Fiat Topolino 500 B

Fiat Topolino

The Topolino was an automobile model manufactured by Fiat from 1937 to 1955.

The Topolino (the Italian name for Mickey Mouse, meaning "little mouse") was the name given to the first Fiat 500 which was one of the smallest cars in the world at the time of its production. Launched in 1937, three models were produced until 1955, all with only minor mechanical and cosmetic changes. It was equipped with a 569 cc four-cylinder, side valve, watercooled engine mounted in front of the front axle, and so was a full-scale car rather than a cyclecar. (The radiator was located behind the engine.)

Its top speed was about 53 mph (85 km/h), and it could achieved about 39.2 mpg (100 km per 6 liters). The Topolino sold for about 8,900 lire (about 7,000 euro today). Nearly 520,000 models of the Topolino were sold.

In 1955 the mid-size rear wheel drive Fiat 600 was launched by Fiat and that would become the design basis for the new Fiat 500, the 500 Nuova (often called bambino). The 500 Nuova is often thought, mistakenly, to be the only model 500 Fiat.

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