Words Roberto Marrone / Photos Alessandro Marrone

Summer, Saturday morning and the streets of the Ligurian Riviera are literally invaded by tourists looking for a parking spot on what could effectively be the last days of warm sunshine. Not a cloud above our head, while all around the traffic seems to envelop and crush us, squeezed into the small but surprisingly comfortable cabin of Silvano’s FIAT. No one is indifferent to the charm of a vintage car, but when it embodies an important piece of history of their Country it takes on a shared emotion, as if everyone were part of its history and vice versa. Sitting a few centimeters from the ground, even the smallest of contemporary city cars seems like a giant creature, a cat that, watching you curiously, plays with you almost as if you were a mouse, or rather a Mickey Mouse, or Topolino as we say.

Let’s go back in time almost a hundred years, to 1930, when Benito Mussolini asked Senator Giovanni Agnelli to produce a car that could motorize the entire Country. It had to be practical and economical, to be precise, not to exceed the cost of 5,000 lire. The delicate task therefore took on a fundamental role for the company and Agnelli involved numerous FIAT key figures in what was the first but unfortunate creation of an “everything-up-front” prototype (FF, intended as a front-mounted engine with front wheel drive) which during a test at the Lingotto facility in 1931 forced Agnelli himself to jump out of the cockpit cursing the sudden fire perhaps caused by a simple petrol leak. This led to the immediate dismissal of designer Oreste Lardone. A year passed without substantial changes and in 1935 Mussolini reminded Agnelli of the task entrusted to him.

At that point the difficult situation was forwarded to a young engineer named Dante Giacosa, who had assisted Antonio Fessia in the design of the Balilla. There were many difficulties, especially because Agnelli had to be convinced that the FF theory was not wrong at all. Traction was clearly on the rear axle. Giacosa immediately got to work and, starting from the Balilla project, created a smaller version, all in order to save weight and therefore production and management costs. Thus was born the FIAT 500, named in this way because of the size of the engine. A name as simple as it was explanatory, demonstrating that Mussolini’s wishes had been supported and that Italians would have their budget car. The 500 A was immediately nicknamed Topolino because of its similarities to the famous Disney character (Mickey Mouse), thus further increasing the universal perception of a nice car that could motorize families.

It’s a whole other world in here and the little space that is apparently shared by the two occupants – despite this specific example having been mistakenly approved for four – is more than you might think. The engine whirs and transmits vibrations to the steering, which is heavy to maneuver but lightens once moving. The small wheels with the same tires as the Citroen 2CV (since those of the Topolino seem impossible to find) follow Silvano’s inputs, jumping almost at the slightest bump given the reduced weight of just over half a ton. This 500 A Topolino dates back June 1938 and is equipped with a 4-cylinder flathead engine with side valves. It is a short chassis with half leaf spring and in the Trasformabile version (i.e. with an opening vinyl roof) helps to keep extremely reduced dimensions, however giving an unmistakable visual impact, especially thanks to the two-tone amaranth and black bodywork, perhaps the most iconic for the model.

The Topolino is easy to handle in traffic, although it is certainly not easy to drive. The transmission has 4 speeds, of which first and second are not synchronized. You have to get used to a completely different driving style than what we are used to with today’s cars, but the pleasure of feeling the mechanical clutches that move the little FIAT is priceless. It’s like a time machine that takes us back for almost a century, to a world where mobility was still in its infancy and represented a new type of freedom of movement. The engine is a 569cc and is positioned at the front and very low, with a radiator placed behind and raised that assumes a so-called radiator operation due to the particular circulation of the water: the hot water rises and then cools down by descending through the radiator, thus cooling the engine. The horsepower figure is 13 and the maximum speed is 85 kph. And trust me, sitting and cramped inside, that seems a lot.

The feature that makes this particular Topolino even more special is the fact that it was entirely restored by Silvano himself after having discovered it in a state of abandonment. So, after having made agreements with the previous and elderly owner, it was purchased for a few cents and prepared for a total restoration that lasted for a long time, both to dilute the costs and because of the obvious work commitments that left little time to dedicate to the restoration process. Thanks to his mechanical skills, the work is carried out meticulously, dismantling and treating every detail. Even the bodywork was prepared and worked on by himself, replacing the floor and underdoors. The paintwork is the original amaranth color n.127, curiously prepared during a hot summer under a pergola in his garden, where he arranged some plastic sheets and with the help of a compressor brought the little Topolino back to its original splendor.

I linger to observe surprising solutions such as the tool to measure the fuel level or the oil dipstick that is extracted from a chrome cylinder. The engine hood opens by releasing the two pins on the sides, exactly like the vinyl roof. The transparent sun visors are interesting, which prevent you from being blinded by the sun, without however taking away visibility while driving. Then there are the two panels with opening slits and useful for accessing the tank, without forgetting the air conditioning of the time, that happen to be two small fenders that once open let air from the outside enter directly into the passenger compartment, at knee height, solutions that smell of the past and that today are looked at with amazement and sympathy.

As for the interior, he used a fabric similar to the original one, with his wife taking care of the stitching, another added value in an object that is slowly taking on the value of a family treasure and not just a vintage car about to be restored to its original conditions. It is mandatory to apply taillights and direction indicators, which are essential for inspection and registration. Days, months and years pass and finally Silvano’s 500 A Topolino is back on the road and ready to walk its first kilometers after almost a century since its birth back in June 1938. And so we cross the city center and we are in all respects a magnet for everyone’s eyes. It almost seems as if the world stops for a moment, amazed to see an object so out of time and that with its charm brings a smile to everyone’s face.

It intrigues the younger ones and brings to mind the past in those with more than a few white hairs on their heads. Silvano and I drive along the coastal road towards a quiet place to take some photos, with the awareness that we will not be able to travel hundreds of kilometers, but each of those will be seasoned with the sensation of driving a precious piece of Italian history. The Topolino is not just a classic car, it is an icon, a symbol. Silvano grips the steering wheel with the pride of someone who has taken care of every little nut and bolt of the engine. The sentimental value that one feels towards a car is thus brought to the maximum, because the bond created here goes beyond simple ownership. And this Topolino knows it well and wants nothing more than to be driven as it did almost a hundred years ago on who knows what roads and on what occasions. For this we thank Silvano and offer him our heartfelt compliments.