Barchetta in Italian means "little boat", and also denotes a type of open-top sports car body style.

Production began in February 1995 and lasted until June 2005, with a brief pause, due to the bankruptcy of coachbuilder Maggiora.

The Barchetta has a 1,747 cc DOHC, petrol four-cylinder engine fitted with variable valve timing.

Arguably one of the biggest external cosmetic changes was made by the addition of the third brake light, first introduced by Fiat on the Lido and Riviera in 2000, and across the board thereafter.

Car bodies were welded at ILCAS in Sparone Canavese, and final assembly was done in Chivasso by the coachbuilder Maggiora.