Description
Debuting in 1936, the original Fiat 500A Topolino – literally “little mouse” but soon interpreted as Mickey Mouse for the mouse-ear-shaped headlamps on the front wings – became Italy’s most popular car. In 1948, Fiat announced the 500B, expanding the microcar’s capabilities with a practical, wood-sided wagon called the Giardiniera, meaning “gardener.” When the 500C was introduced in 1949 with a revamped design, Fiat offered the Giardiniera again, but for only two years.
The 500C Giardiniera was completed at the Lingotto factory by Carrozzerie Speciali, Fiat's own coachbuilder. Some of these had real wood on the outside, others had fiberboard or stamped metal panels that could be painted in contrasting colors or treated in the manner of faux wood.
