Fiat 501

Fiat 501 from 1919 to 1926
Manufacturer	Fiat SA, Turin, Italy
Class	Small car
Body style	4-door sedan 2/4-door cabriolet
Layout	FR layout
Engine	straight-4 1460 cc
Transmission	4-speed manual
Wheelbase	265 cm (104.3 in)
Curb weight	900 kg (1,984 lb)-1,000 kg (2,205 lb)

In 1919, after the end of the First World War, while the majority of European car manufacturers resumed production with tried and trusted pre-war models, Fiat amazed the world with its revolutionary 501 model. It was a vehicle of a simple design but good performance,reliable, and economical. Its bodywork started a new trend, and served as a model for European 'compact' cars. The 501, powered by a 1460 cc in-line four-cylinder engine, was designed by lawyer, Carlo Cavalli, Fiat's technical director. With it this talented and hardworking man proved his genius in mechanical designing to people who had always regarded him as only a man of the law. From 1919 to 1926 nearly 70,000 of these cars were made.

The car had a four-speed gearbox, and the chassis was fitted with rigid axles supported on semi-elliptic springs. The standard model had a top speed of 70km/h (44mph). Some 2614 of the more powerful 501 S were also built, with a cruising speed as high as 100km/h (62mph).
Fiat also made the model 505, with a 2.3 litre four-cylinder engine, and the model 510 with a 3.5 litre six-cylinder engine. In 1921 came the Super Fiat 520, of which only five were built. It had a V-12-cylinder 6805 cc engine and a maximum speed of 120km/h (130mph).