New Fiat 500 is the 2008 European Car of the Year

Winning with a total of 385 votes, Fiat’s new supermini took the crown, beating the likes of the Mercedes C-Class and Ford Mondeo.

Vijay Pattni takes a look at previous COTY winners.

It’s small. It’s cute. And it’s Italian.

57 out of 58 jurors shortlisted Fiat’s supermini – with as many as 33 awarding it top marks – giving the Italian marque’s iconic new baby the winning edge in this year’s Car of the Year awards.

But what other interesting motors have judges voted for in the competition’s 43-year history?

Rover 2000 – Winner 1964

The first Car of the Year award was given to the P6 – or 2000 – and was the last pre-Leyland Rover made, beating the Mercedes 600 and the Hillman Imp.

And while the original model was given an asthmatic 2-litre engine, later editions would see this popular British car turned into a 3.5-litre V8 four-door saloon.

Mercedes-Benz S-Class – Winner 1974

Considering today’s climate of environmentally-friendly saloons which hug trees as they waft past – and one of COTY parameters being ‘respect for the environment’ – 1974’s winner was an unashamed petrolhead motor – the mighty Mercedes S-Class.

But importantly for Mercedes, this car helped create its reputation for building rock-solid cars, and the first generation S-Class featured one of the greatest engines ever made – a 4.5-litre V8 producing more than 200bhp.

Porsche 928 – Winner 1978

Porsche was keen to build a new GT car to correct the ailing sales figures of its rear-engined 911.

The German sportscar-maker felt the Volkswagen Beetle-based icon was quickly reaching its maximum potential for improvement, and so poured development money into the astonishing 928.

And while technically superb, the 928 never sold in the numbers Porsche were expecting – while the 911’s story is the stuff of legend.

Peugeot 405 – Winner 1988

Styled by famous Italian design-house Pininfarina, this four-door saloon achieved an overwhelming score, with 54 top marks being awarded among 57 jury members, beating the Citroen AX and Honda Prelude.

It was a strong-seller in the UK market and the Mi-16 model remains a revered choice of classic for the aficionado.

Alfa Romeo 156 – Winner 1998

Beauty is seductive - the gorgeous 156 charmed the jurors with its muscular, elegant lines and a much-improved powertrain – beating the German entrants of the Audi A6 and Volkswagen Golf.

The 156 quickly became a massive success story for the Italian marque and won a host of awards – and for 1998, 40 out of 56 COTY jurors gave the Alfa 156 top marks.

Do you agree with the 2008 Car of the Year winner, or COTY winners in the past?

Tell us on the Auto Trader Blog.