The Fiat Section: A Hidden Gem in My Garage

As we step into the Fiat section of my garage, it's clear that these cars have gotten a bad reputation in the United States. However, as I'm about to show you, they are actually quite terrific. In this article, we'll delve into the history of one of the most famous Fiats, known as the Topolino, and explore its significance in the world of automotive design.

The Topolino: A Little Mouse Car with a Big Impact

One of the most famous Fiats is undoubtedly the Topolino. Despite never being officially named "Topolino," the car's designers cleverly gave it this nickname due to its resemblance to Walt Disney's cartoon character, Mickey Mouse. Dante Giankosa, the designer behind the first generation of the Topolino, created a people's car that would go on to revolutionize the automotive industry. Although Ferdinand Porsche is often credited with designing the first European people's car, the Volkswagen, the Topolino was available for purchase in 1936 and predates the Volkswagen by several years.

The Fiat Mento: A 1959 Timeless Classic

Fast-forward to 1959, and we find ourselves in front of a beautifully original 1959 Fiat Mento. This is my favorite kind of automobile, with its sleek design and charming features. The car was bought by a gentleman in Pennsylvania in 1959, who inexplicably decided to keep it in his living room for the next 48 years. When we pulled it out of storage, we found that only one thing was wrong – someone had scratched the hood with a can of cocaine (presumably while watching TV and listening to Ed Sullivan). Apart from this minor issue, the car is still in its original condition, with every detail meticulously preserved.

Handling and Performance: A Driver's Car

When Dante Giankosa first designed the Topolino in 1953, it boasted an impressive 36 horsepower. Not only was it a driver's car, but even Enzo Ferrari himself wrote a letter of congratulations to Giankosa for his design. The 1959 Fiat Mento, while producing 50 horsepower, shares this same driving personality. With its simple yet effective design, the car drives wonderfully and can reach speeds of 60-70 mph per hour.

Fuel Efficiency: A New Standard

One of the most surprising aspects of the Fiat Mento is its fuel efficiency – a staggering 40 miles per gallon. This was truly exceptional for its time and sets a new standard for fuel economy. When you drive this car, it's hard not to talk about how efficient it is compared to modern cars like the Prius.

The Evolution of the Topolino: From Simple to Exotic

The Topolino chassis proved to be an ideal foundation for exotic cars. Zagato and other coachbuilders built on this design, producing over 252,000 units before the need for undercoating became apparent. The lack of rust in these early models made them last longer, but also meant that parts were relatively inexpensive.

The Fiat Mento Today: A Hidden Gem Worth $5,500-$6,000

Despite being over 60 years old, the Fiat Mento is still an attractive car to drive and maintain. Parts are reasonably priced, making it accessible to enthusiasts who want to restore these classic cars. With only a new radiator or a thorough cleaning required, the costs of restoration are surprisingly low.

The Future of Fiat: A New Era

As we look to the future, Fiat has recently introduced its new 500 model, which aims to compete with the Mini in terms of style and functionality. Additionally, there's speculation about an upcoming "Abarferrari" edition, which may be available for American buyers if not so fortunate. For now, I'll continue to enjoy my trusty old Fiat Mento, a testament to the enduring legacy of this remarkable car.

The Significance of Originality: A Guide to Restoring Your Classic

When restoring an old car like the Fiat Mento, there's one crucial aspect to consider: getting yourself a new radiator. This simple yet essential component can save you from costly repairs down the line. Furthermore, having the old radiator boiled out and inspected for damage ensures that your restoration is done correctly.

In conclusion, the Fiat section in my garage holds a treasure trove of automotive history and charm. From its iconic Topolino design to the practicality of the 1959 Mento, these cars have proven themselves to be not only beautiful but also functional and fuel-efficient. Whether you're an enthusiast or simply looking for a reliable ride, I invite you to explore the world of classic Fiats and discover their timeless appeal.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enwe're here in the Fiat section of my garage you know Fiats have gotten kind of a bad reputation in the United States fix it again Tony you know all that kind of stuff but Fiats are actually quite uh quite terrific cars uh we're going to talk about a very special car here in just a minute but first a little bit of History uh probably the most famous Fiat was this one here the Topolino it was never called the Topolino but because it looked like a little mouse and the Italians love Walt Disney's cartoon they they they the people gave it the little mouse name that's where it came from the car was designed by Dante Gian kosa you know people always think of the Volkswagen as the first European people's car and although Ferdinand Porsche did show his prototype in 1936 the Volkswagen did not go on sale until well after the second world war whereas this car was available from 1936 on uh this was the first generation of sort of people's car but it only had 13 12 horsepower topped out at about 50 m an hour uh Dante ganosa did a number of other cars Fiat eventually winding up with this one this is a 1959 Fiat Mento that means 1100 this is my favorite kind of automobile original and unrestored by that I mean nothing has been done to it this car was bought by a gentleman in Pennsyvania in 1959 in 1962 for whatever reason he put it in his living room single guy you think and uh it stayed there until he died sat in his living room for I don't know 48 years whatever it is uh fine uh we pulled it out the only thing wrong with it is somebody put a cocane or something on the hood probably watching TV watching Ed Sullivan or something you know boom you put it on there and scraped it but other than that the car is exactly as it appeared in 1959 the engine had locked up a course he didn't bother to drain the water out so we had to take the head off do a little bit of metal work clean it up put it back together but other than that everything is completely as it was with the exception of white wall tires which it had does not have white walls on it now you know when ganosa first designed the first generation of this car in 1953 it had 36 horsepower it was considered a driver's car in fact uh no less a luminary than uh Enzo Ferrari himself wrote a letter of congratulations to uh Dante Jan Caso for Designing such a great handling uh Italian sedan and it is a wonderful car to drive this car has 50 horsepower oo but you know it'll hold five people and it gets about 40 m per gallon you know everybody's talking about buying hybrids and Priuses you find some of these old cars like this who were meant to save gas back in the day this would have been a family man's car a successful family man's car in Italy at the time the equivalent in America might be a Galaxy 500 a Chevrolet belir or Chevrolet Impala this was for the Italians a full-size car to us it's a little foreign job as my dad would always call what you drive one of them foreign jobs get a foreign job but no that's what it was and to me it's a wonderful car again for some reason women go nuts with these cars like this one here like this gu here you can drive a Ferrari women might ignore you you pull up drive in this car you behind the wheel have a cat sitting here looking out the window women will jump in the car I guarantee drive around with a kitty and you and H women will jump in the car it'll be unbelievable uh I haven't tried it yet with this one in fact I don't want any women jumping in my car or else I'll lose half my cars so but that's another story but anyway I'm just telling you it works we did the engine but we deliberately didn't paint any of the engine compartment wanted to keep everything looking totally stock that's a sweet little thing I got the choke on she'll smooth down air cleaner you got your windshield wash a lot of options which are not available to Europeans at the time little tiny battery let's take a look at the interior this the interior again as it appeared in 1959 we haven't changed a thing the two-tone paint the green and the cream even the floor mats are original yeah it's amazing car no rust you see if you keep a car in your living room it'll last forever that's why I tell people hey just put the car in the living room that's all your kids can sleep in the garage got your Jacks spare tire only thing you don't want to do with a car like this is get hit by an SUV it's probably time to go for a ride Angelo venzo we're going for pizza as you can see the dashboard are fairly Spartan speedometer water temperature Dynamo oil light odometer 9,359 Mi lights reserve and fuel that's it no radio under the dash you got a number of controls there's your choke air left and right heater switch right here turn indicator as well windshield washers iow Bean got all the original books got your Fiat manual glove box even got a uh night position that was like a huge deal in Italy got your Italian you got to have a cigarette Ash kind of an ashtray those Tali in the ' 50s love to smoke these little Fiats were the basis for so many uh exotic cars by zagato and all the other big coach Builders cuz they're wonderful chassis they built something like 252,000 of these things I don't know how many remain you know they didn't undercoat them they rusted out fairly easily but this is a nicely preserved car drives wonderful goes down the road 60 70 M an hour and as I said gets 40 m per gallon you know you just start to talk like this when you drive it's just something about the cop it really does need the white wall tires manly horn there you go now come on this is more fun than driving a Prius getting almost the same mileage with a lot more elong cars don't really look like this anymore very simple very basic but you could carry six people in it three in the front and three in the back it's hilarious you know the cool thing is you can buy Classics like this for not much money maybe 5500 bucks 6,000 bucks that need a little bit of work but they're wonderful cars to drive and they will last you forever parts are pretty cheap and everything's available for them and hey at 4 bucks a gallon it's the new Ferrari baby main thing you have to remember on redoing old cars like this is just get yourself a new radiator or at best have the old one boiled out a lot of guys rebuild an engine they put it back in without even giving a second of thought to the fact that the radiator might be cloged but that's probably 95% of all your cooling problems I love the way it looks going down the road if you read the car magazines you know fiat's got some interesting new cars coming out they've got their new 500 that little Fiat which is their answer to the mini and I understand they're going to make an a bar edition of it let's hope they bring it to the United States if not I'll keep driving this well I'll keep driving this anyway CIA baby\n"