Photo: MA-DE Studio
Back when they didn't have electric motors - or, more likely, the battery technology to power them - the solution to making a compact car with a short hood was placing the engine in the rear.
The MINI famously decided all that was rubbish and opted to have the unit mounted transversely in the front, but not all companies were quick to follow the trend right away. Fiat, for example, had the wonderful 500 (Cinque Cento, if you're feeling fancy) already running when the Brits came out with the Mark I, and they were feeling pretty comfortable with their solution.
So confident, in fact, that the model's successor that was launched in 1972 carried on with the same layout - rear-engine, rear-wheel-drive. It was called the Fiat 126 (Type 126) and, for all intents and purposes, was pretty much a slightly revamped 500 with some more interior room and bigger, more powerful engines.
The 126 went on to be an even bigger sales success than the 500 with over 4.5 million making their way mostly onto European roads. A big chunk of that has to be attributed to the model's Polish version, the 126p, whose production carried on until 2000. Either way, the tiny model's success is beyond doubt, which begs the question: why did Fiat choose to resurrect the 500 back in 2007, and not the 126?
Well, despite beating the early model on sales, the 126 never really managed to reach the same iconic status as the 500. The Cinque Cento came at the end of one of history's most troubled times, and people probably tended to associate it with it. It was the car that famously gave access to motorized private transport to the average Joe during a period when money was at a premium. The 500 is a pulpier trip down nostalgia lane than the 126 and let's face, it's also a much prettier design.
MA-DE Studio might not fully agree with that last statement, and they also have the renderings to prove it. Meet the Fiat 126 Vision, a modern reinterpretation of the Italian/Polish (the Italians are going to come after me for that) classic that proves a remake of the 126 could have been just as successful as the 500 one, if not even more so.
The job they've done is near-perfect. You look at the 126 Vision and you simultaneously have absolutely no doubt where its roots lie, but you also know you're looking at a 2020 model. If you can honestly glance at this thing and not crave to see it in person or maybe even drive it a little, you should give yourself to science to have yourself studied because you're definitely wired in a unique way.
Sadly, the Fiat 126 Vision is nothing more than a personal project. The Italian manufacturer has chosen the 500 and it's sticking with it, so there is no real-world future for the concept. However, at least the author was kind enough to render the 126 Vision in a multitude of angles and sceneries, which means we can at least digitally marvel at its beauty at will.
So confident, in fact, that the model's successor that was launched in 1972 carried on with the same layout - rear-engine, rear-wheel-drive. It was called the Fiat 126 (Type 126) and, for all intents and purposes, was pretty much a slightly revamped 500 with some more interior room and bigger, more powerful engines.
The 126 went on to be an even bigger sales success than the 500 with over 4.5 million making their way mostly onto European roads. A big chunk of that has to be attributed to the model's Polish version, the 126p, whose production carried on until 2000. Either way, the tiny model's success is beyond doubt, which begs the question: why did Fiat choose to resurrect the 500 back in 2007, and not the 126?
Well, despite beating the early model on sales, the 126 never really managed to reach the same iconic status as the 500. The Cinque Cento came at the end of one of history's most troubled times, and people probably tended to associate it with it. It was the car that famously gave access to motorized private transport to the average Joe during a period when money was at a premium. The 500 is a pulpier trip down nostalgia lane than the 126 and let's face, it's also a much prettier design.
MA-DE Studio might not fully agree with that last statement, and they also have the renderings to prove it. Meet the Fiat 126 Vision, a modern reinterpretation of the Italian/Polish (the Italians are going to come after me for that) classic that proves a remake of the 126 could have been just as successful as the 500 one, if not even more so.
The job they've done is near-perfect. You look at the 126 Vision and you simultaneously have absolutely no doubt where its roots lie, but you also know you're looking at a 2020 model. If you can honestly glance at this thing and not crave to see it in person or maybe even drive it a little, you should give yourself to science to have yourself studied because you're definitely wired in a unique way.
Sadly, the Fiat 126 Vision is nothing more than a personal project. The Italian manufacturer has chosen the 500 and it's sticking with it, so there is no real-world future for the concept. However, at least the author was kind enough to render the 126 Vision in a multitude of angles and sceneries, which means we can at least digitally marvel at its beauty at will.
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