Lot 101: 1946 FIAT 500 ‘Topolino’ Trasformabile

Better equipped than many cars twice its size, the FIAT 500 - soon nicknamed ‘Topolino’ (little mouse) - brought a degree of refinement hitherto unknown to small cars when launched in 1936. Lockheed hydraulic brakes, independent front suspension and 12-volt electrics were all features, while an engine mounted ahead of the front axle helped maximise cabin space. The 569cc, four-cylinder, sidevalve motor produced a modest 13bhp, but as the Topolino weighed little more than half a ton it could nevertheless manage a respectable 50mph-plus under favourable conditions. For most buyers though, the frugal, up-to-50mpg fuel consumption would have been the major attraction. Introduced in 1946, the 500B featured a more powerful (16.5bhp) overhead-valve engine that would be carried over to the Topolino’s final incarnation - the re-styled 500C of 1949, the first FIAT model to offer a heating/de-misting system as standard. At the same time as the 500B was introduced, a Giardiniera station wagon was added to the range, joining the original trasformabile (cabriolet) model. Equipped with the superior overhead-valve engine, these later Topolinos were genuine 60mph cars, though no less economical than their predecessors.
This Topolino was bought by the vendor’s husband (now deceased) in 1990 and chosen by the Walt Disney Corporation to illustrate a book celebrating the 70th anniversary of cartoon character Mickey Mouse in 1998. Completely restored in the early 1980s and again in 2003, the car is offered with ASI papers and Italian libretto. No reserve.

Cette Topolino acquise par l'époux de la Vendeuse (aujourd'hui décédé) en 1990 a été choisie par Walt Disney Corporation pour illustrer un ouvrage célébrant le 70e anniversaire du personnage de dessin animé Mickey Mouse en 1998. Totalement restaurée au début des années 1980, puis de nouveau en 2003, la voiture est accompagnée de ses papiers ASI et de son libretto italien. Vendue sans prix de réserve.