This poor, scared, and neglected Fiat Nueva Cinquenta was hiding behind a restaurant after being left all alone with nowhere to go in the midst of a bustling metropolis. I don’t blame it for hiding, but it could have done a better job of concealing itself.
Poor thing! The wide traffic choked roads of Atlanta full of fast moving SUVs and commercial trucks is no place for a tiny old Italian microcar.
It was designed for narrow backstreets of old Italian city centers the size of the disused wheelchair ramp where it hid. Atlanta’s confusing grid of wide 2-6 lane one way streets are not the ideal use case for the Italian machine.
The nook it nestled itself in is pretty tight. Impressively tight actually.
I presume the railing was built around it. I don’t see another way it could have been parked there. Is it supposed to be a promotional piece for the restaurant behind it? Who knows?
I do love the Abarth stripe on it. The body was in good condition with just a small amount of rust bubbling on the door and some surface rust on the wheelwells. It is pretty clean for a nonfunctional prop.
Of course the paint had seen better days. The Georgia sun takes its toll on cars. Shame, since the exterior was probably in excellent condition when it was placed here.
In the shade of the building, even the rubbers and plastics were good where they had been sheltered from the sun.
The “Nueva 500" badging means this Fiat is a later run model.
The lines on this classic runabout are so iconic that even people who have no idea what it is instantly conjure up images of beautiful sunny Italian countryside and pleasant winding roads to enjoy with the cloth sunroof retracted. Truly a work of art.
Though I am obviously glad I got to see this poor old 500, that’s not how you treat a senior citizen who has earned its keep.
I almost forgot! The interior! It has clearly been well loved and likely had a full restoration performed sometime long ago.
The inside of the car is every bit as classic as the exterior. The large thin steering wheel and elegantly simplistic dash layout is perfect for cruising windy Italian roads in comfort. The horizontal speedometer is a bit less classic than the earlier circular gauge layout, but I don’t mind.
Even though this may be the smallest car I’ve ever really got a good look at, I expect I could still fit quite comfortably albeit snugly in the cabin. Shifting might be hard with a tall passenger though; knees and arms want to rest exactly where the tiny little shift lever sits.
I can’t say the same of the backseat. That can’t be comfortable if you are over 5" tall.
Poor, poor Fiat. It was always too good for us and how do we repay it? Shoving it in a filthy corner and letting the sun bake it to a fine crisp.