Progress report: 1964 Fiat 500 vs 2021 Fiat 500

There may be a near six-decade age difference between these two, but as the saying goes, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. First launched in 1957, the Nuova (new) 500 measured just 2.97m long by 1.32m wide and 1.32m tall, weighing in at 470kg, while power came from a 479cc two-cylinder, air-cooled rear engine producing 13bhp and good for 53mph. It would remain on sale for the next 18 years, with nearly four million rolling off the production line.

Photography: Rowan Horncastle 

With thanks to: The Classic Car Company for the loan of its Fiat 500

With every generation the 500 has piled on a few pounds, and this latest version measures 3.63m long by 1.68m wide and 1.53m tall. It weighs in at a comparatively hefty 1,365kg, but let’s not forget the heavy batteries it has to haul around all day – buyers currently have the choice of 24 or 42kWh versions, good for a claimed 118 miles and 199 miles respectively. This one’s the latter.

Heavens, no. See, despite the growth spurt and heart surgery, the new model not only retains the adorable looks of the original, but it’s nigh-on impossible to drive it without a smile on your face. Marmite the Rose Gold paint job may be, but pedestrians cannot help but glance as you glide silently past, while other drivers let you out at junctions with merry abandon. This baby blue 500 D series example, produced from 1960–1965, is even more infectious, boasting an uprated 499cc engine producing 17bhp for a 59mph top speed, and weighing in at a slightly heavier 500kg compared with the launch model. While the styling remained largely the same, complete with rear-hinged doors, it adopted a slightly smaller roof, plus tweaked front indicators and rear light clusters.

Oh, yes. But that’s not to say the original isn’t, with two snug seats up front plus space for the little ’uns. There are more similarities elsewhere inside, too. Take the original two-spoke wheel which Fiat has retained, if reduced in size and with added gizmos, in its electric 500. Then there’s the instrument cluster – a single speedo in the original, but reinvented in the same shape for the digital age in the new one. Need we mention today’s convertible variant?

Thought you’d never ask. The 500 went on sale in Italy in 1957 for around £265, the equivalent of £7k in today’s money. The cheapest electric 500 available today costs just shy of £24k. This particular example costs from £27,995 on the road, or £30,132 as tested – thanks to optional extras including a winter pack, electrically adjustable and heated mirrors, and wireless mobile charging. No need for that back in the original Fiat 500’s day. Simpler times.