Story: Adil Jal Darukhanawala         Photography: Kunal Khadse

The stylishly neo-retro Fiat 500 Cinquecento has to be the ultimate in small car chic but it is also a stunning reflection of what Fiat does best: small cars. Shame about the pricing though, even if it is a CBU says Adil Jal Darukhanawala after having fun in this pocket rocket.

Let's talk what is mighty about the Cinquecento first:

- Stunningly styled modern take-off on a much loved original which was the Fiat Nuova 500 from 1957.

- It is a car which identifies with the old and the young in one compact package without making either feel ashamed of getting in and using it in the urban European environ. Heck it would work wonders in crowded Indian streets just as well.

- It is a triumph of Fiat's engineering and design capabilities, using established hardware and floorpan to spin off an all-new, all-different product at ridiculously low development costs.

- It is mega in its essence as a city car, great in today's socially conscious times where to have less is great.

- For a car so small (just 3546mm long and built on a short 2300mm wheelbase) it has impeccable manners and agility.

- Mighty in its employment of the famous Fiat 1.3 Multijet diesel engine with killer fuel efficiency to set it apart from the rest.

The above six attributes are just a small selection of what the Fiat 500 stands for. It is a car which is ridiculously simple but highly effective. And it was born at a time when Fiat was bleeding, needed major surgery to survive and is a classic example of how the Italians snatch victory from the jaws of despair and defeat, over and over again. Such a scenario has been enacted practically once every second decade at least where Fiat is concerned and while it was the original Uno which helped bring Fiat back from the brink in the early 1980s, the Cinquecento has done the saviour act this time round along with the Panda on which it is based.

And this car is now in India, a flag bearer of sorts for the brand. It is a great commuting tool and a joy to drive and own, any and all sorts of onlookers breaking into smiles the minute they set eyes on the car. Brought in as a fully built CBU, it is obscenely priced and is only meant for the swish set to strut their Page 3 stuff all in a bid to emphasise their style and eco-consciousness.

Let's take the style element first. It is a front-engined, front wheel drive machine whereas the original was a rear-engined, rear wheel drive car specifically designed and built for the tight tiny roads of Italy in the middle of the last century. Many can stylize large cars to make them beautiful but try doing that to small packages and as noted automotive designer and stylist Dilip Chhabria can vouch for, it is just a massive task fraught with difficulty, especially packaging the aggregates and yet delivering space, comfort and good dynamic ability.

The Fiat Trepiuno concept car from 2004 was the precursor for the 21st century Cinquecento. Fiat needed to get back to winning ways and for that it needed product, product and even newer products. All these without recourse to seemingly large spends for development and manufacturing. The city car brigade in Europe is one where the econ-conscious reside and therefore Frank Stephenson, design boss of Fiat's Centro Stile decided that this is what Fiat would cater to but in a most stylish manner. Of course Stephenson had an advantage. He was also the creator of another modern take on an all time classic small car – the Mini by BMW so he knew the route to take for the new Cinquecento. Borrowing as many aggregates from other cars in the massive Fiat inventory, he productionised the new 500 by basing it on the floorpan of the Panda and engineered it to accept a range of proven powerplants where the effectiveness of the package would be manifold.

What emerged in mid-2007 was a charming little pocket rocket inoffensive in its turnout yet simply effective in its appeal and performance. In matters of proportioning it is classic Italian chic, in the league of the original Vespas and the early Topolinos. However where it scores over all small cars, barring the Mini of course, is in the quality of its detailing. God, as they always say in the automotive world, lies in the details and when you steal a peek into the cabin, you are literally in automotive heaven. There is an art form to the interior, minimality like the Scandinavians do but with the artistic touch of a Michael Angelo. The dual toned dashboard features detail like the original in the use of a body painted panel colour co-ordinated with soft touch materials. The single pod instrument binnacle with speedo cum odmeter cleverly integrated into one seductive unit is pure Latin art while the steering wheel boss harks back to the mid-1950s yet is adorned on either side with the feather touch switches for the multi-functional controls.