Whatever might be said in favour of the pre-War Topolino or the 1990s Cinquecento, neither of them even approached the charm of the Nuova (“new”) 500, which was introduced in 1957 and survived until 1975. Everything about its design was functional, yet somehow Dante Giacosa (1905-1996) created one of the most appealing-looking cars ever built. Widely respected though he is for his other work, the 500 is surely his masterpiece, and properly put Italy on wheels. Remarkably given its size, it was even sold in America for a short period, shifting around 300 examples there.

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