Fiat 500, The Star Of Milan’s New ADI Design Museum!

More than a month ago, the new ADI Design Museum was opened to the public. This space was exclusive to the priceless permanent collection under the oldest and most authoritative world design award called the “Compasso d’Oro”, founded in 1954. 

This museum is located in Piazza Compasso d’Oro 1 and houses more than 2,300 products and projects that are inclusive of 350 awarded with the coveted title and numerous honourable mentions. 

The ADI Design Museum was built by restoring a significant 1930s location. The area covers around 5,000 m2 (53820 sq ft) and includes sections for exhibitions, services (café, bookshop, meeting places), and the museum conservatorship and offices.

To access the museum, individuals interested can enter through the public garden square, which has also recently been a recipient of the “Compasso d’Oro”. 

Among the pieces included in the museum is the Fiat 500, a recipient of the awards in 1959 and 2011. 

Representing the legendary “Cinquino” are two Fiat 500 models displayed at the museum; the first generation model from 1957 and the second generation model from 2007. 

The 2007 model is a part of the Heritage collection that houses Alfa Romeo, Fiat, Lancia and Abarth. Did you know that this model was revealed precisely 50 years after the first Fiat 500?

“The 500 is an icon of Italian style that has never gone out of fashion. Over the decades, it has won over countless fans all around the world, courtesy of its unmistakable traits and its strong character,” said a world-renowned designer and the “father” of the 2007 Fiat 500, as well as head of the Heritage department, Roberto Giolito. 

“Since 1957, Fiat 500 has imparted a touch of colour and a smile to the everyday life of its customers in every corner of the world, becoming an ambassador for Italy and establishing itself as a symbol of "made in Italy" design.”

The history of the 500 started from the ambitious line-up strategy of development and renewal implemented by Fiat after World War II and through the minds of brilliant designer Dante Giacosa. 

The introduction of the first Fiat 500 in the summer of 1957 was to recreate the success of the previous model, the “Topolino”. 

Some of the highlights of the then Fiat 500 included self-supporting bodywork, rear engine and four independent wheels. Under the hood was an air-cooled twin-cylinder, a first for Fiat production back then. 

The model was produced in five different series’ and came to more than 4 million units until the year 1975. 

The Fiat 500 was granted many awards and among them were “Car of the Year” and the “Compasso d’Oro”.

The vehicle’s success was justified in 2017 when a first-generation Fiat 500 joined the permanent collections at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York. Not only that, but the 2007 second-generation model has also become a representation of Italy’s fashion and style.

As of 2020, a new chapter began with introducing the third generation of the New Fiat 500, making it the brand’s first fully electric model.