For sale in our Chicago showroom is one very cute 1971 Fiat 500L. The 500L brought a much needed economy car to the market with a similar set up as the Volkswagen Beetle featuring a rear mounted air cooled engine and 4-speed transmission. The 500 had a 499.5 cc engine thus the name 500 (because calling it a 499.5 would just be silly) and produced a whopping 18 horsepower which was an improvement over the previous 13 horsepower version. Now 18 ponies doesn't sound that impressive but on a car with a 4-speed gearbox and weight of only 1,146 pounds it actually will get up to speed without hesitation.

This car is tremendous fun to drive and because of the simple mechanics it is a joy to maintain or do your own service. The original Fiat tool kit contains the lug wrench, 2 metric crescent wrenches and a phillips-head screw driver which is probably all you would need to perform maintenance and repairs on this little beauty. One thing is certain, for an economy car a lot of thought and intelligence went into the Fiat 500 and the "L" or Lusso version had an upgraded dash panel and brought this car up to a modern standard. On the inside you will notice that both front seats move completely forward for easy access to the rear passenger compartment. There is actually a surprising amount of room in this beauty for being so small.

Some additional features that are really nice is the little map light on the rear view mirror, under dash package tray, center console storage and those cute little side pockets on the doors perfect for a small umbrella and map of "The States". Can't you just imagine throwing back that ragtop and heading out to get a gourmet cappuccino in this little gem? The car has a 5 gallon tank but at 53 miles per gallon you can easily drive this on a road trip without having to stop often for fuel. This Fiat has traveled just 10,418 Kilometers (6,469 Miles) since new and was purchased from the original owner who was a school teacher in Italy in 1998 and brought back to the US and babied over the past 18 years. This car is believed to be completely original including the paint and interior. This car is amazingly fun to drive and is sure to get you noticed thanks to the small size and preserved condition.