Engines
Unlike the rear-wheel drive 126, the Cinquecento was a front-wheel drive car. It was initially available with two engine choices, with the 1.1 L FIRE joining the lineup later. Interestingly, while the 704 cc engine was mounted longitudinally, the bigger units were fitted transversely, making the little Fiat one of the few cars in the world available with both configurations at the same time.
704 cc
The smallest engine, intended for sale in Poland only, was a 704 cc ohv two-cylinder unit, delivering 30 bhp DIN (22 kW. Cinquecento inherited this unit from the 126p BIS, an evolution of the 126p which was cancelled when the Cinquecento production started. In order to be fitted in the front-wheel drive Cinquecento, it underwent a major refurbishment (although the engine still employed a carburettor), which resulted, among other changes, in the crankshaft revolving in the opposite direction than in the 126p BIS!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiat_Cinquecento
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