(Built by Fiat Special Vehicle Department for internal use in 1957) This Mirafiori is one of just five special-order Fiat 600 Multipla cars created by the Reparto Carrozzerie Speciali department of Fiat. They were built between 1956 and 1958 at the request of Fiat executive Gianni Agnelli, who specifically wanted a small fleet of vehicles to transport visiting dignitaries and the occasional movie star around the Fiat factory in Torino. The blueprint was futuristic for its time and featured an integral chassis/body with independent suspension all around and a 633 cc engine capable of a top speed of 60 mph. The Fiat 600 Multipla somewhat amazingly maneuvered six seats into the diminutive wheelbase. The Multipla-based 600 Mirafiori was lavished with special attention. The design team created a special Plexiglas hard top, which enabled visitors to move about the factory grounds in comfort during inclement weather with full visibility.
The plexi hardtop s currently being properly restored. Paint has been restored as well. Being that we have a nice range of early Fiats, this rare model fits in nicely. Once it is finished, it will be one of the more interesting cars in the collection and for shows.
-On loan from The Mike Malamut personal collection
Its name evoking happiness and fun, the Fiat Jolly was one of a number of beach buggy conversions of regular production cars constructed by Italian coachbuilders. They were distinguished by open sides, a chopped windshield, and a fringed surrey top with stripes, and were available in pink, corral, white, pale yellow, and sky blue. Although the Jolly’s price was almost double that of a standard Fiat 500, they were favored by both celebrities and the wealthy; Yul Brynner and Aristotle Onassis both owned them. Because they were used primarily as yacht tenders, golf cars, and estate runabouts, most surviving Jollys have unusually low mileage. Sold in the United States between 1958 and 1961, the model had a healthy run until its retirement in 1966.
-On loan from The Mike Malamut personal collection
The Fiat that was commonly referred to as the “Topolino” was the little Italian car that was produced from 1936-1955 and was the very first of the Fiat 500 series. Even though the ‘Topolino’ is literally a 500 model, the ‘Topolino’ name is commonly used to describe this early series of Fiat cars, whereas the ‘Fiat 500’ is generally used in reference to the second or ‘Nuova’ generation of Fiat 500 models. The Topolino, which is the Italian word for “little mouse,” and additionally denotes Micky Mouse, was literally one of the smallest cars produced in the world at its time, but totaled in at a massive quantity of 520,000 made. This particular model is the Fiat 500C ‘Giardiniera.’ ‘Giardiniera,’ the Italian translation of “Gardner” was Fiat’s station wagon variant, and was big success with its initial debut under the 500B line 1948. Collectors revere the early Gardiniera’s unique look among Topolinos because of it having timber side paneling giving it the rightfully earned nickname as ‘The Little Wooden Mouse.’ In 1951 the little wooden mouse retired and the Fiat 500C ‘Belvedere’ Station Wagon, took its place having metal side paneling in place of timber.
-On loan from The Mike Malamut personal collection
The Fiat that was commonly referred to as the “Topolino” was the little Italian car that was produced from 1936-1955 and was the very first of the Fiat 500 series. Even though the ‘Topolino’ is literally a 500 model, the ‘Topolino’ name is commonly used to describe this early series of Fiat cars, whereas the ‘Fiat 500’ is generally used in reference to the second or ‘Nuova’ generation of Fiat 500 models. The Topolino, which is the Italian word for “little mouse,” and additionally denotes Micky Mouse, was literally one of the smallest cars produced in the world at its time, but totaled in at a massive quantity of 520,000 made. This particular model is the Fiat 500C ‘Giardiniera.’ ‘Giardiniera,’ the Italian translation of “Gardner” was Fiat’s station wagon variant, and was big success with its initial debut under the 500B line 1948. Collectors revere the early Gardiniera’s unique look among Topolinos because of it having timber side paneling giving it the rightfully earned nickname as ‘The Little Wooden Mouse.’ In 1951 the little wooden mouse retired and the Fiat 500C ‘Belvedere’ Station Wagon, took its place having metal side paneling in place of timber.
-On loan from The Mike Malamut personal collection
Carrozzeria Allemano was an automobile coachbuilder in Turin, Italy, founded by Serafino Allemano in 1928. Originally set for mechanical repairs, however by 1935 Allemano decided to direct its efforts solely in the field of bodywork. But few years later, the outbreak of the Second World War forced him to suspend their activities. However, the coachbuilder survived the war and began to thrive as Allemano expanded its clientele to Ferrari, Lancia, Alfa Romeo, Maserati, Fiat, and then to Jaguar, Aston Martin, and on. 1958 was the last year of the Allemano-bodied Fiat 600 type chassis Abarth, most of which were 750cc. This Abarth, which is restored to a concour level is said to be one of five, and is a testament in defining the beauty in Allemano’s craft in all things big or as in this case, small.
-On loan from The Mike Malamut personal collection
Introduced in 1956, the Fiat Multipla was based on the platform of the extremely successful Fiat 600 passenger car, which had debuted one year ealier. Resembling an early minivan, the mixed-use station wasgon was dubbed the Multipla, which was Italian for “all service.” Three versions were available, including a 4/5 seater (with front and rear bench seats that folded to make a bed), a six-seater, and a taxi. Almost 130,000 of the rear-engine, four-cylinder vehicles were built until the model was discontinued in 1969. This car was fully restored by the Malamut Museum’s in-house restoration shop.
-On loan from The Mike Malamut personal collection
Contrary to popular belief, Chrysler and Lee Iacocca did not invent the Minivan. There were many other similar models crawling halfway around the world before they even thought of it. One of such was this amazing six-passenger micro van called the Multipla. The Multipla was an economical transportation masterpiece using the proven Fiat 600 drivetrain, 1100 model coil, and wishbone independent front suspension, while only measuring 50 centimeters (19.7 in) longer than the original Mini Cooper. The driver compartment was moved forward over the front axle, eliminating the boot in effect maximizing the space in a one-box setting. Behind the front seat the vehicle could be arranged with a flat floor area or a choice of one or two bench seats allowing the Multipla to transform back and forth from a cargo van to a passenger car. A 633 cc right hand drive Multipla was tested by the British magazine The Motor in 1956 and was found to have a top speed of 57.1 mph (91.9 km/h) and could accelerate from 0-50 mph (80 km/h) in 43.0 seconds. A fuel consumption of 38.4 miles per imperial gallon (7.36 L/100 km; 32.0 mpg-US) was recorded. The test car cost £799 including taxes on the UK market.
-On loan from The Mike Malamut personal collection
The continuing success of the ‘Giardiniera’ Station Wagon prompted Fiat to introduce a more substantial all-metal Station Wagon in 1951, which they called the ‘Belvedere’. Mechanically, it was almost identical to the ‘Giardiniera’ having the same 500B type engine, same folding roof and the single rear door. A single raised bar ran horizontally across the doors instead of the Giardiniera’s two wooden style bars and the panels were painted in a contrasting color.
-On loan from The Mike Malamut personal collection
The Giulietta was a subcompact automobile manufactured by the Italian carmaker Alfa Romeo from 1954 to 1965. The Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint Speciale was built at Bertone’s Gruliasco factory. Franco Scaglione, the man responsible for the 3 curvy-finned BAT prototypes or “Berlinetta Aerodinamica Tecnica” cars, designed it. The main aim of the project was to develop a car that was as aerodynamic as possible, and many styling cues from the BATs are evident. Bertone managed to get the drag factor comfortably below the 0.3 CD threshold, giving the car an impressive 125 mph top speed. Around 1,350 were sold with either the original 1300cc Giulietta engine or the later uprated Giulia unit.
-On loan from The Mike Malamut personal collection
Part of the Malamut Auto Museum Foundation
By the dawn of the 1950s, Alfa Romeo looked little like its pre-war self. Gone were ferocious engines and body-on frame designs; they were replaced with a sophisticated twin-cam four cylinder and the brand’s first foray into monocoque design. Despite a push toward the mainstream, which was necessitated by a changed economic climate in Europe, Alfa Romeo continued to possess the same spirit that had guided it to numerous grand prix victories prior to World War II.
Alfa Romeo’s new small-car lineup arrived to much fanfare in 1954 with the introduction of the stately Giulietta Sprint Coupe. A year later, a sedan, or berlina, version debuted, but the automotive world was turned on end a few months after, when a Pininfarina-designed giulietta spider was unveiled, first in prototype form, at the 1956 Turin Salon.
The production model that hit the road shortly thereafter stayed true to the prototype. Riding on a slightly shortened wheelbase than the Sprint and Berlina, the Spider was neatly and elegantly styled, with many design cues characteristic of Pininfarina. Underhood, the Spider initially offered Alfa Romeo’s 80-horsepower, 1,290-cubic centimeter four-cylinder. A drop-top was later available for a Veloce with more power and a number of lightweight components, although styling modifications were limited to a hood scoop. The Giulietta Spider eventually became the Giulia Spider, although the name change wasn’t accompanied by a full-scale redesign. As a result, the Spider’s basic look continued for almost a decade before being replaced by the Duetto.
The Giulietta Spider featured a 80 bhp 1,290 cc dual overhead-camshaft inline four-cylinder, synchronized four-speed manual transmission, front long and short control arms, coil springs and anti-roll bar with rigid rear axle suspension, and hydraulic drum brakes.
-Part of the Mike Malamut Collection
The Fiat 500 (Italian: Cinquecento)is a rear-engine two-door, four passenger city car manufactured and marketed by Fiat Automobiles from 1957 to 1975 over a single generation in 2-door saloon and 2-door station wagon body styles.
Launched as the Nuova (new) 500 in July 1957, it was a cheap and practical town car. Measuring (9 feet 9 inches) long, and originally powered by a 479 cc two-cylinder, air-cooled engine, the 500 is considered one of the first city cars.
The model seen here is a 500D. Replacing the original Nuova in 1960, the D looks very similar to the Nuova, but there are two key differences. One is the engine size. The D features an uprated 499 cc engine producing 17 bhp as standard. This engine is used right through until the end of the L in 1973. The other difference is the roof. The standard D roof does not fold back as far as the roof on the Nuova, though it was also available as the “Transformable” with the same roof as the Nuova. The D also features “suicide doors”.
-Malamut Auto Museum Foundation
The Pantera was a mid-engined sports car produced by the De Tomaso car company of Italy from 1971 to 1992. Italian for “Panther”, the Pantera was the automaker’s most popular model, with over 7,000 manufactured over its 20-year production.
Late in 1971, Ford began importing Panteras for the American market to be sold through its Lincoln Mercury dealers. As with most Italian cars of the day, rust-proofing was minimal and the quality of fit and finish on these early models was poor with large amounts of body solder being used to cover body panel flaws. Subsequently, Ford increased their involvement in the production of the later cars with the introduction of precision stampings for body panels which resulted in improved overall quality.
Several modifications were made for the 1972 model year Panteras. A new 4 Bolt Main Cleveland Engine, also 351 cu in, was used with lower compression ratio (from 11:1 to 8.6:1, chiefly to meet US emissions standards and run on lower octane standard fuel) but with the more aggressive “Cobra Jet” camshaft (featuring the same lift and duration as the 428 Cobra Jet’s factory performance cam) in an effort to reclaim some of the power lost through the reduction in compression along with a dual point distributor. Many other engine changes were made, including the use of a factory exhaust header.
Ford ended their importation to the US in 1975, having sold around 5,500 cars. De Tomaso continued to build the car in ever-escalating forms of performance and luxury for almost two decades for sale in the rest of the world. A small number of Panteras were imported to the US by gray market importers in the 1980s, notably Panteramerica and AmeriSport. After 1974, Ford US discontinued the Cleveland 351 engine.
The Fiat 600 (Italian: Seicento, pronounced [ˌsɛiˈtʃɛnto]) is a city car produced by the Italian manufacturer Fiat from 1955 to 1969. Measuring only 10 ft 7 in long, it was the first rear-engined Fiat and cost the equivalent of about US$7300 in today’s money. The total number produced from 1955 to 1969 at the Mirafiori plant in Turin was 2,695,197.
The Fiat 600 mirrored the layout of the Volkswagen Beetle and Renault 4CV of its era. Aimed at being an economical but capable vehicle, its design parameters stipulated a weight of around 450 kg with the ability to carry 4 people and luggage plus a cruising speed of no less than 85 km/h.
The car had hydraulic drum brakes on all four wheels. Suspension was a unique single double-mounted leafspring—which acts as a stabilizer—between the front wheels coupled to gas-charged shock absorbers, and an independent coil-over-shock absorber setup coupled to semi-trailing arms at the rear. All 600 models had 3-synchro (no synchro on 1st) 4-speed transaxles. Unlike the Volkswagen Beetle or Fiat 500, the Fiat 600 is water-cooled with an ample cabin heater and, while cooling is generally adequate, for high-power modified versions a front-mounted radiator or oil cooler is needed to complement the rear-mounted radiator. All models of the 600 had generators with mechanical external regulators.
The top speed ranged from 95 km/h (59 mph) empty with the 633 cc inline-four engine to 110 km/h (68 mph) with the 767 cc version. The car had good ventilation and defrosting systems.
The Topolino was one of the smallest cars in the world at the time of its production. Launched in 1937, three models were produced until 1955, all with only minor mechanical and cosmetic changes. It was equipped with a 569 cc four-cylinder, side-valve, water-cooled engine mounted in front of the front axle, (later an overhead valve motor) and so was a full-scale car rather than a cyclecar. The radiator was located behind the engine which made possible a lowered aerodynamic nose profile at a time when competitors had a flat, nearly vertical grille. The shape of the car’s front allowed exceptional forward visibility.
Rear suspension initially used quarter-elliptic rear springs, but buyers frequently squeezed four or five people into the nominally two-seater car, and in later models the chassis was extended at the rear to allow for more robust semi-elliptic springs.
With horsepower of about 13 bhp, its top speed was about 53 mph (85 km/h), and it could achieve about 39.2 miles per US gallon (6.00 L/100 km; 47.1 mpg‑imp). The target price given when the car was planned was 5,000 lire. In the event the price at launch was 9,750 lire, though the decade was one of falling prices in several part of Europe and later in the 1930s the Topolino was sold for about 8,900 lire. Despite being more expensive than first envisioned, the car was competitively priced. Nearly 520,000 were sold.