The Fiat 500 (also known as the Cinquecento) went on sale in 1957 with a rear-mounted 479-cubic-centimeter two-cylinder engine driving the rear wheels. Later, there was a 499-cc variant.

which is the ancestor of today’s Fiat 500. Along with tiny cars such as the Volkswagen Beetle, the Topolino helped pave the way for tiny, fuel-efficient cars in the United States. From the March ...