Fiat 500 Model History
Confused by the 500 model variations? This guide aims to help with identifying which is which.
500N Nuova
1957-1960
- Suicide doors
- Grilles below headlights
- Steel wheels without hubcaps
- Full-length or half-length fabric roof
- Slim oval tail lights and teardrop front indicators
- Round speedo
- 469cc twin engine producing 13hp
500 Sport
1958-1960
- Higher performance version of 500N
- Suicide doors
- Grilles below headlights
- Red teel wheels with polished aluminium hubcaps
- White with red stripe and solid roof panel
- Red and white vinyl interior
- 499cc twin engine producing 21hp
500D
1960-1965
- Steel wheels with polished aluminium hubcaps
- Full-length or half-length fabric roof
- Rectangular tail lights and round front indicators
- Round speedo
- 499cc twin engine producing 18hp
500K Giardiniera
1960-1975
- Estate version of 500D
- Suicide doors throughout production run
- 4in Longer body to allow for rear luggage space above the engine
- Larger brakes from the Fiat 600
- Different 98PCD steel wheels with unique hubcap design
- Unique tail lights
- Later models were badged Autobianchi
- Also available as a van named Furgoncino
- 499cc flat twin engine producing 18hp
500F
1965-1972
- Front-hinged doors
- After 1968 the F had more modern simplified exterior trim
- Rectangular tail lights and round front indicators
- Half-length fabric roof only
- Round speedo
- 499cc twin engine producing 18hp
500L Lusso
1968-1972
- Luxury version of 500F
- Chrome bumper overriders front and rear
- Carpet, ribbed vinyl seats and doorcards
- Rectangular tail lights and round front indicators
- Unique rectangular speedo and vinyl covered dashboard
- 499cc twin engine producing 18hp
500R Rinnovata
1972-1975
- New horizontal Fiat badge on nose
- Round speedo is now in black
- Galvanised steel wheels without hubcaps
- Rectangular tail lights and round front indicators
- Round speedo
- 594cc twin engine producing 18hp
Abarth Models
All Abarth conversions produced at their Turin factory were left hand drive and based on the 500D and F models. In the UK, Radbourne Racing of Wimbledon were the official Abarth agent. They converted right hand drive cars using genuine Abarth parts so can be considered to be genuine Abarth cars. They converted around 200 cars between 1965 and 1971 when they switched to using Nardi parts.
Parts were available both to convert existing cars, and to upgrade Abarth models, with the result that very few surviving cars are to the same specification.
595
1963
- 110F engine bored to 73.5mm giving 593cc – stroke remains 70mm
- Solex C28 PJB carburettor
- High lift camshaft
- High compression pistons
- Modified inlet ports
- Abarth valve cover and air filter
- Alloy large capacity sump
- Dual exhaust
- 27 hp
The appearance was little changed – a Scorpion badge at the front, the engine cover handle replaced by rubber catches and an Abarth logo where the handle would previously have been.
595 SS
1963
Similar to the 595 but with:
- Solex 34 PBIC carburettor
- 32hp
695
1964
Similar to the 595 SS but with:
- 76mm bore to give 689.5cc
- Wider Borrani steel wheels
- 30hp
695 SS
1964
Similar to the 595 SS but with:
- 76mm bore to give 689.5cc and 38hp
- Wider Borrani steel wheels
- 38hp
695 SS Assetto Corsa (Race Equipment)
1965
Similar to the 695 SS but with:
- Wide arches to allow a widened track – up from 1120mm to 1161mm at the front, and from 1135mm to 1175mm at the rear
- Wide Borrani steel wheels
Original publicity images used with the kind permission of Fiat
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