The first Fiat car to wear the 500 badge was the 500 Topolino. First introduced in 1936, the Topolino, meaning "Little Mouse" in Italian, was a series of small two door cars available in a range of compact body styles. The Topolino was powered by a 569cc inline four engine, and was in production until 1955.

The two-main-bearing engine developed but 13 bhp, but four speeds forward and light weight conspired to give it adequate performance. The front wheels had transverse leaf spring independent suspension, the rear sprung quarter elliptics with torque arms. Fuel supply was by gravity from a firewall-mounted tank. Priced at the equivalent of 1000 lire, it was quite a bargain.

A four-seat cabriolet was added in 1938, and in 1948 came a new model, the 500B, with overhead valves and improvements to the brakes, suspension and electrical system.
For 1949, the Topolino was given a dramatic facelift, as the 500C. A wider horizontal grille looked more up-to-date, and the tail of the coupe and cabriolet was lengthened.
A new model was the Giardiniera, literally "gardener," a compact little station wagon. It was built by Fiat’s in-house Carrozzerie Speciali operation, which, as the name implied, was a special coachwork division. Some of these had real wood on the exterior, others had stamped metal panels that could be painted in contrasting colors or treated in the manner of faux timber. To these the name Belvedere was given.

The 500C remained in production through 1954, to be replaced soon afterwards by the all-new unitary 600. By the time 500 production ceased, more than 375,000 of the "C" model had been built, which, when added to the 122,000 basic and "B" models, signaled nearly half a million "little mice."

We are so proud to offer this 1954 Fiat 500C Belvedere, believed to be delivered new into Melbourne in 1954 by the then distributor – Devon Motors Pty Ltd in Lonsdale Street, Melbourne, it was a cherished family wagon that no doubt took care of the daily school runs, supermarket visits weekend getaways.

Its 1956 Melbourne Olympic badge that it wears with pride on the rear fender is a timely reminder of the 70 years of caretaking ownership this little mouse has had to still be on the roads today.

From Melbourne it seems it ventured to South Australia where its heritage plate from the 1960’s registered the 500C as SA162506 and remained for 4 decades before arriving in NSW where it has spent the remainder of its years.

Over the years its maintenance and upkeep has included mechanical overhaul and a refreshed paintwork to a beautiful emerald green from its original Giallo Senape, whilst still retaining so much of its originality in the including windows, seals, sills and brightwork.

The interior was also reupholstered during this period with correct Beige Sabia vinyl that still presents in excellent condition today. Equipment includes a roll-back beige soft-top roof, reversed-hinged front doors, a two-spoke steering wheel, sliding windows, and a fold-down rear bench seat.

In no way a concourse example, it is a true testament to a time long forgotten when family cars were only as big as the seats required to carry their occupants - with conversations in place of radios in place of conversation, fresh air in place of air-conditioning and relaxing drives in place of traffic jams.

As cute a Topolino as you’ll find, it is sure to draw attention wherever you drive it.
For the fans of the famous Mille Miglia: the car is eligible for this great Italian event and the cheapest possibility to take part!

The first Fiat car to wear the 500 badge was the 500 Topolino. First introduced in 1936, the Topolino, meaning "Little Mouse" in Italian, was a series of small two door cars available in a range of compact body styles. The Topolino was powered by a 569cc inline four engine, and was in production until 1955.

The two-main-bearing engine developed but 13 bhp, but four speeds forward and light weight conspired to give it adequate performance. The front wheels had transverse leaf spring independent suspension, the rear sprung quarter elliptics with torque arms. Fuel supply was by gravity from a firewall-mounted tank. Priced at the equivalent of 1000 lire, it was quite a bargain.

A four-seat cabriolet was added in 1938, and in 1948 came a new model, the 500B, with overhead valves and improvements to the brakes, suspension and electrical system.
For 1949, the Topolino was given a dramatic facelift, as the 500C. A wider horizontal grille looked more up-to-date, and the tail of the coupe and cabriolet was lengthened.
A new model was the Giardiniera, literally "gardener," a compact little station wagon. It was built by Fiat’s in-house Carrozzerie Speciali operation, which, as the name implied, was a special coachwork division. Some of these had real wood on the exterior, others had stamped metal panels that could be painted in contrasting colors or treated in the manner of faux timber. To these the name Belvedere was given.

The 500C remained in production through 1954, to be replaced soon afterwards by the all-new unitary 600. By the time 500 production ceased, more than 375,000 of the "C" model had been built, which, when added to the 122,000 basic and "B" models, signaled nearly half a million "little mice."

We are so proud to offer this 1954 Fiat 500C Belvedere, believed to be delivered new into Melbourne in 1954 by the then distributor – Devon Motors Pty Ltd in Lonsdale Street, Melbourne, it was a cherished family wagon that no doubt took care of the daily school runs, supermarket visits weekend getaways.

Its 1956 Melbourne Olympic badge that it wears with pride on the rear fender is a timely reminder of the 70 years of caretaking ownership this little mouse has had to still be on the roads today.

From Melbourne it seems it ventured to South Australia where its heritage plate from the 1960’s registered the 500C as SA162506 and remained for 4 decades before arriving in NSW where it has spent the remainder of its years.

Over the years its maintenance and upkeep has included mechanical overhaul and a refreshed paintwork to a beautiful emerald green from its original Giallo Senape, whilst still retaining so much of its originality in the including windows, seals, sills and brightwork.

The interior was also reupholstered during this period with correct Beige Sabia vinyl that still presents in excellent condition today. Equipment includes a roll-back beige soft-top roof, reversed-hinged front doors, a two-spoke steering wheel, sliding windows, and a fold-down rear bench seat.

In no way a concourse example, it is a true testament to a time long forgotten when family cars were only as big as the seats required to carry their occupants - with conversations in place of radios in place of conversation, fresh air in place of air-conditioning and relaxing drives in place of traffic jams.

As cute a Topolino as you’ll find, it is sure to draw attention wherever you drive it.
For the fans of the famous Mille Miglia: the car is eligible for this great Italian event and the cheapest possibility to take part!