Fiat 500 Wallpaper, #12785

The Fiat 500 (the "cinquecento", /tʃin.kwe.tʃen.to/, or "chin-kwe-chen-to", from the Italian word for "500") is a car produced by the Fiat company of Italy between 1957 and 1975 (the Fiat 500 K alone was produced until 1977). It was designed by Dante Giacosa.To meet the demands of the post-war market which called for economy cars, the Fiat 500 was rear-engined on the pattern of the Volkswagen Beetle, just like its bigger brother, the 1955 Fiat 600. Several car makers followed this now nearly vanished design at the time and were quite successful, but only the Fiat 500 was used as the template for other car makers in Europe. The firms Neckar of Germany and Steyr-Puch in Austria each made cars that were legally based on the Fiat 500.The design of the new 2007 Fiat 500 is based on the 2004 Fiat Trepiuno concept. This car will feature a distinctive retro-look just like the Volkswagen New Beetle and BMW MINI but may well be substantially cheaper than those cars, with a starting price of €10,500. The car is 3.55 meters long and 1.65 meters wide. Top speed is 180 km/h (112 mph). The basic price is €10,500 in Italy; with options €15,000.A Fiat 500 Abarth will be unveiled at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show, and it will be powered by a 1.4 liter Fire engine with an IHI variable geometry turbocharger. The Abarth will have 135 horsepower and 180Nm of torque, with the option for 206Nm in sports mode.