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When Dante Giacoso designed the new baby Fiat in the mid
1950s he couldn’t have envisaged that many would still
be scampering around 50 years on!
This car, as Italian as spaghetti bolognese, saw its
first year of production in 1957 as the Nuova 500 and
continued being produced until 1975. The early cars had
a 479cc engine with an output of 13bhp! Later cars had a
499cc engine with a 17bph. A little traffic light
dragger the Bambina was not, but it provided transport
for many Italians (and their families) during the 1950s
and 60s.
One proud owner of the Bambina is George Way, a retired
aircraft engineer, who has owned his Fiat 500 (Bambina)
for many years and before retiring used his car for the
daily commute to work. These funny little Italian cars
often engender an enthusiasm disproportionate to their
size, many remaining in longterm ownership with owners
reluctant to part with them.
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George’s car has been slightly modified which
gives it a bit more useable power. It has an
enlarged, if that’s the correct word, 540cc
engine and slightly fatter rear tyres. While
chatting to George for this article, he related
an interesting anecdote about a friend – also a
500 Bambina owner. Apparently this chap, also an
engineer, had installed a second fuel tank in
his car. He used the petrol in this tank to get
the engine started then switched to the main
tank and filled that with kerosene, of which he
had a free supply! You can’t get cheaper running
that that!
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Although distinctly recognisable as an Italian car, the
Bambinas have a strong New Zealand connection with local
assembly being carried out by
Torino Motors between 1961 and 1969. This
accounts for the relatively large number of roadworthy
Bambinas still on the New Zealand roads today.
Bambinas in competition
Carlo Abarth had been tuning
small Fiats since the mid 1950s, for racing, so it was
logical that his tuning company should exercise its
skills on the new Fiat 500. These cars competed in all
sorts of races in the sub 1000cc classes in Europe.
Similarly these little cars were used in competition in
New Zealand, notably in the Wills Six Hour race. Being
the smallest and lowest powered, it was not much of a
surprise when they came last! However, these races would
prove the cars’ reliability by running races
faultlessly, race after race.
In 1965 a team of women,
drivers and mechanics, entered the Wills Six Hour race
and, although they came last, they still attracted much
media attention.
Driving it
So what do these cars drive like? Well the first phrase
that springs to mind is ‘a wee bit of a challenge’! The
gearbox is non-synchromeshed, meaning that gear changes
must match engine speed to transmission speed – that’s
doubling the clutch when changing down a gear, something
younger drivers are unlikely to ever have to face now.
Once the driver has mastered this skill, which is not
too difficult, the little car is easy to direct with
nice, light steering. Progress is accompanied by the hum
of the chattering of the little two-cylinder engine in
the rear of the car. I think you would need to be a very
enthusiastic owner to drive in dense city traffic day in
and day out but as a weekend car to buzz down to the
local café for a cappuccino, or collect the groceries,
it’s a surprisingly useful car. Ah, and great for summer
with its sunroof! Oh yes, and in these days of rising
fossil fuel prices, very economical. How does 5.6 litres/100km
(50mpg) sound?
Yes, so it’s a ‘wee bit of a challenge’, but also a
small bundle of fun!
Buying one
If you fancy the idea of a baby Fiat, there are still
quite a few around and these days most are loved and
cared for by Bambina enthusiasts, so picking one up
isn’t impossible, but if you need something that can
easily ‘hack’ modern-day driving conditions you may not
have to wait too long. Fiat’s new baby is due out in
Europe in September 2007 and is expected here in
February 2008.
The new Fiat is based on the Trepiuno concept car of
2004 with a Fiat Panda platform; it is likely to have
the following engineering options, 1.2 litre petrol
69bhp, 1.4 petrol 99bhp and 1.3 mulitjet diesel 75bph.
If its looks and interior styling are anything to go by,
it is likely to embody the ‘must have’ appeal that those
other retro car products, the new mini and VW Beetle,
acquired.
Specification and
interesting facts
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Capacity: 499cc
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Cooling: air
cooled
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Output: 17.5 @
4,400rpm
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Max Speed: 95km
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Electrics: 12
volts
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Weight: 500kg
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Fiat 500 was
originally proposed to ‘star’ with Michael Caine in the
original movie ‘The Italian Job’ before the Mini was
settled on.
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New Zealand was
the only country in which the Fiat 500 was named the
Bambina.
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Named by
British magazine 'Top Gear' as the ‘sexiest car’ in the
world.
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