Fiat Trepiùno

The Fiat Trepiùno was powered by a 54 hp 1100cc engine and built by the Turin-based company, I.D.E.A. Designed by Roberto Giolito, the Trepiùno is noted for its reconfigurable interior which can accommodate four passengers in a 3+1 configuration, i.e., three adults and one occasional passenger. The name Trepiùno translates from Italian as “three plus one.” Presented at the Geneva Motor Show under the theme “Return to the Future,” the Trepiùno’s styling recalled Fiat’s original Fiat 500, introduced for model year 1957 and widely called the Bambino — a model that was designed by noted Fiat engineer Dante Giacosa and went on to sell more than four million examples over a production run of 18 years. The Trepiùno also uses Giacosa’s breakthrough transverse front-wheel drive layout — which ultimately became an industry standard, the front-wheel drive layout “adopted by virtually every other manufacturer in the world.” The 2004 concept Trepiùno inspired a subsequent production four-seater hatchback and cabriolet, the 6th-generation 500 & 500C (2007), designed under the direction of Frank Stephenson at Centro Stile Fiat. The 500 would go on to be marketed in more than 100 countries worldwide and win more than 40 awards, including the CAR Magazine Car of the Year (2007) and the 2008 European Car of the Year. It is still in production more than a decade after its launch.