If you had been at the 1955 Geneva motor show you would have seen a new small car from Fiat.
Designed by Dante Giacosa, the same engineer who created the Topolino, it was the Fiat 600 which is celebrating its 70th anniversary.
And it became one of the most iconic small cars of the post-war era.
With a 633cc water-cooled four-cylinder engine producing 16.4kW, the lightweight 600 was a proper four-seater and could sustain 100km/h on freeways.
Conscious of the handing issues with swing axle rear-engined cars, Giacosa insisted on a semi-trailing arm type of rear suspension to eliminate the dreaded camber change and snap oversteer.
The 600’s charming shape and compact dimensions saw it gain immediate popularity.
Smaller than the VW Bettle, its 3.2 metre length was the right size in crowded Italian and other European cities.
For Italy, the 600 became a symbol of post WW II optimism and its low price allowed many to buy their first new car.
It has often been considered as the Italian “people’s car”, much like the VW Beetle in Germany — or the Citroën 2CV in France.
The 600 formed the basis of the 1956 Multipla, a compact MPV that could seat six.
The even smaller 500 Nuova was also a derivative of the 600.
David Burrell is the editor of retroautos
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