L'Italo-Americano

L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, JANUARY 10, 2019 www.italoamericano.org 6 who had already ideated the original FIAT Topolino, the pre- cursor of 500; in his mind, 500 had to be the ultimate city car, s m a l l a n d e a s y t o d r i v e a n d park, but with plenty of space to meet the needs and necessities o f a b o o m i n g a n d s u d d e n l y wealthier society. In spite of its small dimensions, 500 packed loads of internal space, enough to sit 4 passengers. The soft, c o m p a c t d e s i g n o f i t s b o d y made it a hit also from an aes- thetic point of view: it wasn't only functional, it was beautiful and people bought it because of that, too. FIAT rode high the hype about its tiny new car, cre- a t i n g a v a r i e t y o f m o d e l s , including a cabriolet version, a real treat to see and drive. Today, the original design 500 is a collector's piece, with millions of fans everywhere in t h e w o r l d ; i n I t a l y , i t ' s n o t unusual to come across 500 Fan Clubs and festivals, where keen owners drive and show their restored and perfectly main- tained models to a community of estimators. All this is witness to the true success of Giacosa's work and o f t h e c o n c e p t b e h i n d i t : a n attentive choice of materials, associated with innovative yet practical design makes for prod- ucts that are not only bound to be successful, but also to last in time; after years when 500's style changed completely and the car looked nothing like the o r i g i n a l , t o d a y ' s m o d e l s a r e nothing more than a modern reinterpretation of the beautiful- ly balanced car Giacosa con- ceived all those years ago, with the same appeal and, if you ask me, with the same ability to put a smile on the face of whoever sees and drives them. Because, let's not forget it, one of the winning points of the original FIAT 500 was just that: it would put a smile on your face. It was the first car to abandon the ele- gant but stern designs of 1930s and 1940s models such as Balil- la, Ford 7W or Citroën 7, to embrace a breezier approach to a u t o m o t i v e a e s t h e t i c s , a n approach made of soft lines, col- ors and comfort finally available to the mass market. The world of the 1950s came from 20 years of struggle and war, during which faith in the future had been lost and fear had become the norm. Then the war ended and economic and social reconstruction began: suddenly, there was hope for a better life. W i t h i t c a m e a w h o l e n e w approach to everyday life and a thirst for improvement, for nov- elty, for progress: there was a true need to live life to the full, f i n a l l y w i t h o u t f e a r f o r t h e future. It is in this incredible atmosphere that FIAT 500 was conceived and its design is mir- ror to it: it was sturdy and built to last, but it came with a small price tag, so that all could enjoy the practical advantages of own- ing a car. It was small and easy to take care of, but packed a lot of space so that a whole family of four could travel in it, making short breaks to the countryside, o r e v e n t o t h e s e a , e a s i e r t o a c h i e v e . W i t h i t s c o m p a c t , rounded appearance, FIAT 500 had a friendly, unimposing look that appealed and captivated consumers and well embodied the needs and tastes of a society seeking a bit of lighthearted fun after the gloom of war. The reasons for FIAT 500's presence in MoMA's permanent collection and in The Value of Good Design's exhibition are many, but maybe it is really in t h i s s o c i a l l y i n n o v a t i n g a n d somehow liberating aspects of its design we should seek its most profound value. In 1957, G i a c o s a s h o w e d t h a t g o o d design could be for all and that beauty, usefulness and quality could be accessible to all pock- ets. I dare say there is something v e r y a n c i e n t - a n d s o m e h o w very Italian - in this attitude, something that bring us back to our forefathers and the way they w o u l d g e t t h e b e s t f r o m t h e humblest of things and make beauty with the sole wealth of their creativity and practical sense. This is why FIAT 500 is not only a symbol of Italian design's excellence, but also of the typi- cally post-war attitude to seek and find the sunny, positive side of life: driving it, in those years, w a s j u s t l i k e s m i l i n g a t t h e future. Looking at an old FIAT 500 brings back a bit of that sense of awe and faith in what's to come characteristic of the 1950s and 1960s: something we, without a doubt, need greatly today. The Value of Good Design is part of MoMA's Spring calen- dar. It is opening on the 10th of F e b r u a r y 2 0 1 9 a n d w i l l r u n until the 27th of May. For more i n f o r m a t i o n a n d t i c k e t s s e e www.moma.org. Even today, it's not unusual to see a 500 around the streets of Italy © 22tomtom | Dreamstime.com Compact, simple and fun: this are, still today, the most striking characteristics of FIAT 500 LIFE PEOPLE PLACES TRADITIONS Continued from page 4

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