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While a young man, Henry Ford took a job with the Edison Illuminating Company in Detroit, Michigan.  While serving as Edison’s chief engineer, Ford began building his first car.  Like other car makers of his day, he had no ready-made components with which to work.  For the engine, he modified plans found in American Machinist […]

In 2003 Fiat decided it was going to re-introduce the popular Fiat 500 that had ended production in 1975.  It took years of planning and development to get the new Fiat 500 into production in 2007.  An unprecedented 250,000 fans attended the reveal party in Turin, produced by the director of the 2006 Winter Olympics.

Fiat reintroduced the Multipla in 1998 to capture the growing minivan market.  Initial sales were slow as the controversial styling scared buyers away.  In 2004 the outside of the Multipla was redesigned to give it a more traditional shape.  Sales skyrocketed as people realized this vehicle’s versatility and functionality.  With each seat being separate, the

From all outside appearances, this is a normal Fiat 500.  What makes this car different is it’s powered by a 245cc Goggo engine.  It was created to allow German drivers with a Class 4 license to drive a car.  During WWII, most young people were not able to get a driver’s license for a regular

  This nice little Fiat conversion is but one of several designs by Giovanni Vernagallo of Torino, Italy. Vernagallo’s company, Carrozzeria Holiday, takes cars such as the Fiat 500 and Punto, Citroen 2CV, Saxo, and AX, and Renault Twingo, among others, and transforms them into beach cars, cabrios, or pickups. “This exclusive model revives the

When it was time to replace the Fiat 500, many engine and chassis configurations were designed, built, and tested.  The layout for the 600 was chosen for a simple reason –low manufacturing costs.  Fiat introduced the 600 at the Geneva Motor Show of 1955.  It was part of the postwar Italian “economic miracle” that helped

Introduced on July 4th, 1957, the successor for the Topolino, the “Nuova (which means “New”) 500″ used a layout similar to that seen on the 600 with a rear mounted engine driving the rear wheels and independent suspension on all four wheels.  A first for Fiat was the air-cooled engine, a two cylinder, 479cc unit

Guy Duport owned a company in France that made ski lifts. In 1977, as a hobby, Mr. Duport built a prototype, a Microcar powered by a Lombardini 510cc diesel engine. The car was well constructed, although the only part made by Duport was the chassis. Many parts came from a Renault 4, and the wheels

The name DKW comes from “Dampf-Kraft-Wagen” which translates to “steam-powered vehicle.” It carries this name because of the first vehicle its Danish designer, J.S. Rasmussen, built, was a light steam car. Like many other manufacturers, DKW was also famous for motorcycles – in the 1930s they were the world’s largest motorcycle manufacturer. In 1931, DKW