Fiat Cinquecento First and second series

Manufacturer	FIAT
Type	Motor car
Production	1991 to 1994
Produced	1 164 525
Length	3230  m m
Width	1490 mm
Height	1440 mm
Step	2200 mm
Mass	735  k g
assembling	Tychy ( Poland )
Style	Ermanno Cressoni

The Fiat Cinquecento is a super-mini model produced by the Italian car manufacturer FIAT from 1991 to 1998.

The car was designed by the architect designer Ermanno Cressoni in collaboration with Antonio Piovano ; the interiors were instead designed by Claudio Mottino and Giuseppe Bertolusso . It was the first car of the Turin-based company to be produced exclusively in Poland , in the Tychy factory , first alongside then replacing 126 .

The Cinquecento was particularly advanced in its technical profile, being equipped with a squared, compact 3-door body, engine and front-wheel drive, independent wheel suspension , front and optional disc brakes such as: electric windows, air conditioning, headlight range adjustment, central locking , electronic anti-theft device, sunroof and split rear seat. The Cinquecento was also the first FIAT to adopt the new rectangular logo with a blue background.

The first series of the ED (acronym for Economy Drive ) was presented to the Italian press on December 15th 1991 Two engines were available at the launch: the twin-cylinder 704cc of the ED version and the 903cc of the Fiat 100 series family .together with the 903cc version derived from Fiat 127. It was very well received by the public, both Italian and European, despite the small engine, modest performance and lack of fifth gear. It was especially appreciated for its low consumption and its low management costs. Externally it has black plastic bumpers and steel rims, unlike the 903 version with non-integral studs that cover only the area around the 4 bolts of the rims. The mirrors (one or two depending on the optionals) and the handles are not in the same color as the bodywork, as is the fuel cap, in the first series until the beginning of 1993, round and without cover.

The small car, whose weight was around 675 kg, is powered by a twin-cylinder (engine code 170 A.000) with in-line but horizontal cylinders, derived directly from that of the Fiat 126. It is water-cooled and equipped with a double-sided Weber carburetor with Nanoplex MED 210 static ignition control unit, which generates a power output of 31 hp (equal to 23 KW) at 5,000 rpm, enough to push the car into fourth gear at about 128 km / h. The lubrication system is lobed (it will be mechanical on the upper versions) while the cooling system is liquid. The muffler is not catalytic in the first version, updated in the second. As for the passenger compartment, it is very spacious and practical. All the dashboard in the first series is dark black, gray in all other subsequent versions (except for theSporting ). There is no central console or storage cabinet and the power windows are optional. It is however equipped with defroster on the rear window, rear wiper, adjustable belts and head restraints (only front, the rear ones were intended only for the foreign market, such as Poland). Among the options there was also the predisposition for the car radio. The first instrument panel reproduced the one of its ancestor 126 Bis, equipped with rectangular warning lights on the left, speedometer in the center (with full scale at 160 km / h) and water temperature indicators and petrol level on the right, supplanted in the subsequent series with the same of the 903cc and 899cc versions.

The Cinquecento 903cc with carburetor remained on the market for a few months in 1992, replaced by the version with electronic injection and catalyst. It is currently the rarest version of the entire Cinquecento series (excluding particular versions of Sporting and 903cc itself).

The 903cc version (170 A1.000 engine code), richer than the ED in terms of standard equipment, fitted a Weber carburetor capable of developing at 5500 rpm 30 KW (equal to 41 bhp) of maximum power, increasing both the snap from a standstill that the maximum speed, which rises to about 140 km / h. Consumption rises slightly but in relation to greater performance (in the urban cycle it consumes less than 704 cc.).

However the 903cc carburettor engine was soon supplanted by the SPI electronic injection and by a reduction in displacement to 899cc by injection for purely ecological and fiscal step reasons, also becoming the technical basis of the first series of the new seventeenth of 1998.

Second series (1993-1994)

The second series is characterized by a slight update. The front Fiat logo is reduced by a good 30%, making it smaller. The little aesthetic cap of the visible tank disappears, replaced with the same door in the same color as the bodywork of the 903cc and 899cc. Engine and accessory parts of the ED remain the same, but the car is equipped with a catalytic converter in accordance with Euro 1 directives and is powered by a new complex Japanese Aisan carburetor with electronic management and a Nanoplex MED 211 static ignition unit. The optional is introduced of the green athermic glasses with a compass back, clear and fixed base on the first series.

Internally the color of the interior and of the dashboard change, which is now entirely light gray with the black removable cap. The seats have two colors, which the 704cc shares with the 899cc S and with the first Suite version of 1993:

After 1992, the instrument panel also changed, adopting that of the 903cc and the future 899cc in the Suite and SX versions .

From 1993 to 1997 the 899cc version (engine code 1170 A1.046) was produced in a large number of copies in three separate versions starting from 1994.

Version S The main feature of this version, adopted also on the SX and Suite versions , will be the synchronized 5-speed gearbox, which will contribute to greater driving comfort, especially during motorway sections.The version called S mounts larger tires, the same base that will mount the Sporting, or the 155/65 / r13, which guarantee greater road holding and greater overall performance.The engine is now equipped with WEBER-MARELLI SPI-IAW electronic ignition, which guarantees simpler use and lower running costs since everything is controlled by an integrated control unit. The benefits remain unchanged.

The standard options included: 5-speed gearbox, integral wheel cups, athermic glasses, backward opening compass windows, digital and anti-theft clock with FIAT CODE (absent on the ED version).In the S version , bumpers, handles and rear-view mirrors are not matching. Internally the instrument panel is missing the water thermometer (inserted in the update of the entire 1995 range).

The optional extras included:

• Alloy wheels 4''1 / 2
• Electric windows
• Exterior right rear view mirror
• Central locking
• Headlight alignment corrector + halogen headlights
• Radio set-up
• Split rear seat
• Metallic paint
• Manual opening roof.
• Electronic alarm

The colors available were (from 1994 onwards):

Pastel:

• 113 Red Racing
• 249 White
• 479 Blue Line
• 601 Black

metallics

• 368 Green Flag
• 487 Blue Laser
• 645 Gray Trend

SX version 

The SX version is outwardly richer design. Rear-view mirrors and bumpers are body-colored, with integrated black bumper strips. The projectors are smoky and the rims have integral wheel cups. Inside stands the new central cabinet taken directly from the Sporting set-up, which also includes a new gear lever (5-speed) and a leatherette cap, a digital watch, rear-opening compass windows and electric windows. Another detail, shared with the Suite, Sporting, Soleil and Hobby is the uniform red color of the rear lights and the darts of the gray instead of the orange headlights.

The optional extras are the same as those of the S version , except for the central locking, the electric windows, the right-hand exterior rear-view mirror and the internal tailgate opening control. The colors available are the same, except for two metallized colors:

• 176 Red Action
• 465 Blue Bell

The Suite version is the one with the most standard accessories of the whole range. Bumpers, handles and mirrors are the same color as the bodywork, making the car very colorful and appreciated. The biggest peculiarity, already appeared on the first 1993 Suite series , is the air conditioning, optional reserved for cars of a superior category. The dashboard is the same as the SX version with the addition of the two air conditioner controls, located above the rear window wiper button. We find all the options of the SX and the same design of the upholstery.

From 1995 as an optional payment (on all versions except the ED, called Young in its last existence) we find the driver-side Airbag with the pretensioners on the front belts, the predisposition for the car radio and the electronic anti-theft device.

Special versions

La Scioneri 

The Cinquecento 903cc in 1993, in very limited series (the data are very uncertain on the number of cars built) was aesthetically modified by the famous Scioneri body shop based in Piedmont. The external painting was equipped with a very thin double colored band that ran along the entire perimeter of the body. The Scioneri emblem was positioned on the rear door and on the driver's side. Brand new alloy wheels today extremely rare. The upholstery was also revised. The seats were upholstered in blue alcantara and fitted with full headrests. Even the door panels were fitted with the same fabric. The Nardi three-spoke leather steering wheel is also specific. This version is extremely rare.

The Giannini 

Also in 1993, the car manufacturer Giannini customized the Cinquecento 903cc in a limited edition. Outwardly stand out the colored bumpers and the particular three-spoke alloy wheels. Internally the upholstery was revised. The seats, brown like the carpet, bore the "G" of the car manufacturer. The central eyelid of the dashboard was covered with wood (most likely fake) with the addition of a 4-spoke wooden steering wheel.

The Trophy 

In 1993 the first sports model was created, the Cinquecento Trofeo, also known internationally as the Cinquecento Trophy or Cinquecento Rally. With the successes achieved over the years in the field of competitions, he has obtained the necessary awards to establish the exclusive Italian mono-brand championship called "Trofeo Cinquecento". This version was never intended for the public for road use. The basis for setting up the Trofeo version was a common 903 version, which can be purchased in a Fiat Dealership together with the official Fiat / Abarth kit. Classified pilots could pass to professionalism in the Monte Carlo Rally, with Sporting Kit version