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Fiat 500 C Topolino - popular motorization in Italian

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Created on October 17, 2013

Reading time 6min

Written by:

Bruno von Rotz

Photos:

Balz Schreier

31

Bruno von Rotz

14

Fiat

5

Archiv

2

Balz Schreier

31

Bruno von Rotz

14

Fiat

5

Archiv

2

Fiat 500 C Topolino (1949) - von 1949 bis 1955 wurde das C-Modell gebaut

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Fiat 500 C Topolino (1949) - das Modell C war gründlich überarbeitet worden

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Fiat 500 C Topolino (1949) - ab C-Modell gab es die einteilige Motorhaube

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Fiat 500 C Topolino (1949) - die Maus im Grünen

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Fiat 500 C Topolino (1949) - nur 3,25 Meter lang ist das Mäuschen

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Fiat 500 C Topolino (1949) - rund 95 km/h schnell rennt der Wagen, wenn es sein muss

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Fiat 500 C Topolino (1949) - an den Grunddimensionen blieb beim Übergang B- nach C-Modell alles gleich

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Fiat 500 C Topolino (1949) - rund 610 kg wiegt der Fiat ohne Fahrer

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Fiat 500 C Topolino (1949) - bereitet beim Fahren viel Vergnügen

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Fiat 500 C Topolino (1949) - mit offenem Dach viel Fahrspass

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Fiat 500 C Topolino (1949) - schmale Fahrzeuge müssen enge Strassen nicht fürchten

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Fiat 500 C Topolino (1949) - der "Jööh"-Effekt ist ihm sicher

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Fiat 500 C Topolino (1949) - ab dem C-Modell ruhte das Reserverad im Verborgenen

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Fiat 500 C Topolino (1949) - man fühlt sich gleich fünfzig Jahre zurückversetzt im Topolino

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Fiat 500 C Topolino (1949) - kam auch mit grösseren Steigungen gut zurecht

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Fiat 500 C Topolino (1949) - ein Zweiplätzer mit Notsitzen

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Fiat 500 C Topolino (1949) - nur 1,29 Meter breit ist der kleine Fiat

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Fiat 500 C Topolino (1949) - das Faltdach war Standardausrüstung

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Fiat 500 C Topolino (1949) - die Dimensionen änderten kaum über die Bauzeit von fast 20 Jahren

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Fiat 500 C Topolino (1949) - eher ein Zweisitzer

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Fiat 500 C Topolino (1949) - kompaktes Automobil

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Fiat 500 C Topolino (1949) - die Türen öffnen nach hinten

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Fiat 500 C Topolino (1949) - die deutlich geformten Kotflügel atmen noch den Vorkriegsgeist

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Fiat 500 C Topolino (1949) - bequeme Sitze

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Fiat 500 C Topolino (1949) - mit zwei grossen Rundanzeigen schon fast feudal ausgestattet

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Fiat 500 C Topolino (1949) - übersichtlicher Tacho

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Fiat 500 C Topolino (1949) - Blinkerschalter

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Fiat 500 C Topolino (1949) - der Vierzylinder ist längs eingebaut

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Fiat 500 C Topolino (1949) - der kleinvolumige Vierzylindermotor

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Der Zündverteiler im Fiat 500 C Topolino (1949)

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Fiat 500 C Topolino (1949) - Chassisplakette

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Fiat 500 C Topolino (1949) - kunstvolle Auslassöffnungen auf der Motorhaube

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Fiat 500 C Topolino (1949) - Fiat-Markenzeichen auf dem Bug

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Fiat 500 C Topolino (1949) - kein Schnickschnack

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Fiat 500 C Topolino (1949) - eindeutig beschriftete Raddeckel

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Fiat 500 C Topolino (1949) - funktionelle Türöffner

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Fiat 500 C Topolino (1949) - Fenster-Arretiermechanismus

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Fiat 500 C Topolino (1949) - das Faltdach in Ruhestellung

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Fiat 500 C Topolino (1949) - schlanke Rückleuchten

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Fiat 500 A Topolino (1938) - für zwei Personen und etwas Gepäck

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Fiat 500 Topolino (1939) - bereits mit Rolldach

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Fiat 500 A Topolino (1947) - im Jahr 1947 kostete der Wagen mit Rolldach CHF 5200

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Fiat 500 Topolino (1938) - die Form erinnerte an ein Mäuschen

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Fiat 500 B Topolino (1949) - modellgepflegte Variante nach dem Krieg

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Fiat 500 C Topolino (1950) - bis 1955 wurde diese Version gebaut

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Er ist der eigentliche Nachfolger des Fiat 500 Topolino, der Fiat Nuova 500 wurde aber erst 1957 präsentiert

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Fiat 500 C Topolino (1949) - den breiten Kühlergrill gab es erst ab dem C-Modell

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Fiat 500 C Topolino (1949) - immerhin 376'000 Modelle der letzten Generation wurden gebaut

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Fiat 500 C Topolino (1949) - Volksmobil aus Turin

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Fiat 500 C Topolino (1949) - mit dem C-Modell ging wegen der integrierten Scheinwerfer etwas vom "Mäusischen" verloren

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Fiat 500 C Topolino (1949) - es täuscht nicht, der Topolino ist höher als breit

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Fiat 500 C Topolino (1949) - der Tank sitzt hinten über dem Motor, so dass keine Benzinpumpe nötig ist

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Summary

Between 1936 and 1955, Fiat built the 500 Topolino, a small car with a conventional front-engine and rear-wheel drive design, which sold over 500,000 units and became a bestseller. This report describes the impressions of a test drive with the 500C model, the third evolutionary stage, which was sold in 1949, and goes into the history and technology of the popular compact car.

This article contains the following chapters

One size smaller
Simplicity as a recipe for success
Frugality as a virtue
Hardly more expensive than a motorcycle with sidecar
Three-stage evolution
Also for pass drivers
Comfort of a mid-range car
A small car
No cruise control
Further information

Estimated reading time: 6min

Preview (beginning of the article)

It was hard to beat in terms of simplicity but also economy, and in some respects it was more advanced than its successor, the Fiat 500 Topolino, built from 1936 to 1955. But above all, it was the most successful small car of its time. Dante Giacosa had studied mechanical engineering and worked on large aircraft engines. However, the fact that he designed the most successful small car of the pre-war period shows that he had many talents. The new Fiat had to be small, light and cheap to complement the lower end of the model range. At the time, nobody could have guessed that it would become the most successful car produced by Fiat in Turin. Speaking of "moulting", the Fiat 500 was given the name "Topolino" because of its appearance.

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