1966 Fiat 500D Giardiniera

Fiat model 500 belongs to micro car class. Measuring only 2.97 meters (9 feet 9 inches) long, and originally powered by an appropriately sized 479 cc two-cylinder, air-cooled engine, the 500 redefined the term "small car" and is considered one of the first city cars. The car was offered with 2-door fastback sedan, 3-door station wagon, fastback coupe body shapes between the years 1957 and 1975. A major change during a model run occurred in 1960, 1965, 1972. Cars were equipped with range of engines of 479 - 594 cc displacement, delivering 9.5 - 18.4 kW of power. Replacing the original Nuova, the new 500 series D was launched in the autumn of 1960. The D looks very similar, but there are two key differences. One is the engine size (the D features an uprated 499cc engine producing 17 bhp as standard, a top speed of 95 km/h and average consumption of 4.8 liters/100 km) and the other is the roof (the D roof does not fold back as far as the roof on the Nuova. The canvas roof was now sturdier, easier to open and slightly smaller). The D also features “suicide doors” and the white walls returned on the tires. A station wagon variation in 1960, the Giardiniera. The wheelbase was extended by four inches and the engine laid on its side, under a trap door in the rear floor. The rear door was side-hinged and the sunroof was full-length. The Fiat 500 was always a huge seller in Europe, with nearly 3.5 million in 18 years, but they were not sold in the U.S. after 1961, since a 9-foot 9 inch-long, 1,070-pound car with a 50 mph top speed was too frightening to contemplate on American roads. Genuine U.S. imports are easy to recognize since they had seven-inch headlights grafted onto the nose, replacing the five-inch European lights. Giardiniera’s are generally the next most sought-after 500.