Fiat Cinquecento

A city car designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro launched by Fiat in late 1991 to replace the Fiat 126. It was the first Fiat model to be solely manufactured in the FSM plant in Tychy, Poland, which had been sold to Fiat by the Polish state, and where production of the Polish variant of the Fiat 126, the Polski Fiat 126p, was still running. Production of the Cinquecento ended in 1998, when it was replaced by the Seicento. Despite its name, its lowest displacement was 704 cc.

Unlike the rear-wheel drive 126, the Cinquecento was a front-wheel drive car. Whereas the 126 was sold with a rear and later a mid mounted engine, the Cinquecento now featured a front mounted engine.

It was initially available with two engine choices, with the 1.1 L FIRE or "sporting" joining the lineup later. Interestingly, while 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.



Engine  

• 704 cc ohv I2
• 903 cc ohv I4
• 899 cc ohv I4
• 1108 cc ohc FIRE I4
• 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!

903/899 cc

The bigger engine was the 903 cc 40 PS (29 kW; 39 hp) version of the veteran 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). 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.