Fiat 500 to be a New York showstopper

An iconic Fiat 500 is to go on public display at the Museum of Modern Art in New York as part of ‘The Value of Good Design’ exhibition.

The Fiat 500 F series, which was bought by the museum in July 2017, will be on show for the first time from February 10 to May 27, 2019.

“500 is an icon of Italian style that never went out of fashion and that over the decades gained fans all around the world because of its key features and strong personality,” says Fiat’s Luca Napolitano.

“Since 1957, Fiat 500 has always brought colour and smiles to everyday lives on the roads of the world, becoming an ambassador of the ‘Bel Paese’ and an icon of style and design ‘made in Italy’.”

The model on display at MoMA will be a 500 F series, the most popular 500 ever, produced from 1965 to 1972.

Counting the other versions (namely Sport, D, L and R) of the first generation, a total of more than four million cars were produced from 1957 to 1975.

Commonly referred to as the ‘Cinquecento’, the Nuova 500 was designed by designer and engineer Dante Giacosa and launched in 1957.

A compact, rear-engined city car, the 500 was conceived as an economical car for the masses. Despite its small exterior dimensions, Giacosa’s design maximized interior volume, resulting in a surprisingly spacious interior that could accommodate four passengers.

The standard-feature foldable fabric roof imbued this economy car with a sense of luxury while simultaneously reducing the amount of steel – a precious commodity at the time – necessary for production of the car.

This success was followed up in 2007 with the launch of the current second generation 500 – a retro cool, cute car that’s proved to be a huge hit globally.