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The Fiat 500 recently turned 60.
This iconic car – the Mini of Italy – has in many ways defined the company. But there have been many other great Fiats; this is the Autocar team's choice of the best.- Slide of
Fiat 128 SL Coupe (1972)
The 128 was a crisply rendered family saloon that sold by the million. It popularised the transverse, end-on gearbox layout now used by almost every front-driver, revved like a food mixer and handled, too. The now almost extinct 128 SL presented the same recipe but in pertly pretty coupe form, and I’m still not entirely over missing out on a lightly rust-stained, primrose yellow 1300 SL in 1978. A facelift turned this car into the 128 3P with hatch, adding weight and destroying the original’s fine proportions.
RICHARD BREMNER - SENIOR CONTRIBUTING EDITOR - Slide of
Fiat 500 (2007)
My Autocar colleagues are probably delving into obscure corners of the Fiat back catalogue to satisfy this thread, but I’m going as mainstream as can be – the Nuova Cinquecento. Granted it’s not a road tester’s delight, but how many small and affordable hatches can you buy that ooze charm, raise a smile and look cool when parked next to a Range Rover?
I’ve swanned around the Italian Lakes in a hired 500, enjoyed a 500C in sunny Norfolk and, Dear Lord, even bought a well-priced used one. Best. Fiat. Ever.
JULIAN RENDELL - SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT - Slide of
FIAT 130 COUPE (1971)
This sumptuous, elegant-yet-purposeful executive coupe belies the old Fiat cliche about its cars getting worse as they get larger: in fact, Fiat’s first go at a big car was glorious. Penned by Paolo Martin at Pininfarina, powered by a 3.2-litre V6, with poised handling and ride: A perfect runaround for Fiat mogul Gianni Agnelli. He loved it so much he had a shooting-brake version built for his personal use.
A reminder that Fiat - like Italy itself - could deliver despite all its frequent efforts to the contrary.
TOM EVANS - SENIOR CONSULTING EDITOR - Slide of
Fiat Abarth 131 (1977)
I’ve snuck a rally car in, but why not when it looks as good as this one, especially in the distinctive red, white and green livery of sponsor Alitalia? As a Group 4 World Rally Championship machine the 131 scooped three manufacturers’ world titles, in 1977, 1978 and 1980. It also propelled Markku Alen and Walter Rohrl to driver’s titles, and was driven by really legends as diverse as Sandro Munari, Timo Salonen and Michele Mouton. If it was good enough for them, it is good enough for me.
JIM HOLDER - EDITORIAL DIRECTOR - Slide of
Fiat 500 Abarth Esseesse (2008)
‘MIDGET GEMS’ was the headline from a twin test Autocar ran at the time with an Abarth 500 up against a Renault Twingo GT. I won’t try and better that description of the car here. The Esseesse version is of note for the fact its performance upgrades over a standard Abarth were delivered in a wooden crate to the dealer for application. I’ve never quite understood why.
MARK TISSHAW - EDITOR - Slide of
Fiat Coupe 20V Coupe Turbo (1993)
I've always liked the Fiat Coupe, partly because when it appeared in 1993 designer Chris Bangle was treated to an unwarranted wall of personal and vehement abuse he didn't deserve. I liked the guy, who has always had the courage of his convictions. I still like the car now, especially the muscular 20V Turbo, because many controversial features now work well — to the extent that many have been adopted by less adventurous, more mainstream designers. Best of all, the Fiat Coupe was never ordinary.
STEVE CROPLEY - EDITOR-IN-CHIEF - Slide of
Fiat Dino Coupe (1967)
While all my mates were drooling over the Aston, Minis and Jags in The Italian Job, I had eyes only for the jet black Fiat Dino driven by the bad guys. It’s such a cool shape, understated but beautiful, far more attractive than the Spider version and half the money. But of course the real draw is the race-bred quad cam Ferrari motor under the bonnet.
Only driven one once, but it was about a hundred times better than expected: beautiful balance, quick enough and one of the best soundtracks in the world.
ANDREW FRANKEL - SENIOR CONTRIBUTING WRITER - Slide of
Fiat Panda 4x4 (1983)
Way back in the 1980s, attractive young couples and outdoorsy types used Fiat Panda 4x4s to explore rocky hillsides, deliver parasols to the beach and inspect power cables on snowy mountains. I know this because I’ve watched Fiat’s promotional video from the time. The rugged little Panda 4x4 changed everything. As of 1983, you didn’t need to be able to afford a Land Rover to collect milk from your cattle.
DAN PROSSER - CONTRIBUTING WRITER - Slide of
Fiat Tipo (1988)
Fiat’s dedication to hard-core industrial design didn’t always come off, but the original Tipo shouldn’t be ignored. It was an exceptionally logical package. Wide enough for three-abreast seating in the rear, the rear doors opened to 90-degrees and the interior was amazingly generous - something clearly expressed by the modernist exterior. It had a galvanised body, too, finally dispelling the perennial rust issue. Good enough to be European Car of the Year in 1989...
HILTON HOLLOWAY - SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT - Slide of
Fiat Uno (1983)
Eurobox, that would be the Uno. The last time that we could take Fiat seriously as an innovative car company, rather than a retro one. One of Giugiaro’s very best. Practical and truly fun with perky handling and a bit mad in Turbo trim, as it should be. Hard to believe Europe either bought an Uno or Golf. Most killed by rust or indifference; a box of true delights.
JAMES RUPPERT - USED CAR GURU - Slide of
Fiat X1/9 (1972)
Rusty, cramped, styled with a ruler and set square and with an interior built not to last, the X1/9 has all the standard trappings of an Italian legend. And it is. Its 1.3-litre engine may have only been good for supermini speeds by today’s standards, but fine real-world handling and gorgeous, era-typical stubby Bertone styling should more than make up for it.
Shame that its infamy for rusting means the chances of seeing one in the wild are disappointingly slim.
JIMI BECKWITH - STAFF WRITER - Slide of
Fiat 500 - US specification (2012)
Everything really is bigger in Texas - especially cars. Well, trucks. Pick-up trucks, which everyone drives. Better to pack your Stetson in, I guess. Imagine my surprise, then, when on a trip there, Hertz handed me the keys to… a Fiat 500. This is not a car designed for Texas: you could actually fit one into the flat-bed of some pick-ups. At traffic lights, drivers stared and laughed. Then I’d get to some corners, and leave them all standing. It was the most fun I’ve ever had in a hire car.
JAMES ATTWOOD - DIGITAL EDITOR - Slide of
Fiat G.55 Centauro (1942)
Just 349 made. Powered by a Daimler-Benz inverted V12 with 1475hp. A top speed of 417mph. One central seat. Highly agile. Better than its German equivalent, so much so that they tried to make it in Germany. Two wheels... No, not some weird concept supercar, but a brilliant fighter aircraft that was entirely designed and built by Fiat in Turin. OK, it’s not a car, but it's still my favourite Fiat.
KRIS CULMER - PRODUCTION ASSISTANT - Slide of
Fiat Panda 100hp (2006)
I’ve been in this game for 20 years and the Panda has consistently been the best car Fiat has made. If Fiat can do anything well it’s make decent city cars, and the Panda is precisely the kind of unpretentious, straightforward, neat design it excels at. The most fun of all was the 100HP. There wasn’t much suspension so the ride was hard, but all-in it weighed 975kg and its 1.4-litre engine gave it 100 round horsepower, 99 of the Queen’s bhp. Which made it a genuine giggle.
MATT PRIOR - EDITOR-AT-LARGE - Slide of
Fiat Punto (2003)
Officially the least interesting car in this gallery but the only one that matters to me, because this, a Punto Active Sport in Mk2 facelift form, was my first car. Mine was a black 2004 1.2 8v and it was unmodified for approximately seven minutes. I painted the headlight internals black and lowered the car on 17in wheels – which only made it slower. Although remarkably, it never missed a beat in three years of ownership. Good, good memories.
SAM SHEEHAN - SENIOR STAFF WRITER - Slide of
Fiat Stilo Abarth (2005)
A likable mutt of a hot hatchback with a gargling five-cylinder engine from the rakish Fiat Coupe. Means a lot to me because the press launch for the 2005 facelifted version was among my very first. There were quiet Sardinian roads and, back before the internet and video had impacted so greatly upon our business, there was plenty of time in the car.
It was cheap, quick; and, in ‘Stilo Schumacher’ form, it came with a numbered plaque that you could detach from the dashboard simply by chucking the car at a corner.
MATT SAUNDERS - ROAD TEST EDITOR
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