Not too many people were fully aware of the Cinquecento FIRE, which was essentially the sports version of the Cinquecento. It has a 1.1 litre engine, anti-roll bars and a drop in standard ride height.
It must be said that a 1.1 litre engine in a lightweight Cinquecento was like adding in big chunk of extra horsepower. The Cinquecento was made famous in the UK on the hit show ‘The Inbetweeners’ while the FIRE was a big hit among young male drivers.
You do still see number of these models on the road today and in a way they’re a bit of a classic. You don’t get many cars that come boxier than the Cinquecento and the FIRE will always be remembered for lightweight rallying. The Mongol Rally always features a number of these models, and many of them actually survive the journey, and that goes to show that their performance should not be underestimated.
