STILL A BEAUTIFUL BABY

The Fiat 500, or ‘Bambina’ as it was christened in New Zealand — a name quickly adopted in other markets — is one of the best-loved Italian cars ever. Conceived out of Italy’s post-war economic boom, it brought personal mobility to families from all walks of life, from Sicily to Bologna and beyond.

The recipe was ruthlessly simple. A twin-cylinder 500cc petrol engine, fourspeed manual box, and bare essentials interior. The ‘Cinquecento’, as it was known at home, was designed, like the Vespa, simply to give people a cheap-to-run way of getting from