Dante Giacosa dedicates all his energy and effort to the project of the “minimal” car: minimal in size, components, and production costs. And in price. Many ideas were discarded, and then the winning suggestion arrived from young Hans Peter Bauhof in Deutsche-Fiat in Heilbronn. When it debuted in 1957 the welcome was only lukewarm: the New 500 was too poor and too costly. However, after some months it was corrected, and then it was success. It became a social phenomenon, not only due to the numbers, but due to its role in society. The one displayed here is a 500 F, which finally abandoned the forward-hinged doors. The Museum received it from Gian Paolo Zanetta in 2001.
