When Fiat rode high ..HL: ..IN: CM BA.

(From New Straits Times (Malaysia))

THERE was a time when the Fiat name was held in very high regard among enthusiasts. A time when small Japanese cars were viewed with scorn. But those days are over and now the Italian brand is viewed with one suspicious eye.

In the Sixties if you wanted a small fun car, you bought yourself a Mini or a Fiat 500, a miniscule car that does a good impression of a ladybug, in fact many a repainted to look like one.

Introduced in July, 1957, the successor for the `Topolino', the `nuova 500' used a layout similar to that seen on the 600 with a rear mounted engine driving the rear wheels and independent suspension on all …