Fiat Cinquecento

The Fiat Cinquecento (Type 170) (/ˌtʃɪŋkwɪˈtʃɛntoʊ/,

Italian:  [ˌtʃiŋkweˈtʃɛnto]) is a front engine front-wheel-
Fiat Cinquecento
drive, four passenger, three door hatchback city car,
manufactured and marketed by Fiat from 1991–1998 over
a single generation.

It was manufactured at Fiat Auto Poland, which had

manufactured its predecessor the Fiat 126.

Production of the Cinquecento ended in 1998, on

introduction of the Fiat Seicento.

Overview
Contents Manufacturer Fiat
Design FSM
Engines Also called FSM Cinquecento
704 cc Production 1991–1998 (1,164,525
903/899 cc units[1])
1.1 FIRE (Sporting)
Assembly Tychy, Poland
Elettra
Designer Ermanno Cressoni
Abarth
Body and chassis
Concepts
Class City car (A)
Production figures
Body style 3-door hatchback
In popular culture
Layout Front-engine, front-wheel-
References drive
External links Powertrain
Engine 704 cc I2 (petrol)
Design 899 cc Tipo 100 I4 (petrol)
903 cc Tipo 100 I4 (petrol)
The origins of the Cinquecento trace to the early 1980s,
1108 cc FIRE I4 (petrol)
with focused research projects of the Consiglio Nazionale
delle Ricerche in Rome, studying a super-economical Dimensions
vehicle -- from which a series of prototypes evolved, with Wheelbase 2,200 mm (86.6 in)[2]
abbreviations X1/72 to X1/79.[3] In parallel, FSM, not yet
Length 3,230 mm (127.2 in)
under FIAT's ownership, was studying the BOSMAL, a
small car project that would culminate in the concept 3,226 mm (127.0 in)
Beskid 106. Acquisition of FSM by the Italian automotive (Sporting)
group led to the abandonment of this prototype in favor of
Width 1,490 mm (58.7 in)
a car that incorporated some of the concepts of the X1/7
series of previous years (until 1993 the cars produced in
Poland were marketed as FSM rather than FIAT models). 1,486 mm (58.5 in)
Notably, Patrick Le Quément, Renault's chief designer, (Sporting)
sought similar inspiration from the BOSMAL study,
resulting in the first generation Renault Twingo. Height 1,435 mm (56.5 in)
Kerb weight 675–727 kg (1,488–
Launched in December 1991 to replace the Fiat 126, the 1,603 lb)
Cinquecento was designed by Ermanno Cressoni in
collaboration with Antonio Piovano; the interior was Chronology
designed by Claudio Mottino and Giuseppe Bertolusso. Predecessor Fiat 126
Successor Fiat Seicento
The Cinquecento featured independent suspension front
and in the rear,
front disc brakes, side
impact beams, crumple
zone and galvanized body
panels.

Steering was unassisted

rack and pinion.
Beskid 106 prototype developed in
Options included central Rear view
the 1980s by FSM
locking, power windows,
sunroof, full-length
retractable canvas roof, split rear seat, headlight range adjustment,
and air conditioning.

The right hand drive version for the British market was launched in June 1993, as one of the few city cars
marketed in the UK.

Engines
The Cinquecento was initially available with two engine choices, with the 1.1 L FIRE or "sporting" joining
the lineup later. Although the 704  cc engine was mounted longitudinally, the bigger units were fitted
transversely, making the little Fiat one of the few cars in the world available with both configurations at the
same time.[4][5]

704 cc

The smallest engine, intended for sale in Poland only, was a 704 cc OHV two cylinder unit, delivering 31
metric horsepower (23 kW) or 30 metric horsepower (22 kW) with catalyst. Cinquecento inherited this unit
from the 126p BIS, an evolution of the 126p which was cancelled when the Cinquecento production
started.

In order to be fitted in the front-wheel drive Cinquecento, it underwent a major refurbishment (although the
engine still employed a carburettor), which resulted, among other changes, in the crankshaft revolving in
the opposite direction than in the 126p BIS.[4][5]

903/899 cc
The bigger engine was the 903 cc 40 PS (29 kW; 39 hp) version of the veteran Fiat 100 OHV four cylinder
engine, which saw service in many small Fiat models, starting with Fiat 850. (This engine dates back to the
initial 633 cc unit as introduced in the 1955 FIAT 600.)

It was fitted with single point fuel injection and was the base engine in most markets. Due to fiscal
limitations, the displacement of this unit was limited to 899 cc in 1993, with a slight reduction of output,
now producing 39 PS (29 kW; 38 hp).[4][5] This engine is derived from that used in the Fiat 127.

While it still retains OHV chain drive pushrod layout it now has hydraulic tappets. Also now uses twin coil
distributorless ignition.

1.1 FIRE (Sporting)

In 1994, Fiat introduced the Cinquecento Sporting, featuring the 1108 cc

SOHC FIRE 54 PS (40 kW; 53 hp) engine from the entry level Punto of
the same era, mated to a close ratio gearbox. Other additions were a drop in
standard ride height, front anti roll bar, 13" alloy wheels, plus colour coded
bumpers and mirrors. The interior saw a tachometer added, along with
sports seats, red seatbelts and a leather steering wheel and gear knob.
Cinquecento Sporting
It is the Sporting model which gave birth to a rallying trophy and a Group
A Kit-Car version.[4][5]

Elettra

From 1992 to 1996, Fiat also produced and sold an electric variant of the
Cinquecento called the Elettra. The car was offered with either a lead acid
or NiCd battery pack, providing a ranges of 62  mi (100  km) and 93  mi Cinquecento Trofeo
(150 km) respectively. Unlike purpose built electric cars, the Cinquecento
Elettra used two battery packs, one in the engine bay and one under the
rear seats, replacing the fuel tank.

Although selling for 140,000 francs (~US$23,000), the Cinquecento Elettra enjoyed relative popularity in
Italy, France and Switzerland.[6]

Abarth
Fiat offered optional extras from the factory labelled with the Abarth name. The Abarth extras for the
Cinquecento consisted of cosmetic changes only. A front apron with fitted fog lights, a rear apron, side
skirts and a rear spoiler with a fitted 3rd brake light. There were also a set of 13" Speedline five spoke
alloys wheels available, instead of the standard Sporting alloys.

Unlike true Abarth models, there were no engine upgrades available from the factory and the car could not
be purchased as a whole separate model. The Abarth parts were to be added by the purchaser at the time of
ordering, hence it is common to see cars with only some of the Abarth extras.

Concepts
During the 1990s, a number of concept cars based on the Fiat Cinquecento were developed, by a number
of design houses, including one that featured half of the car's interior and a running board to place bikes.
Another of these designs was the Lucciola, a proposal for a new
Cinquecento by Giorgetto Giugiaro. However, instead of the car becoming
the next small Fiat city car, a version of the design ended up being put into
production by the South Korean Daewoo Motor, as their Matiz in 1998.
Instead, Fiat decided to update the Cinquecento's styling in early 1998 and
relaunch it as the Seicento, which continued until 2010 and enabled the
Cinquecento's basic design and most of its mechanicals to survive for
nearly 20 years. Cinquecento Abarth

Production figures
Year Production (units)[1]
1991 6,020
1992 83,299
1993 192,294
1994 188,973
1995 204,508
1996 205,296
1997 203,589
1998 80,546

In popular culture
Ten years after it was discontinued, the Cinquecento became known for its appearance in the British sitcom
The Inbetweeners, as Simon Cooper’s car for the majority of the series. Made into a fictional special edition
known as the Hawaii, this particular Cinquecento was painted yellow with pink and blue decals on the
tailgate, and a distinct red passenger side door was added after James Buckley's character ripped the
original one off. As of 2021, the car used for filming is still alive and fully taxed.

References
1. FCA Poland – Tychy Plant (https://fcagroup.pl/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/ZakladTychy201
6_ENG.pdf) (PDF). FCA Poland. p. 26.
2. "Fiat Cinquecento" (http://www.carfolio.com/search/results/?terms=Fiat+Cinquecento).
carfolio.com. Retrieved 11 October 2007.
3. "The Fiat X1 / 7 project" (https://web.archive.org/web/20131101183911/http://www.autoparer
i.com/forum/auto-depoca/5809-il-progetto-fiat-x1-7-a.html). autopareri.com. 24 March 2004.
Archived from the original (http://www.autopareri.com/forum/auto-depoca/5809-il-progetto-fia
t-x1-7-a.html) on 1 November 2013. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
4. "Fiat Cinquecento" (https://web.archive.org/web/20050401064203/http://www.carsfromitaly.c
om/fiat/index.html). carsfromitaly.com. Archived from the original (http://www.carsfromitaly.co
m/fiat/index.html) on 1 April 2005. Retrieved 26 August 2006.
5. "Samochody Świata" (in Polish). No. 3. 1992. pp. 146–147. Nr indeksu 371651.
6. "Elektromobil FIAT Cinquecento Elettra" (https://web.archive.org/web/20101123172907/htt
p://electroauto.cz/cinquecento_elettra.html) (in Czech). Archived from the original (http://ww
w.electroauto.cz/cinquecento_elettra.html) on 23 November 2010. Retrieved 12 May 2011.
External links
ClubCento - British owners club (http://www.clubcento.co.uk/)
Fiat Scotland - Scottish Fiat owners club (http://www.fiat-scotland.com/) Archived (https://we
b.archive.org/web/20080807135642/http://www.fiat-scotland.com/) 7 August 2008 at the
Wayback Machine

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