Neckar Weinsberg 500
Neckar’s Weinsberg 500 factory history is a bit tangled. The plant had belonged to NSU before being sold to Fiat, with NSU granting Fiat the rights to use its name for small 500-based cars assembled there.
Located near Neckarsulm — today a major Audi production hub under the Volkswagen Group umbrella — the facility produced cars initially branded NSU-Fiat before the name “Neckar” eventually took over around 1960.
Confusing? Absolutely. Even now, searches for “NSU-Fiat” tend to bring up the Neckar Weinsberg 500 Limousette and Coupé.
And “Weinsberg,” by the way, translates to “vineyard” — fitting for a car born in a region of Germany known for scenic rolling hills, winding roads, and warm summers. Perhaps that explains the sporty styling and the charming roll-back soft top.
Two main variants were offered: the Weinsberg 500 Coupé and the Limousette. The Limousette featured a more upright rear window to make room for two adults in the back — at least by 1960s European standards. The Coupé’s rakish rear glass, meanwhile, left space mainly for children. Both were priced identically.
Beneath their more expressive bodywork, they were fundamentally Fiat 500s: a 479-cc two-cylinder engine producing 15 horsepower and pushing the car to a top speed of about 95 km/h (60 mph). Acceleration? A leisurely 37 seconds to reach 80 km/h (50 mph).
Still, buyers were treated to an interior noticeably more upscale than the standard Fiat 500 — including, luxuriously enough, a heater.
Production ended in 1963, with roughly 6,200 examples built. The final car to leave the line was a Coupé, closing a small but charming chapter in Europe’s microcar story.
Neckar Weinsberg 500 Coupe
The Coupe version featured a more sloping rear roof with panoramic glass. The two-row interior layout was similar to that of the Limousette version. A sunroof was also available for the Coupe version.
