Fiat marks 60 years of the Fiat 500 with special edition

The Fiat 500-60th. (Fiat)

In honour of the car that revolutionized the concept of personal mobility for the averge Italian family, Fiat is rolling out a limited production drop top called the Fiat 500-60th.

The new car will pay homage to the original ‘Dolcevita' via retro styling and palette cues. The exterior will boast a two-tone paint finish -- pastel ivory from the bonnet line upwards, contrasting with tri-coat white below -- while the roof is trimmed in grey fabric.

Another neat exterior touch is the decision to go with retro badging to mirror the Fiat and model emblems found on the original 1957 car. However, that's where the nostalgia ends. This car sits on 16-inch diamond finish alloys and modern tires thankfully, and the bumpers conceal parking sensors, a growing necessity, even in a car as small as the current Fiat 500 thanks to the reduced visibility of that oval rear window.

Inside, it's a similar story with retro touches augmenting an otherwise 21st century cabin. The center console and dashboard are vinyl wrapped in a nod to the 500 L ‘Lusso' model and the seats are trimmed in ivory leather. But there's a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system that supports Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, plus climate control, satellite navigation, while cruise control and rain sensing wipers are standard equipment.

Under the hood there's a choice of three engines -- a 1.2-liter (96hp) powerplant or Fiat's high-revving TwinAir 0.9-liter unit in two different states of turbocharged tune -- 85hp or 105hp. These can be mated to either a standard manual or Fiat's automatic Dualogic transmission.

As for production numbers, Fiat's plan is to offer each major territory several hundred models and to individually number the first 60 examples complete with a plaque of authenticity that will sit between the driver and passenger seats, behind the parking brake.

The original Fiat 500 is one of the most successful cars ever to emerge from Italy, clocking up 3.89 million sales over the course of its 18-year lifespan. This year also marks the 10th anniversary of Fiat relaunching the car for the modern age. And despite hefty competition from everyone from Audi and Mini to Ford and VW, the new car has also managed to clock up 2 million sales.

The Fiat 500-60th will go on sale in July.