Fiat Topolino Tyres

Fiat 500 C Topolino Furgoncino

History of the Fiat Topolino

At the time of its manufacture, the Topolino was one of the world's smallest automobiles. Three versions were introduced in 1936 and were manufactured until 1955, with only minor technical and aesthetic modifications. It had a 569 cc four-cylinder, side-valve, water-cooled engine positioned in front of the front axle (later replaced by an overhead valve motor) and was, therefore, a full-scale vehicle rather than a cyclecar. The radiator was placed below the engine, allowing for a lower aerodynamic nose profile at a period when competitors used a flat, virtually vertical grille. The car's front design provided an excellent forward field of view.

The rear suspension utilised quarter-elliptic rear springs at first, but customers regularly crammed four or five passengers into the ostensibly two-seater car, thus the chassis was expanded at the back in subsequent versions to allow for more durable semi-elliptic springs.

It had a maximum speed of approximately 53 mph, a horsepower of about 13 bhp, and fuel consumption of about 39.2 mpg. When the vehicle was conceived, the projected price was 5,000 lire. In the end, the price at introduction was 9,750 lire, but the decade was one of dropping prices in many areas of Europe, and the Topolino was offered for around 8,900 lire later in the 1930s. Despite being more expensive than anticipated, the vehicle was nevertheless reasonably priced for its time. Approximately 520,000 units were sold.