After the Second world war, the automotive industry of many European countries were in deep crisis. The post-war devastation, unemployment, inflation — all of this contributed to the growth of sales of expensive models. In these circumstances, many European firms began to produce a compact motorized wheelchairs, it is available to the public.
One of those firms was Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino, better known to motorists as the FIAT. Before the war she produced a miniature double car FIAT 500 Topolino (“little mouse”), which became a blockbuster in Italy. In the postwar years it was replaced by more modern FIAT 600, even more popular than its predecessor in the 1960s, the company produced more than 1 million of these cars.
But the greatest popularity among the compact cars of the company acquired the FIAT Nuova 500 of 1957. The technical level of the micro-car, only was at that time quite high with a 13-horsepower engine could accelerate to 85 km/h! FIAT Nuova-500 was released about 15 years — during this time the company has produced more than 3 million cars.
FIAT Nuova-500: rear engine, inline 2-cylinder, air-cooled displacement — 0,479 litres, power — 13 HP at 4000 rpm./min; transmission — manual 4-speed; front suspension independent, transverse leaf spring with hydraulic shock absorbers; brakes — drums on all wheels; body — double, two-door, bearing type; maximum speed of 85 km/h.
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