FORGET the New Beetle and chuck the Mini out the window: if you want the true retro experience, have a spin in the Fiat 500 TwinAir.

The tiny Bambino has always had style, but last year’s addition of a 0.9-litre two-cylinder TwinAir turbo engine means there is now as much character under skin as there is on the surface.

When Fiat’s new factory distributor cut the starting price to (a still kind of pricey) $18,800 plus on-road costs earlier this year, we decided it was high time to re-acquaint ourselves.

Far from perfect, this perky Italian nevertheless hits hard where it counts, offering as many smiles per mile as cars ten times the price.

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