Auto News 5

The 1970s ushered in the econobox, and of all the cars that fit that descriptor, one was the true pioneer of the small cars we drive today: the Fiat 128. Although the Mini was the first popular transverse-engine, front-wheel-drive car, its gearbox was located in the engine's sump, a less-than-ideal arrangement that has not been used since. The Fiat 128 was the Italian automaker's first mainstream front-wheel-drive car, and its mechanical layout proved enduring, with the east-west-mounted engine driving the transmission off the driver's side.