From 1957 to 1975 the 2nd generation Fiat 500 was Italy's beloved national car and became an icon of the 20th century alongside Britain's Mini and the German VW Beetle. The first-generation model was officially named Nuova 500 (Nuova Cinquecento) which is 'new' in Italian but was commonly known as Topolino meaning 'little mouse'. The current Fiat 500 popular in Japan will be the 3rd or even 4th generation. The Prima Serie was the earliest model, released for only a few months starting in July 1957, and was available only in a convertible body. It was as basic as possible to reduce cost with two front seats (bench seat option also available), fixed side windows except for the push open triangle section, and no body decorations. The lightweight body weighed less than 500kg and was powered by a 497cc air-cooled in-line 2-cyclinder OHV engine mounted in the rear that produced 13.5ps. While performance and design were widely praised, sales were slow due to the lack of features. In response to this, a model with improved functionality and comfort was released and became a worldwide sensation.
