Car Icons Fiat 500
The Fiat 500, the favourite of millions of people worldwide, combines ingenious simplicity with an incomparable charm. In July 1957, the new 500 was launched on the market and triggered a revolution. Now even poorer people, who until then had only been able to travel by bicycle or scooter, could afford a car. Today, the little hopper with its modest horsepower is an icon of Italy. Despite its minimalist dimensions, the barely three-metre-long vehicle serves as a family car. The parents sit in the front, the bambini in the back. Convertible enjoyment comes free of charge, after all, the Nuova 500 has a huge folding roof. The Fiat 500 is being developed in Turin. Support also comes from south-west Germany. In the Weinsberg body plant near Heilbronn, a resourceful engineer tinkered with a prototype + influenced the characteristic details of the new small car. In the 1960s, a flood of special models rolled across Europe's roads. Well-known coachbuilders such as Abarth, Autobianchi or Vignale help the Fiat 500 to attract even more attention - for example at car races. In Fellbach near Stuttgart, members of the Fiat 500 Club meet every month over pasta and beer. They love their Cinquecento + its irresistible charm.
Broadcasting on 28th of December 2020 at 04.45am on SWR/ARD
Music: POPVIRUS Library