Fiat 500 "Topolino"
The Fiat 500, often referred to as distinct from his eponymous successor, the Nuova 500 " Topolino " is a manufactured from 1936 to 1957 small car of Fiat.
Versions and numbers
The first Fiat 500 - known in Italy as well as lovingly Topolino ( in German: little mouse, but also the Italian name of the U.S. cartoon character Mickey Mouse from this time ) - was in the years from 1936 to 1955 in three versions built a total of 516 646 times. In addition to the normal two-seater passenger car version ( Berlina ), there was also a 1949 optional four-seater station wagon ( Giardiniera Belvedere) and a few years ago a small van ( Furgoncino ). All models were available with a folding roof. For export to England in a four-seat convertible sedan was built and the Weinberg built a Roadster. Designer of the Topolino was the engineer Dante Giacosa.
Technical concept
The engine in the 1936 to 1948 produced Fiat 500 A made with 569 cc 10 kW (13 hp) at 4000 rpm. The engine block was built so deep that the radiator behind it slightly higher lying dispensed with a water pump ( Thermosiphonkühlung ). Because the tank was under the front of the windshield, the car did not need any petrol pump. The dual stacked four-cylinder in-line engine had standing valves and splash lubrication. Later models had a pressure lubrication with oil pump. The two main bearings of the crankshaft were supplied directly, the two middle rod bearings on an externally mounted on the crank arm between the first and second cylinder oil pipe. Therefore, it came in overheating often caused problems because connecting rod bearings 3 received too little lubrication. The four-speed gearbox was synchronized only in the third and fourth gear, the downshift to second and first round had to be given to intermediate gas ( Italian " la doppietta "). Early versions had unsynchronized transmission. In Italy, a sports version with 15 kW (21 PS) at 6000 rpm and was sold OHV cylinder head of Siata. In Germany there were vehicles that were traveling with a VD- compressor of Viktor Derbuel, Gera, retrofitted.
The guided to semi-elliptical leaf springs lying along rigid rear axle with differential was a cardan shaft with flexible disk and flexible disk (manufacturer: SGF GmbH & Co. KG, type GHL -4) driven. The handbrake worked as a band brake on the propeller shaft. The front wheels were individually suspended on wishbones and upper transverse leaf spring. The vehicle had an X-shaped profile frames ( with holes to save weight ) and a steel body. (The combined there was initially a " Woody" with wooden frame body. )
For winter operation you had to adjust the air intake a flap so that only air that could cross over the warm engine block, got into the carburetor. During the startup sequence you pressed the choke, thus the fuel -air mixture is enriched with gasoline. An empty battery was not a problem, because there was a hand crank to bring the motor with a few twists up and running.
With a curb weight of 535 kg, the car reached a top speed of 90 km / h From this first model variant about 122 000 vehicles emerged.
From 1948 to 1949, the Fiat 500 was B, with a quantity of about 21,000. The car now had an improved 16.5 - hp engine with overhead valves and pressure oil lubrication with oil pump. 1949 appeared the model variant C with an " Americanized " front. With around 370,000 produced by 1955 copies of this small car was in his time one of the most successful cars in Europe.
Production
Except in Italy, it was built under license, inter alia, in England, in France as a Simca Simca 5 and 6 in Germany as NSU - Fiat and Steyr -Puch in Austria and exported widely, including to China, the U.S. and Australia.
NSU - Fiat in Heilbronn built the car from 1937 to 1955 in different versions. By the outbreak of war in 1939 there were 4000 copies made . The price was 1925 Reichsmarks. These designs were improved in details and had, for example, standard prolonged rain protection strips on the front doors and a water temperature gauge on the instrument panel to the left. The top speed of the normal convertible saloon of the C model was now at 95 km / h The combined reached 90 km / h
Successor was built from 1957 Fiat Nuova 500
Special
Due to the simple design and the main property of the former small car - small and light - the Topolino would be downright predestined to be converted to electric vehicles. With a consumption of 13 kWh per 100 km, such a conversion is quite comparable to a modern electric car.