From Mrs OMiT: a Fiat 500 C Belvedere

-

 


When in Rome ... ?  Take pictures of Roma-registered classic Italian cars, of course!


This absolute gem - brought to you by Mrs OMiT - is a Fiat 500 C Belvedere, which predates the better-known and comparatively newer 500 Bambino (1957 - 1975, as shown below) by two years (1936 - 1955).  There are three models with only fairly minor styling updates, the A, B and C, with Mrs OMiT's example being the latter.

Image courtesy of the Italian Corrispondente (https://uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com/2018/09/the-italian-corrispondente-4-fiat-500.html).

The original 1930s' 500 was affectionally known in Italy as the Topolino, which translates as little mouse in English.  Unlike the more famous 500 Bambino, it was a front-engined, rear wheel drive car and came in two-door sedan, convertible, station wagon (Belvedere) and van configurations.  There was a Zagato-bodied Panoramica version, too (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiat_500_%22Topolino%22, accessed 07 OCT 25). 


Did you enjoy this post?  If so, why not browse the rest of the uppermiddlepetrolhead site?  There are loads and loads of classic, sports and performance vehicles featured - like this one: https://uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com/2025/09/from-our-man-in-tuscany-another-renault.html - as well as stacks of car shows and motorsports events.  Even better, you can follow either the 'blog itself or do so via Upper Middle Petrol Head's Facebook page.  And please do like, comment and share!




U M P H

(uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au.)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

EJ or EH Holden? (Up-dated December, 2022)

-
Image
EJ or the later EH? Several years ago, I posed the question:  Can somebody please explain the difference between an EJ and an EH Holden ute or van?  The response at the time wasn't overwhelming, so I did a bit of Googling and ferreting through my photos and came up with my own rough guide to EJ and EH identification.  Sedans and wagons are easy to tell apart ;  the EH's vertical rectangular tail lights are a dead give-away.  However, the workhorse versions of both models share the rear-end treatment of the earlier EJ, making it harder to identify one from the other.    No super obvious hints here. Or here ...  . It turns out that the main clues are in the placement of the front   H O L D E N   lettering and GMH lion emblems, the style of the radiator grille and the width of the vents in front of the windscreen, with all EJs - sedans, wagons, utes and vans - having one combination and the EH line-up having th...
Read more

An Electric Fiat X1/9

-
Image
For several years, there have been whispers that an electric X had been constructed in Tasmania's south.  However, no one seemed to know much about the car and how it had been built. That's not to say that it was some kind of skunkworks project; it seems to have simply been an under-the-radar affair, quietly put together by a bloke in his shed.  It was actually so U-T-R that I'd seen it at least twice without realising that it'd been electrified. The car's since been sold but this is what I could glean from its current owner:  - It's a 1980 model and, as such, was delivered to Australia as a "Series 1.5," meaning that it originally had the Series 1's 1300 cc / four-speed in a Series 2 body with impact-absorbing bumpers and the higher engine compartment lid, as well as the latter's interior; - The motor is a 120 volt DC unit from US company Advanced Motors and Drives, rated at 10 HP / 7.355 kW ( http://evalbum.com/advdc , accessed 03 JUN 24); - ...
Read more

Upper Middle Petrol Head Drives Phil's Fiat-Abarth OT 1600 Replica

-
Image
This is the first instalment of my  Upper Middle Petrol Head Drives  ... series.  However, I suspect that it could also be my last, given that the owner of the featured car, Phil Blake, is a man of unequalled generosity and trust. If I were Phil, I would not have offered me a drive of his hand-built,  Targa Tasmania  class-winning Fiat-Abarth OT 1600 replica.  But that's exactly how I found myself behind the wheel of his diminutive yellow rocket: one day I was chatting  to Phil about the car when he said, quite unexpectedly, "you'll have to have a drive!"  Clearly, it was an offer that I was never going to refuse! Not totally on top of your early- to mid-1960s high-performance Fiats?  According to an ubiquitous on-line source, who describe the OT 1600 as an "extreme variant" of the Fiat 850 Berlina, only four were ever made.  I'm putting my money on Phil, though ; he reckons there were five and I have no reason to ...
Read more