The Fiat Cinquecento, 1957-2007

A Fiat invasion ... Fifty years ago, the Cinquecento raced on to the streets of Turin, where its manufacturer Fiat is still based. Photograph: Fiat Press Office/AFP

Ten Cinquecentos are paraded at Brand's Hatch racetrack in 1957. The car, which came with a 479cc engine, was launched as the "Nuova 500". Photograph: Keystone/Getty

The sporty, three-door Cinquecento was the espresso of automobiles: small and perky. Photograph: Fiat Press Office/AP

The old Fiat Cinquecento braves a bendy road in the Dolomites almost 50 years ago. Photograph: Fiat Press Office/AFP

The vehicle was marketed as the ideal car-about-città. Photograph: Fiat Press Office/AFP

The Cinquecento kept its modish image throughout the 60s. Photograph: Fiat Press Office/AFP

The Cinquecento took a supporting role alongside the Mini in The Italian Job, which was mostly filmed in Turin and made with Fiat's assistance. Photograph: Fiat Press Office/AFP

The car also made an appearance in a portmanteau film, I Mostri, directed by Dino Risi in 1963. Photograph: Fair/Incei/Mountfluor/The Kobal Collection

The Fiat Cinquecento drove off into the sunset in 1975, when it went out of production. Photograph: John Miller/Robert Harding World Imagery/Corbis

But now it's back with a sleek look. The new model is 58cm longer than the original. Up to 60,000 are slated to rev off the production line this year. Photograph: Giuseppe Cacace/Getty

The new Cinquecento went on display at the Lingotto testing circuit. It's reported to be going on sale for around 10,000 euros. Photograph: Giuseppe Cacace/Getty

Fiat's CEO Sergio Marchionne likened the new Cinquecento to an iPod and told an Italian newspaper that he hopes Fiat will become "the Apple of cars" - a transformation aided by a quirky feature on the deluxe model, where drivers will be able to plug their iPod straight into the dashboard. Photograph: Fiat Auto Press/AP