Fiat has released photos of an open top version of the new Fiat 500, called the 500C.
Rather than trying to make a full cabriolet along the lines of the MINI convertible, Fiat has reverted to the style of the original 1957 500 Nuova.
Like the very first Fiat 500, the new 500C has a soft roof that glides back on rails to create an open cabin - though this time the action will be electric. The carmaker has used what it calsl a 'clever parallelogram hinge device' to ensure that having the roof down will not mean losing out on boot-space.
Another neat feature of the soft roof is the third brakelight, cleverly positioned within a colour-matched spoiler so that with the roof up it acts as a high-level brakelight, remaining visible with the roof down, sitting on top of the bootlid. The roof will be available in red, ivory or black and will dictate the colour scheme of other bits of trim around the car.
500C styled on original 500 Nuova
Fiat is also making their 'Start&Stop' feature standard on all 500Cs, meaning that when the stationary car is put into neutral the engine will switch off, automatically kicking back in when the car is put back into gear.
Engine choices will remain the same as the standard car, with 1.2-litre and 1.4-litre petrol engines and a 1.3-litre turbodiesel. There is no mention of a convertible version of the 135bhp Abarth 500 just yet.
The car will be revealed officially at the Geneva motorshow in March, and sales are expected to begin later in the year.
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