Making a convertible out of a fixed-roof car inevitably takes its toll on structural rigidity, though every automaker under the sun has tried to come up with a solution. For the 500, Fiat has reached back into its history to the original 1957 Cinquocente and fitted the new one with a canvas roof folding back between solid roof rails. The resulting 500C lets the sunshine in – at least, some of it – while keeping the retro hatchback's profile, which promises a uniquely Italian answer to the cabrio equation.
