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Pirelli Launches a New Tyre for Fiat 500 Collectors

Pirelli is launching a new tyre for the iconic Fiat 500: the car that symbolised mass motoring in Italy more than any other. This new tyre forms part of the Pirelli Collezione: a family of tyres dedicated to cars from 1950 to 1980, which combine a classic look with modern technology, while maintaining the overall originality of the tyre as it was first made.

A HIGH TECHNOLOGY TYRE

For all the different versions of the Fiat 500 that were made from 1957, Pirelli has recreated the Cinturato CN54 in 125 R 12 size, which was originally launched in 1972. This is a radial tyre with a tread pattern design and sidewall that is similar to the original, but made with modern technology. Pirelli Collezione tyres make use of contemporary compounds to offer increased grip and improved road holding on wet surfaces, guaranteeing reliability and high safety standards without compromising on the original style. Throughout the tyre’s research and development programme, Pirelli’s engineers used the same parameters that the original vehicle designers used, in order to perfectly complement the suspension and chassis settings of the car when it was new. To achieve this, they referred to original materials and designs housed in the Pirelli Foundation archives in Milan.

PART OF THE FIAT 500 STORY FROM THE START

The Fiat 500 was born in 1957, at just 2.95 metres long with a 479cc engine that put out 13 horsepower and delivered a top speed of 85kph. The tyre size was a conventional 125 12, featuring either the Cisa tread pattern or the tried-and-trusted Stelvio, not to mention the Rolle design that was available for the larger Fiat 600 as well. The Fiat 500 range would expand over the years, from the original N version to the D that was presented in 1960. This version was the first car to adopt Pirelli’s Sempione ‘Safety Shoulder’, featuring more rounded sidewalls for better road holding through corners. The Fiat 500F came out in 1965, followed by the L in 1968, both with Pirelli 12-inch tyres. When the R version was launched in 1972, the Pirelli Cinturato range was sufficiently wide that Fiat’s runabout could also be had with a radial CN54 tread pattern, in 125 R 12 size. This is the tyre that Pirelli is making again for owners of this classic Italian icon. The CN54 of the time was directly derived from rallying experience, maintaining the tread pattern design of the classic CA67 – which made the Cinturato name famous all over the world, thanks to a new belted structure that improved both comfort and tyre life.

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