Here’s an excellent little pocket history of the Fiat Topolino, a masterpiece of design and one of the world’s most beloved cars.
Produced from 1936 to 1955, the Fiat 500, better known as the Topolino, helped to put Italy on wheels. Although the pocket-sized coupe’s dimensions were incredibly tiny—around 10 feet long overall—designer Dante Giacosa made room for passengers and cargo by placing the four-cylinder, 569 cc engine ahead of the front wheels. The clever packaging created one of history’s most compelling and effective automotive designs.
With just 13 horsepower, the Topolino’s top speed was a modest 53 mph, but it could squeeze 40 miles or more from a single gallon of gasoline. More than half a million Topolinos were produced in three series (A,B, and C) with occasional minor facelifts before the design was finally retired in 1955. This short video packs a lot of good info into four minutes and includes some enchanting period footage of the 500 at work and play. Please enjoy.
Certainly a well-known icon although I’ve never seen one in the wild. Indeed, I’ve only seen one of the later 1957–1975 Fiat 500s on the road. Citroen 2CVs have been more common to my experience and I don’t think they were ever officially imported.
The new 500 as well as the MINI are a travesty to their small car legacy. I saw a MINI Countryman a few months back and I swear it was as big as a Chevy II. I hate it when car companies soil their heritage. The worst, and I’ve cited it here many times, was the Mercury Cougar station wagon.
Thanks for your interest and your comments. We hope to do a 2CV item soon.
Never seen a stock one either. Have seen a bunch of them set up as drag cars though!