Fiat’s charming little 500, or cinquecento, as it was known in Italy, was a mainstay throughout Europe in the late 1950s and remains so today. Purpose-built to provide practical low-cost transportation to the masses, it has become an enduring icon of Italian culture. Despite being purpose-built for cost efficiency, the little Fiat’s compact dimensions and fully independent suspension made it a joy to drive, and the cinquecento would come to define Fiat.

Based on the standard version of the Fiat 500, the Giardiniera benefited from front quarter lights, winding windows in the doors and sliding windows at the rear. The Giardiniera retained its suicide doors throughout production even when the later saloon cars were built with front-hinged doors. In addition, the sunroof folded back three-quarters of the roof length, providing ample opportunity for all passengers to enjoy both fresh air and exposure to the elements.

In order to provide the Giardiniera with a useful flat-loading platform, an innovative engineering solution was used: a 499.5-cc motor was turned on its side and laid under the rear floor. Engine cooling relied on air collected from grilles on the body sides, which were mounted as high as possible to reduce road dust being drawn into the engine compartment and to keep engine noise down.

The Fiat 500 Giardiniera offered here has recently been restored to a very high standard by a Paris-based specialist and represents a fantastic example of this most practical of Fiat’s iconic 500, a testament to the reliability and durability of the Fiat 500 platform.