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  • 160 Pages
  • 242 Photos & Illustrations
  • Paperback
  • Colour
  • Published in 2016
Fiat & Abarth 500 & 600
By Malcolm Bobbitt

Features

• Reveals the design and development of the baby Fiats
• Shows how the cars evolved throughout production
• Full-colour gallery featuring reproductions of original sales brochures
• Covers the many model variants of the 500 and 600
• Living with a baby Fiat
• Appendices of clubs, specialists and suppliers
• Full production figures and specifications, and biography
• These little cars are highly sought after in today’s classic car market

Description

Fiat & Abarth 500 & 600 covers all the classic ‘baby’ Fiats, from the famous Topolino onwards: here is their full and eventful story.

Synopsis

Always big on character and charm, Fiat’s little cars played an important international roll in providing affordable and practical private transport for millions who had previously thought their dream impossible.
With particular emphasis on the now classic 600 and Nuova 500 cars, this book tells the full story of these ‘baby’ Fiats. Built, and exported to, many countries outside of the marque’s native Italy, over 6.5 million Topolinos, 600s and Nuova 500s were sold, and an amazing number survive to this today. Also covered are the wonderful models built on these cars’ tiny chassis by Italy’s leading coachbuilders, and the motorsport success achieved by the Abarth versions of the little cars that everybody loves.

Additional Information

Includes appendices covering Clubs, suppliers and specialists, production figures, and specifications.

Table of Contents
  • Acknowledgements
  • Introduction
  • Chapter 1 - After zero
    Geneva 1955 | The Fiat story | Giacosa and the Topolino
  • Chapter 2 - Design and development
    The background | Concept | Tipo 100 | Getting closer ... | Problems ... | Acceptance
  • Chapter 3 - Challenge from Italy
    Small, but stamina, too | A threat to Britain | More for less | On the road | The engine | Carrozzeria creations
  • Chapter 4 - Evolution
    New worlds | The Multipla | Fiat v. Dauphine | 1957 | 1958 & 1959 | 600D | Safer doors | 600: the Universal car | Motorsport
  • Chapter 5 - A new Topolino
    The micro-car era | Genesis | Defining the details | The green light | Great launch but cool reaction
  • Chapter 6 - Small is beautiful
    A real baby car | On the road | Engine | Getting it right | The 500 Sport | Giardiniera | 500D | 1961 | 500F | 1968 | 500R | Coachbuilt variants
  • Chapter 7 - The variants
    Abarth and the sporting Fiats | 600 becomes Fiat Abarth 750 | Fiat Abarth 750 Zagato | Zagato Series II & III | Abarth and the Nuova 500 | Record breakers | Abarth TC | 850TC N¤rburgring Corsa | Fiat Abarth 1000TC | 1000TC Radiale | Abarth 595 | Abarth 695 | Bertone and Boano Spyders, Viotti CoupÄ | Bialbero and Monomille | Steyr-Puch | 600 Multipla | Neckar and NSU-Fiat | Autobianchi | Vignale | Ghia | SEAT | Siata | Zastava | Motor Holdings, New Zealand
  • Chapter 8 - The end of an era
    Enter the 850 | Fiat 127 and Panda | Fiat 126 | Cinquecento | Seicento
  • Chapter 9 - Living with a baby
    Fiat | Topolino | The 600 and Multipla | 500 Nuova | Fiat 126 | The Cinquecento | The Seicento | The philosophy behind the Seicento | A matter of choice | Nuts and bolts | Post-introduction modifications | Special editions | Seicento production | Seicento production figures | Buying a used Seicento | Servicing intervals | Sporting models | The future

  • Appendices
    Australian clubs | Belgian clubs | British clubs | Other British clubs/registers | British suppliers & specialists | Dutch clubs | Dutch suppliers & specialists | Finnish clubs | French clubs | German clubs | German suppliers & specialists | Italian clubs | New Zealand clubs | South african clubs | Swiss clubs | USA clubs | USA suppliers & specialists | Production figures | Specifications | Topolino 500A | Topolino 500B | Topolino 500C | Fiat 600 | Fiat 600D | 600 Multipla | 600D Multipla | Nuova 500 | Nuova 500D | 500 Giardiniera | Nuova 500F and 500L | 500R | 126 | 126 Bis | 850 | Cinquecento 700 | Cinquecento 900i cat | Cinquecento 900 (from mid-1995) | Cinquecento Sporting | Seicento & Seicento Sporting

  • Bibliography
  • Index