cooper) and what Carroll Shelby is to America (Shelby Cobra): a gifted trainer who created the concept of ” Technical sheet Engine: 2 air-cooled cylinders, 595 cc, Weber 40 DCOE carburetor, 32 hp at 5,000 rpm. Transmission: 4 speed manual – Brakes: drums – Weight: 470 kg – Max speed: 120 km / h What people say This ingenious creation of Dante Giacosa (the original Fiat 500, not the Abarth versions) is still more appreciated for its mythical status of THE car that motorised post-WWII Italy – this undeniable fact giving it an air of irresistible charm in whatever form it appears. it is so undeniable, in fact, than even FIAT themselves elected to use the original Fiat 500′s spirit for their “make-or-break” attempt, the new 500. The new 500 was (is?) the cornerstone of FIAT’s attempts to save the business/brand, and luckily IS succesful. Just to make sure that it succeeds, as in “just-in-case”, FIAT also made sure that the new 500 is also honestly engineered as well (although in the times we live, ‘image’ and visual identity play the utmost role for 80-85% of the buyers). The point is …. that the actual car that Giacosa designed/constructed, the original 500, is not so spectacular in pure automotive terms. Being “stripped” of the cult-status and of the myth, it is a somewhat comical design, that has anyway to be very appreciated at least for the perfect execution of its “design-envelope”. Moreover, being “slightly” undersize (in order to fit the narrow streets of many Italian cities), it has a distinct ARCHITECTURAL value, as it sits almost lonely somewhere at the top in the list of cars whose design had to be massively influenced by urbanism / architecture.