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In 1936 Fiat introduced the 500, or “Topolino” as a small car for the masses of Italy. Inexpensive and robust, the Fiat 500 sold in large numbers. The first version of the 500 was called the A model, and was produced from 1936-1948. The next model, B, was produced 1948-1949, and the final version, C, […]

The Elcar was a small electric car produced by the famous Italian design and coachbuilding company, Zagato. Known for designs such as the Ferrari 250 GT, Alfa Romeo TZ3 Stradale, and Aston Martin DB7 Zagato, the Zele, as it was known in Europe, was quite a departure. Its small boxy shape, spartan interior, and electric

One of the most controversial cars to ever come from Detroit, the Corvair still sparks conversations and perpetuates myths to this day. With a ten-year production run and 1.8 million produced, it was also a surprising success story, considering how different it was from everything else coming from America’s automotive manufacturers at the time. As

The Astra was originally developed in 1955 as the “Little Horse” utility vehicle by JARC Motors Ltd. Of Middlesex. The single-seat, 13HP commercial vehicle was simple but capable. The main downside was the location of the 250cc engine – under the load floor. Any service work required removal of everything inside the rear cabin.  

The Alfa 2600 was Alfa Romeo’s flagship car that succeeded the Alfa Romeo 2000. It is a significant car because it was the first Alfa to be powered by an inline 6-cylinder engine.  Although the 2600 was a fast car that handled well, sales were slow, as it was a very expensive car.  The styling

Introduced in 1968, the Mehari was a new multi-purpose, all terrain pick-up joining Citroën’s family of light, flat-twin vehicles. The Mehari was originally designed with a plastic body which prevented corrosion problems and resisted impact.  Roughly145,000 Meharis were produced from 1968-87.  The Mehari is based on the standard 2CV chassis and drivetrain.    Specifications:  

The Citroën Ami Super was launched in January 1973 and, while it looks like the Ami 8, it has a larger, more powerful horizontally-opposed flat 4-cylinder air cooled engine of 1015cc and 55 hp, almost doubling the 8’s power.  The Ami Super was the top-of-the-line Ami and was positioned between the Citroën GS (launched in

French industrial planner Jacques Riboud, of Vitrex Industrie, promoted and designed microcars as a solution to increased urbanization in 1970’s Paris. He believed full-size cars to be too big and too expensive for the old city’s infrastructure. In his publication, Three Wheels and a Brake Pedal he states “For each role … it is conceived,

Poland did not produce any cars until after WWI.  Right after WWI the defense ministry formed the CWS (Central Automobile Works).  In 1927 production of cars was started by CWS – the car was called the T1, and was a large and sturdy car.  Since Poland had a nonexistent service network at that time, the