FIAT 500 of the first generation, called Topolino , is without any doubt one of the most known and remarkable Italian cars; on the other hand few people know the circumstances which contributed to the creation of this vehicle.
Its history
The idea first came from the fascistic dictator Benito Mussolini, then with the capacity in Italy. In 1930, Duce had convened the senator of the Kingdom of Italy, Giovanni Agnelli, founder of FIAT, to inform it of the " urgent nécessité" to motorize the Italians with an economic car whose price was not to exceed 5.000 Liras.
It was an idea which have such an impact and which was really used for propaganda of the fascistic party, which Hitler, hardly " élu" at the post of chancellor, this idea endorsed by convening Ferdinand Porsche and him intima the order to carry out a car whose price was not to exceed 1.000 marks. From these requirements were born FIAT 500 Topolino in Italy and VW Coccinelle in Germany.
The FIAT 500 never born
Very worried by this load from which it would have occurred well readily, the owner of FIAT, the senator Agnelli of given to the engineers of the services designs of FIAT which were divided into two currents of thought. The first considered that the goal could be reached with technologies and diagrams already used on other models FIAT, which would have made it possible to limit the costs, the second considered that it was necessary to entrust this task to external engineer Oreste Lardone - skilful engineer who already had carried out one very noticed prototype of small car at Itala - considering the large workload which occupied the internal research department of FIAT.
The head office of FIAT chooses in fact to advance the two alternatives of project, but in-house. This have for consequence the recruitment of Oreste Lardone at FIAT.
Engineer Lardone was convinced that the new car should have 4 places and should be been driven by an engine twin-cylinder of 500 Cm3 cooled by air and equipped with front traction!
It is in the middle of summer 1931 that the prototype of new the FIAT 500 - traction before - is ready to carry out its first test with on its board the test pilot, his originator and the senator Agnelli, impatient to be able to check qualities of the vehicle and to telegraph the good news with Mussolini. The car leaves the factory of Lingotto and traverses several kilometers quietly but, in the rise of Cavoretto, a beginning of fire coming from the engine obliged all the occupants to jump precipitately to ground. The incident was due to a small fuel leak, but the senator Agnelli decided that never FIAT would not venture in the future, to build cars with front traction. Engineer Lardone was laid off immédiatament.
The construction project of the small car continued without enthusiasm until October 1932, when an impromptu visit of Duce in the factory of Lingotto in Turin on October 24th, 1932 pointed out its request to him.
The true reason which justified this lack of idea and ingeniousness of the originators, engineers Antonio Fessia and Tranquillo Zerbi, is that they were convinced that the good solution was precisely that prohibited by the sénatezur Agnelli, this concept of Lardone: front traction.
It is this same Fessia which entrusted the settling of the project with Dante Giacosa, a young engineer which had assisted it in the design of FIAT 508 Balilla, little front time.
The FIAT 500 Topolino
Dante Giacosa quickly takes the things in hand and in a few months, it gives its drafts of the new project in the form of mini FIAT Ballila. The head office of FIAT is satisfied with the project especially because it respects the tradition of models FIAT and authorizes the realization of the prototypes.
June 15th, 1936 the FIAT 500 has is with the sale with the public in concessions FIAT in Italy but also in France (built at Simca under the name of Simca 5) and in Germany at FIAT-NSU. A modest small car at the price of 8.900 liras, twenty times the working monthly salary.
In the same way, in 1936, Porsche had also constructed the first prototypes of the future Ladybird.
The FIAT 500 Topolino will obtain a commercial nice success. Although its manufacture was very slowed down during the years of war it began again of more beautiful as of the end of the conflict and until 1955, in Italy as in France where it was called Simca 5 then Simca 6. On the whole these are 519.847 specimens which left chains FIAT only to Italy of which a version light van very required by the craftsmen.
In 1945, after the death of the senator Agnelli, Antonio Fessia had believed to be able to insufflate at FIAT an evolution towards new technologies, by proposing the passage to front traction in particular. But it was not followed by the new head office, it left FIAT and turned to Lancia where its novel ideas were well accommodated and it could design the chiefs of work who are the Lancia Flavia and Lancia Fulvia.
Versions
FIAT 500 Topolino has
- Date: 1936-1948
- Length: 3.21 m
- Width: 1.27 m
- Height: 1.37 m
- Weight: 535 kg
- Driving: 4 cyl of 569 Cm3 and 13 CV
- Speed: 95 km/h
FIAT 500 topolino B
- Date: 1948-1949
- Power: 16.5 CV
FIAT 500 Topolino C
Restyling- Date: 1948-1955
FIAT 500 Topolino Station-wagon
2 models were marketed:- Giardiniera
- View-point
The FIAT 500 Topolino out of Italy
The FIAT 500 Topolino was also manufactured in many foreign countries, because, most of the time, of the customs duties extrèmement important into force at the time in all the countries:
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France , FIAT Simca in Nanterre, under the name of Simca FIAT 500A then Simca 5 which corresponded to Topolino B and then Simca 6 for Topolino C. 52.507 specimens left the French factories between on April 15th, 1937 and the end of 1950,
- Poland , FIAT-Polski between 1936 and 1939. FIAT 500 Topolino has,
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India , First, this manufacturer began a collaboration with FIAT since 1950 and manufactured under license the FIAT 500 Topolino C. First will be integrated in FIAT India in 2002,
- Germany , FIAT-NSU manufactured all Topolino has, B & C.
Nuova 500
The shortly after the war, FIAT was directed by professor Vittorio Valletta, who was charged to motorize republican the Italy news. So in the Thirties the project of the FIAT 500 Topolino was only slightly innovator, to prepare the Fifties, he was inevitably necessary to innovate.
Valletta, thus charged Dante Giacosa, which had become the Master of the office of design FIAT, with building the new small car. At that time, FIAT painfully rebuilt its factories destroyed by the bombardments and did not lay out poas of large financial resources.
Dante Giacosa, very pragmatic engineer, will prove to be really the ideal person to invent a new concept at the convenient period: it was FIAT 600, then, little time after FIAT 500.
The FIAT 500 2007
In this line, FIAT presented on July 4th, 2007, 50 years exactly after the Nuova 500, its new model of 500 .
The nuova Topolino 2008
To remain in the formula " the past never leaves us, FIAT Auto prepares the résurection of the name with the Nuova Topolino. For the moment, it is only one code name but it could extremely well remain, so much the Italian memory for this first micro car is intact.
External bonds
- TOPOLINO BECAUSE BELGIUM, the site of the club of impassioned Belgian, French and Dutch of the FIAT 500 has, B or C and of Simca 5 and 6
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