A future classic? Fiat’s 500 TwinAir is the true Cinquecento

David Ross, Editor
Fri, 24 Jul 2026

We’re not fans of pointless nostalgia here at HJ Towers and the retro extravaganza that hit the showrooms between the mid 1990s and late 2000s was very much hit and miss.

BMW’s MINI was a great car, but threw the original Mini’s space efficiency in the bin, while the New Beetle showed that Germans do have a sense of humour. At least we hope that was the idea.

Over in Italy, Fiat’s reborn Fiat 500 leaned heavily into the design of the original but used a version of the Panda platform so it was cheap to design and build. You could argue it too was a conventional hatch in costume, but it had two things going for it. 

Firstly it was genuinely small – obviously not as tiny as the ludicrously diminutive original (just 2.9m if you’re counting), but at a fraction over 3.5m long it was 30cm shorter than the contemporary Fiesta and Corsa, so it was a doddle to park and could duck and weave through traffic – even though no one actually does that.

But more importantly, it was almost insufferably cute. Men of a certain disposition will tell you it’s ‘a girl’s car’, and sure, it has proved to be massively popular with female buyers.

But in a world where some manufacturers chose to design their front grilles as a means of intimidating the car in front in the fast lane of the motorway, a car makes you smile rather than recoil in fear is not a bad thing.

Of all the new cars that arrived in this period that were essentially old designs reborn on modern mechanicals, the Fiat 500 nailed the brief better than any of them. Although interestingly it was Frank Stephenson, designer of the MINI, who was given the job of turning the 500 concept car – the Trepiuno – into the production version, so clearly he had the modernising magic.

In truth, the Fiat 500 is a bit of style over substance. The driving experience is fine, but nothing more, although post-2010 cars had revised suspension which helped. But this is a car for urban ducking and diving rather than destroying B-roads. The original 1.2-litre engine is acceptable, but if you’re a little braver and want the real spirit of the Cinquecento, then the TwinAir is the one to go for.

It shared the twin cylinder layout of the original which means a thrummy, enthusiastic engine note, but thanks to a turbocharger it has decent shove for something so small, as well as ducking under the 100g/km emissions barrier in the right specification. Mix the charming looks with an engine that sounds like a swarm of angry bees trapped in a biscuit tin under the bonnet and you have a small car experience that is unlike any other.

There are also literally thousands to choose from. Fiat has sold more than three million since 2007 – but of course there are caveats. This is a Fiat, so there is the potential for headaches and the TwinAir version does need more care than the fire-up-and-forget 1.2.

Oil changes on time are a must and timing chains have been known to cause trouble, but the fact you have so much choice means you can walk away and find one that has been pampered throughout its life and still pay peanuts.

Clutches can also suffer with lots of city work and TwinAirs have a dual-mass flywheel to smooth out the pulses of the two-cylinder engine, so it is sensible to budget for changing these if you plan to go full Twin.

Body damage is a potential issue for something that will have spent plenty of time in town and been squeezed into unrealistically small parking spaces. Earlier examples have been known to suffer from rust lower down.

Electrics can also be an issue, with things like instrument binnacles becoming frazzled, but parts are easy to come by and swapping electronic bits out for later specification items is not too challenging.

But the best news is finding one is as easy as tripping over your front door step – and cheaper too. It took us 30 seconds to find a 2011 car in nice Lounge spec with 20,000 miles for just £4000. Prices start at £1000 or less for something with miles but at this price it should be seen as more of a project. A little more money – around £1750 - will get you a similar car with a proper history.

Touting something you probably see ten examples of on your way to work as a future classic might seem a stretch, but with cars like the Fiat Grande Panda and Renault 5 suggesting another retro revival is on the way, something this charming, this characterful and this cheap is an easy route into putting a fun car with personality on your driveway.