Autocarro FIAT 626N. Illustration done by Oussama Mohamed 'Godzilla', funded by our Patreon campaign.
Kingdom of Italy (1939-1948)
Medium Truck – 7941 Built
The Autocarro FIAT 626N (English: FIAT 626N Truck) was a medium truck produced by Fabbrica Italiana Automobili di Torino or FIAT (English: Italian Automobiles Factory of Turin) for the European civilian market and the Italian Regio Esercito (English: Italian Army). The majority of the trucks produced between 1939 to 1943 were delivered or requisitioned by the Regio Esercito for the needs of the war.
The FIAT 626N became the most widely used medium truck of the Regio Esercito during the Second World War. After the Armistice of 8th September 1943, thousands of Autocarri FIAT 626N were produced for the Germans with modifications made to speed up production. Some were also deployed by the Repubblica Sociale Italiana (English: Italian Social Republic) and by the Italian Partisans during the Italian Civil War.
After the war, the Autocarro FIAT 626N was one of the most common medium trucks deployed in Italy, remaining in production until 1948. The Esercito Italiano (English: Italian Army), born after the Second World War, employed it until 1954.
An Autocarro FIAT 626NL loaded with paint barrels and towing a fully-loaded trailer. Source: italie1935-45.com.
History of the Project
After the Great World War, in the 1920s, the Italian industry grew with the production of petrol trucks. When, in the 1930s, the Germans presented the first medium and heavy trucks powered by diesel engines, many Italian companies sent requests to German ones to produce their diesel engines under license. The only Italian company that did not search for a new diesel engine was FIAT Veicoli Industriali (English: FIAT Industrial Vehicles), the FIAT branch that produced trucks. In fact, FIAT had already developed diesel engines for other roles with German Engineer Rudolf Diesel in 1906. In the 1930s, FIAT only adapted its diesel engine for use on trucks.
As for the other Italian companies:
Lancia Veicoli Industriali copied the German Junkers diesel engines for its Lancia Ro and Lancia Ro-Ro trucks.
ALFA Romeo copied the Deutz diesel engines and Büssing-NAG chassis.
Isotta Fraschini copied MAN diesel engines.
Fabbrica Automobili e Velocipedi Edoardo Bianchi (English: Edoardo Bianchi Automobile and Bicycle Factory) copied the German MDU diesel engines.
Officine Meccaniche or OM (Mechanical Workshops) copied BUD diesel engines and Saurer chassis.
All the vehicles produced by these companies were powered by petrol or diesel engines, had different payloads and weights and, in some cases, the characteristics and standards differed drastically even between trucks produced by the same company. In 1937, the Italian government introduced a law on truck production through the Regio Decreto (English: Royal Decree) N° 1809 of 14th July 1937, creating the so-called Autocarri Unificati (English: Unified Trucks). The law was passed for three main reasons:
Firstly, Italy was a rapidly growing nation with numerous companies producing dozens of different models of trucks. Standardization would lead companies to produce vehicles more similar to each other and with common parts, increasing the production capacity and reducing maintenance and repair costs.
Secondly, there was also the problem of embargoes placed on the Kingdom of Italy and the policy of autarky, which was the aspiration of Italian Fascist leaders to be economically independent from foreign countries. Unified truck standards would certainly help to avoid wasting resources. An example was wheel rim size. After 1935, due the embargoes placed because of the invasion of Ethiopia, Italy had little rubber with which to produce tires. If all the trucks had the same rim diameters and sizes, the companies produced one-size tires adaptable on all medium and heavy trucks.
Thirdly, and probably most importantly, the unification of civilian and military truck standards meant that in case of war, all civilian trucks could be requisitioned for war needs.
Autocarri Unificati Laws
Truck Types
Medium
Heavy
Maximum Weight (tonnes)
6.5
12
of which payload (tonnes)
3
6
Engine Type
Diesel ¹
Diesel
Maximum Speed (km/h)
60
45
Maximum Turning Radius (m)
7
7
Length (m)
2.35
2.35
Ground Clearance (cm)
20
20
Driving System
4×2
4×2
Note
¹ In some cases petrol engines were also accepted for medium trucks
For heavy trucks, the maximum weight did not exceed 12,000 kg, of which at least 6,000 kg had to be payload, with a diesel engine and a minimum road speed of 45 km/h. The ALFA Romeo 800 and FIAT 666N were the first heavy trucks designed under the Regio Decreto N° 1809 rules.
For the medium trucks, petrol engines were permitted in some cases, but the majority had to use diesel engines. The maximum fully loaded weight had to be 6,500 kg, of which 3,000 kg of cargo. The maximum speed had to be 60 km/h, while the turning radius was to be 7 m. The first medium trucks to be designed under the Regio Decreto N° 1809 rules were the Autocarro FIAT 626N, the ALFA Romeo 430, and the Bianchi Miles medium trucks.
A Bianchi Miles medium truck produced under the Autocarri Unificati laws. Source: italie1935-45.com
This, however, led Italian truckers to be reluctant to purchase this new type of truck, as it was clear that, within a few years, the Kingdom of Italy would enter the war and, therefore, those new trucks would surely be requisitioned first. So, despite their better features, Italian truckers preferred to continue buying older or less performing vehicles that theoretically would not be requisitioned in case of war.
History of the Prototype
FIAT started the development of a new medium truck to substitute the old Autocarro FIAT 621, a light lorry with a payload capacity of 2.5 tonnes produced after 1929.
A FIAT 621N in its last version, produced between 1934 and 1939. Source: favcars.com
Designed under the new rules of 1937, FIAT developed its first cab-over medium truck with the same characteristics as its new cab-over heavy truck, the FIAT 666N.
Autocarro FIAT 626N, one of the first produced by FIAT. Sources: facebook.com @Curzio Cobetti
The prototypes of the Autocarro FIAT 626 were presented on 15th May 1939 at the FIAT Mirafiori plant, on the day of the plant’s inauguration, in the presence of Mussolini himself.
The FIAT 626 was immediately presented with two different variants: Autocarro FIAT 626N (N for Nafta – Diesel) and FIAT 626NM (NM for Nafta Militare – Diesel Military). The latter one was presented to the Regio Esercito in 1939.
Autocarro FIAT 626NM during testing at the Centro Studi ed Esperienze della Motorizzazione. Sources: Archivio Ufficio Stroico dello Stato Maggiore dell’Esercito
The military version differed from the civilian version through the addition of acetylene headlights, a bulb horn, support for rifles on the cab’s roof, manually operated turn signals on the sides of the windscreen, and only the rear side of the cargo bay was openable.
Design
Chassis
The chassis consisted of two stringers connected by side cross members. In the front, the bumper connected to the stringers. The engine and radiator were in the center, between the driver and passenger’s seats. The compressed air tank for the brakes and the battery box were fixed on the left side of the chassis, while the fuel tank and the muffler were placed on the right side.
A FIAT 626N’s ‘naked’ chassis. On the right side were the 75-liter fuel tank and compressed air tank, while on the opposite side was the battery box. Source: italie1935-45.com
Engine and Suspension
Propulsion was provided by a FIAT Tipo 326 6-cylinder in-line diesel engine. It had overhead valves, with a displacement of 5,750 cm³ and FIAT-produced injectors. The maximum output power was 65 hp at 2,200 rpm on the FIAT 626N and NM. It was equipped with injectors FIAT Tipo 6-65-2S11 that suffered from injection fail in the cold Russian steppes and Balkans.
The ignition problems forced the crews to mix the diesel fuel with gasoline in order to allow the engine to start. In some cases, crews had to light fires near the vehicle’s cabs to heat the engine before starting it.
To solve these problems, the petrol variant of the FIAT 626 entered service and was mainly assigned to units operating in the Soviet Union and the Balkans.
A FIAT Tipo 326 engine on a bus on the FIAT 626N’s chassis. Source: escuderia.com
The maximum fully loaded speed on-road was 64 km/h. The fuel was kept in a 75-liter tank located on the right side of the chassis, which offered a 400 km on-road range (fuel consumption of 18 liters each 100 km). A diaphragm pump then pumped the fuel into a 5.5-liter tank located behind the cab’s dashboard. This ensured trouble-free feeding thanks to a gravity injection pump. This system ensured, in case of pump failure or puncture of the main tank, a limited range until reaching a workshop that could repair the damage.
Image showing how to remove the FIAT Tipo 326 engine from a FIAT 626 cab. Source: italie1935-45.com
The water-cooling tank had a capacity of 34 liters. Air was drawn through two filters mounted at the back of the engine. As on the FIAT 666 heavy truck, the engine could be extracted through the cab’s front after the removal of the grille thanks to rollers mounted on the two supports of the engine, rolling on guides fixed to the frame. The lubricant oil for the engine was 15 liters (about 14 kg), 1.5 liters (1.2 kg) for the oil bath filters, and about 11 liters of oil (9.7 kg) in the gearbox and transmission. The brake fluid volume was 1.5 liters (1.2 kg).
Brakes and Electric Systems
The single dry plate clutch was connected to the gearbox via a drive shaft. This could be removed independently of the gearbox and engine simply by removing the rear casing. This meant that maintenance and disassembly were easier.
The transmission had five forward gears and one reverse gear and was equipped with a reducer. The drum brakes were hydraulic and had a pedal-operated air-brake booster. In case of breakage of the hydraulic brake system, the brakes automatically stopped the vehicle. The compressed air tank was located on the right of the frame. It had a pressure of 5.5 bar (550 kPa).
The battery box of the FIAT 666NM. The box and batteries were identical for both vehicles. Source: Archivio FIAT
The electrical system worked on both 12 and 24 V, with a starter model FIAT 6 cv/24 V and a FIAT 300 watt/24 V dynamo. The headlights, stop lights, license plate lights, and other electrical systems were charged by two Magneti Marelli 6MFZ21 12 V batteries connected in series with a tension of 160 Ah.
Structure and Bodyworks
The cargo bay was 4 m long by 2.05 m wide. The height of the cargo bay was 600 mm on the civilian version and 650 mm on the military version, for a total cargo volume of 4.92 m3 and 5.33 m3 respectively.
It was homologated to carry up to 3.32 tonnes of cargo. The cab had the steering wheel and the driver on the right, while the vehicle’s commander was placed on the left. The cab’s doors opened backwards.
Interior of the FIAT 626NM’s cab in 1939. Source: myntransportblog.wordpress.com
FIAT was one of the only Italian truck companies that produced bodywork for its vehicles instead of having them coach-built. This allowed FIAT to increase the speed of its production, as well as reducing the overall cost of the truck. Despite this, some FIAT 666N were provided with custom coach-built bodies by various private companies upon special request from the customer.
Autocarri FIAT 626 ready to be delivered at the FIAT Mirafiori plant. Modifications by specialized bodyworkers were made only at the customer’s request. Source: facebook.com @Curzio Cobetti
Due to the slow production rates, some early FIAT 626NMs were equipped with civilian FIAT 626N cabs. These differed from the military ones by the presence of a road sign on the cab’s roof. The black square with a yellow or white triangle painted inside meant the truck could tow a trailer and warned drivers in its vicinity to be careful. If the rectangle was upright, the truck was towing a trailer. If it was horizontal, the trailer was not present. The triangle was only required by law on civilian vehicles. Another detail not present on the military cabs were the electric arrow keys that were manual on the military version.
In spite of its respectable dimensions and its large load capacity, the FIAT 626 heavy-duty truck chassis weighed less than 1 tonne. The bodywork and cargo bay increased the weight by about 3 tonnes, for a total empty weight of 3.73 tonnes in the FIAT 626NM variant. The FIAT 626NM had a weight, fully loaded, of 7.05 tonnes, while the FIAT 626NM for the Italian Regia Aeronautica (English: Royal Air Force) had a total weight of 7.125 tonnes due to the presence of a second spare wheel added at the request of the Air Force.
Fully loaded, it could climb a 25° slope and drive at 64 km/h. Thanks to its short wheelbase and cab layout, it was comfortable traveling on mountain roads.
The FIAT 626NM had a wheel rim size of 20 x 6” (50.8 x 15.24 cm). Like the other vehicles, it could use a wide variety of tires developed and produced by the Pirelli company in Milan.
Various types of customizations could be requested by the clients from private coachwork companies.
Special bodywork made by Officine Viberti for the Barilla pasta company. The model 626N suggest that it was a pre-war modification. The image was taken in Parco del Valentino in Turin. Source: Officine VibertiA FIAT 626N dump truck bodyworked by Officine Viberti in October 1939. Source: Officine Viberti via facebook.com @Camion D’epoca
Most Common Variants
FIAT 626N Coloniale
In 1940, the FIAT design office developed a version intended for use in the Italian African colonies. The Autocarro FIAT 626N Coloniale (English: FIAT 626N Colonial Truck) had some improvements to adapt it to the climate of the colonies. The two original cartridge air filters were replaced by oil-bath filters placed in a box attached to the left, in front of the battery. To increase cooling efficiency, a 6-blade fan replaced the previous 3-blade fan. To increase the vehicle’s range, an additional 135-liter cylinder-shaped fuel tank was mounted transversely at the rear of the frame. The new 8.25×20” rims mounted low-pressure tires for sandy soils and finally, hydraulic shock absorbers were added on the rear axle. The Colonial version was produced until 1940. The loaded (truck + cargo) total weight was 7.05 tonnes, of which 3.14 tonnes were cargo. The FIAT 626N Coloniale weighed 3.91 tonnes and had a maximum speed of 70 km/h.
The Autocarro FIAT 626N Coloniale’s second fuel tank in an original FIAT drawing. Source: Autocarro modello 626 NL e derivati, Uso e manutenzione
Autocarro FIAT 626NL and Autocarro FIAT 626NLM
In 1940, a new FIAT 626 variant with an extended frame was designed. It was presented during the same year in two variants: the Autocarro FIAT 626NL (NL for Nafta Lungo – Diesel Long) for the civilian market and the Autocarro FIAT 626NLM (NLM for Nafta Lungo Militare – Diesel Long Military) for military use. The FIAT 626NLM was produced from the second half of 1940 until 1945, while the FIAT 626NL did not come off the assembly lines until 1945.
Probably the Autocarro FIAT 626NL prototype presented in 1940. After this example, more would not be produced until 1945. Source: Fondazione Negri
The power of the FIAT Tipo 326 engine was increased to 70 hp at 2,000 rpm and the air filters replaced by an oil bath filter, as on the 626N Coloniale. The rear axle was equipped with a manual differential locking system. The electrical circuit operated on two voltages: 12 V for powering the headlights and accessories and 24 V for the engine starter. The Lungo variant had an increased wheelbase from 3,000 mm to 3,320 mm, allowing the cargo bay to be lengthened from 3,650 mm to 4,400 mm. On the civilian version, with cargo sides 600 mm high, the cargo bay’s volume was 5.41 m3, while on the FIAT 626NLM, the volume was 5.86 m3.
The spare tire, positioned immediately behind the cab in previous versions, was moved behind the rear axle on the Lungo variant to make room for the oil-bath filter box.
The Autocarro FIAT 626NLM at the Centro Studi ed Esperienze della Motorizzazione. Source: wikipedia.com
The FIAT 626NLM’s empty weight was 3.96 tonnes plus 3.14 tonnes of cargo, for a total fully-loaded weight of 7.1 tonnes.
The Regia Aeronautica ordered an unknown number of Autocarri FIAT 626NLM with two spare wheels for an increased weight of about 75 kg.
The Autocarro FIAT 626NL produced after 1945 was upgraded. In fact, it was no longer subject to the Unified Truck Act of 1937. The truck weighed 4.08 tonnes and had a maximum payload capacity of 3.52 tonnes for a total fully loaded weight of 7.6 tonnes.
Autocarro FIAT 626BM and Autocarro FIAT 626BLM
Following the first winter experiences in the Balkans, which highlighted the difficulties of starting the diesel engine, FIAT decided in 1941 to develop a new FIAT 626 variant powered by a petrol engine. The two new versions presented on the same year were the Autocarro FIAT 626BM (BM for Benzina Militare – Petol Military) and Autocarro FIAT 626BLM (BML for Benzina Lungo Militare – Petrol Long Military). These models kept the same structure as the NM and NLM and were powered by a FIAT Tipo 226 petrol engine, keeping the FIAT Tipo 326 block, with added spark plugs and a carburetor. Despite the changes, the engine gave out the same 70 hp at 2,200 rpm as the diesel engine. The tank capacity was increased to 110 liters to compensate for the higher consumption of the gasoline engine. As a consequence, the compressed air tank was moved forward on the frame and was partly under the cab, as on the 626N and NM.
The FIAT 626BM and FIAT 626BLM weighed 3.96 tonnes and 4.1 tonnes respectively and were homologated to carry 3 tonnes and 3.32 tonnes of cargo. The two versions were produced until 1945. It is not clear if, after the war, FIAT Veicoli Industriali continued producing a civilian version of the FIAT 626 with a petrol engine.
An Autocarro FIAT 626BLM during testing at the Centro Studi ed Esperienze della Motorizzazione in Rome. Source: wikipedia.com
Buses
From 1939 to 1949, FIAT produced a 29+2 passenger bus version on a low-profile FIAT 626NL frame, the Autocarro FIAT 626RNL (RNL for Ribassato Nafta Lungo – Lowered Diesel Long). Compared to the FIAT 626NL, it had a wheelbase increased to 4,050 mm and a ground clearance of 220 mm. Despite the increased length, it maintained the 7 m turning radius. The extended chassis was stiffened at the rear by two horizontal cross bars, in the middle of which the spare tire was placed. The two rear towing hooks were removed due to the increased overhang.
The FIAT 626RNL chassis with increased overhang and wheelbase. Source: pinterest.com
The rear suspension no longer had compensating springs, which were replaced by hydraulic shock absorbers identical to those fitted to the front. The bodywork, designed by FIAT and built by Aeronautica d’Italia and Officine Viberti, had particularly aerodynamic lines. Access was through two single doors. The last buses on FIAT 626RNL chassis were not withdrawn from service until the early 1970s. The modifications permitted the FIAT 626RNL to reach a maximum speed of 74 km/h.
An Officine Viberti poster of its bus on the FIAT 626RNL chassis. Source: Officine Viberti
The FIAT 626RNL could tow a passenger trailer with seats for 32 passengers for a total of 61 people transported plus a hostess and driver. The loaded FIAT 626RNL weighed 7.6 tonnes.
In 1948, FIAT Veicoli Industriali produced a 5 m wheelbase version of the Autocarro FIAT 626RNL that was bought by private bodyworkers, such as Carrozzeria Casaro, which produced a deluxe bus version with 26 passenger seats, one driver seat, and two hostess seats.
The Autocarro FIAT 626RNL coachworked by Carrozzeria Casaro. Source: mestreantica.it
Autocarri FIAT 626RN and FIAT 626RB
In 1941, FIAT offered two FIAT 626 variants with lowered frames, powered by a diesel or petrol engine, called Autocarro FIAT 626RN (RN for Ribassato Nafta – Lowered Diesel) and Autocarro FIAT 626RB (RN for Ribassato Benzina – Lowered Petrol), respectively. In addition to a lowered frame, these models had a wheelbase increased to 3,700 mm.
Although they were intended to be used as a basis for special versions (bus, ambulance, radio trucks mainly), some of them were offered with an enlarged cargo bay. Their production ended in 1942. These were also used by the Vigili del Fuoco (English: Firefighters). The maximum speed of the truck was increased to 70 km/h, while its overall weight increased to 3,960 kg. The payload remained unchanged.
An Autocarro FIAT 626RB of the Vigili del Fuoco in standard cargo truck variant with a bell in front to prevent citizens from confusing the firefighters’ sirens with air raid warning sirens. Source: Officine Viberti
Military Variants
Autocarro FIAT 625
While the Autocarro FIAT 626 could be used off-road to a certain extent, the experience gained in North Africa demonstrated the need for an all-wheel drive truck to the Regio Esercito. The FIAT design office decided to modify the FIAT 626BLM frame and create a 4-wheel drive version, called Autocarro FIAT 625. The transmission to the front wheels was obtained by replacing the existing axle with another one of tubular section containing half-axles driven by a differential. The reducers placed near the wheels resulted in a significant increase in the width of the axle and the mudguards. For off-road use, the wheel diameter was increased from 22 to 24 in. However, the solution adopted for the front axle limited the possibility of driving in rough terrain due to the low ground clearance.
The Autocarro FIAT 625 prototype at the Centro Studi ed Esperienze della Motorizzazione in Rome for evaluation. Source: italie1935-45.com
A single prototype of the Autocarro FIAT 625 was produced. At the time of the Armistice, it was still being tested at the Centro Studi ed Esperienze della Motorizzazione in Rome. After the war, its design was used to build the first military version of the FIAT 639N in 1950, the CM50.
The prototype of the Autocarro FIAT 625 four-wheel drive medium truck at the Centro Studi ed Esperienze della Motorizzazione in Rome. Source: italie1935-45.com
Ambulances on the Autocarri FIAT 626 Chassis
A total of two ambulance models on the FIAT 626 chassis were produced for the Regio Esercito during the Second World War. The first one was intended for the Polizia dell’Africa Italiana (English: Italian African Police) and had an entirely metallic body. Only a few were built, of which a handful were delivered to the German forces in North Africa.
An Autocarro FIAT 626NM in Polizia dell’Africa Italiana ambulance configuration in service with German units in North Africa. Source: pinterest.com
The second one was built by Carrozzeria Borsani in Milan and by Boneschi in Brianza, on a FIAT 626NM chassis. It was characterized by a sanitary compartment entirely covered with wood. It could accommodate six stretchers or ten seated wounded and a medic.
An Autocarro FIAT 626NM in ambulance configuration coachworked by Carrozzeria Borsani. This particular example was in service with the Italian Army after the war. Note the presence of a single wheel on the rear axle. Source: flickr.com
Autocisterne and Autobotti on the FIAT 626 Chassis
The Autocarro FIAT 626 served as a basis for many fuel and water carrier versions.
The most common was the Autocisterna FIAT 626N Tipo Regia Aeronautica 2 (English: FIAT 626N Fuel Carrier Type 2 for the Air Force) with a capacity of 3,000 liters. The modifications were made by Officine Viberti, which mounted the tank produced by its subsidiary, Società Anonima Industriale di Verona (SAIV) (English: Verona Industrial Limited Company) on a civilian N and NL chassis and a military NM or NLM chassis.
Autocisterna FIAT 626NLM fuel carrier with military cab. Source: italie1935-45.com
A hand-pump was mounted on the right side of the chassis, behind the rear fender. It could be driven by two cranks at the same time. Operated at 200 rpm, it delivered a flow of 120 liters/min. On the Autocarro FIAT 626NL chassis, the hand-pump was replaced. The new one was operated by the truck’s engine thanks to a Power Take-Off (PTO) system. When necessary, the driver stopped the vehicle, would shift out of gear on the gearbox, engage the handbrake and, via a manual override, connected the engine’s flywheel to a second driveshaft that operated the pump. The water tank was identical to the fuel tank with some modifications at the upper cap. The water carrier was called Autobotte FIAT 626 (English: FIAT 626 Water Carrier).
The FIAT 626 fuel carrier was used by both the Regio Esercito and the Regia Aeronautica. To increase the capacity, it was possible to tow a Viberti-SAIV fuel trailer. A spare wheel was transported behind the cab.
After the war, some civilian FIAT 626s were equipped by private bodyworkers as fuel carriers with new fuel tanks that often had a similar capacity to the Autocisterna Tipo Regia Aeronautica 2.
A post-war FIAT 626N in Autocisterna configuration. Source: pinterest.com
Autotreno Radio RT 1000
The Autotreno Radio RT 1000 (English: Radio Truck RT 1000) was designed in 1940 by the company Società Anonima Fabbricazione Apparecchi Radiofonici (SAFAR) (English: Radio Apparatus Manufacturing Limited Company) for the needs of the Regia Aeronautica.
It consisted of a radio-receiver truck on Autocarro FIAT 626NLM chassis and a transmitter trailer. The truck was bodyworked by Carrozzeria Macchi (English: Macchi Workshop) of Varese. The bodywork was divided into three parts. Behind the driver’s compartment was the telephone and radio apparatus that housed the SAFAR 850/A and SAFAR 741/A receiver apparatus. The back compartment had beds for the radio crews and, underneath the floor, four batteries to power the radio apparatus.
Autocarro FIAT 626NLM bodyworked by Carrozzeria Macchi. Source: facebook.com
The Rimorchio Viberti Tipo Corto Modello 1940 (English: Trailer Viberti Model 1940 Short Type) trailer was designed and bodyworked by Officine Viberti. It housed the SAFAR RT 1000 transmitter, a radio direction finder E393N, a generator set composed of a Lancia Aprilia car’s engine putting out 20 hp and an alternator, two batteries and other beds for the personnel.
The Rimorchio Viberti Tipo Corto Modello 1940, ready to operate. Source: facebook.com @Bruno Fochesato
The Autotreno Radio RT 1000 was developed for the Regia Aeronautica, and its role was to guide the fighters from the airfields to intercept the Allied bomber formations with its powerful radio apparatus. Its total production numbers and effectiveness are unknown.
Autofficina Mobile FIAT 626NL
The Autofficina Mobile FIAT 626NL (English: FIAT 626NL Mobile Workshop) was an Autocarro FIAT 626NL bodyworked by Officine Viberti with a rear compartment equipped with tools and radio apparatus spare parts. It was developed for the Regia Aeronautica but, apart from the prototype presented at the Officine Viberti plant, it seems that it was not adopted.
The Autofficina Mobile FIAT 626NL at the Officine Viberti plant. Source: Officine Viberti
Tipografia Mobile Campale su FIAT 626
For the Italian corps which fought in the Soviet Union, the Tipografia Mobile Campale su FIAT 626 (English: Field Mobile Typography on FIAT 626) was produced.
It was composed of four different Autocarri FIAT 626BLM in van variants that served as a mobile field printing office. Identical in appearance from the outside, the 4 vans that made up the field mobile typography each had a specific function: writing, printing, radio, and spare parts. All the rear working sections were heated by a stove with a small smoke extractor on the rear side of the van.
A small number of vehicles was converted as Tipografia Mobile Campale, probably no more than a dozen trucks.
Autocarro FIAT 626GL
The shortage of fuel during the last years of the war forced the development of vehicles using alternative fuels. Many Italian companies designed modifications for their trucks to speed up production and save on raw materials. Many equipped their trucks with gasifiers used to power the truck’s engine.
In March 1945, the Autocarro FIAT 626GL (GL for Gassificatore Lungo – Gasifier Long) was born. The engine efficiency dropped from 25% to 50% depending on the diesel or petrol engine. The vehicle’s short range limited its distribution to the civilian market and only a handful were produced for the Germans.
Autocarro FIAT 628N
During the German occupation, FIAT developed the Autocarro FIAT 628 for the Germans. It had the same chassis and engine as the FIAT 626BLM but had nothing in common with it externally. It was equipped with a cubic Einheits (English: Unity) cab made of Fibertherm Isorel (wood fiber panels). The Einheits cabs were made to speed up production of the German and Italian trucks in the last months of war. Some were also fitted on the Lancia 3Ro heavy trucks or the FIAT-SPA TM40 prime mover.
A new German-designed cargo bay with higher sides was placed behind the cab. The wheels were fitted with sheet metal rims with holes. An unknown but limited number of Autocarri FIAT 628 were deployed by the Germans i until the end of the war.
The Autocarro FIAT 628 outside the FIAT Mirafiori plant. The image clearly shows the differences of the new Italo-German designed vehicle based on the FIAT 626 chassis. Source: wikipedia.com
Civilian Variants
Autocarri FIAT 626 for the Firefighters
Numerous derivatives of the Autocarro FIAT 626 were employed, especially by the Vigili del Fuoco, whether as a large ladder, pump truck, tanker or foam truck.
A standard Autocarro FIAT 626BL deployed by the Vigili del Fuoco after the war. Source: wikipedia.com
The large ladder on the Autocarro FIAT 626RB chassis was produced by Società Anonima Bergomi of Milan from 1940 onwards. It was equipped with a 26-meter long hand-operated Magirus K26 ladder produced under license.
A FIAT 626RB firefighter truck with a 26 m ladder deployed to transport the coffins of four firefighters that died in 1961 at Rivarolo Canavese. Source: italie1935-45.com
The pump truck produced by Società Anonima Bergomi on the Autocarro FIAT 626RB frame after 1939. It was equipped with a centrifugal pump SAB with a rate of flow of 2,000 l/min at 8 bar. Its crew consisted of 9 firemen in addition to the driver.
The Autopompa FIAT 626RB (English: Pump Truck FIAT 626RB) was produced in unknown numbers in two variants until 1942, but many remained in service until the early 1960s.
An Autopompa FIAT 626RB. The front axle had a reinforced rim, so, in case of tire piercing at high speed, the driver would not lose control of the vehicle. Source: facebook.com @Curzio Cobetti
A foam truck variant was produced after 1940 on the Autocarro FIAT 626NL chassis. It carried 2,500 liters of water and 500 liters of foam. Its ASPI centrifugal pump delivered a flow of 1,000 l/min at 10 bar. It was produced in an unknown number and deployed at airfields and airports to quickly extinguish fuel depot fires or crash fires.
The FIAT 626NL foam truck. Photo taken in 1941 in a Regia Aeronautica airfieldt. Source: wikipedia.com
Autocarro FIAT 626EL
During the Second World War, in 1943, FIAT Veicoli Industriali developed an electric variant of the FIAT 626, the Autocarro FIAT 626EL (EL for Elettrico – Electric).
The Autocarro FIAT 626EL was powered by an Ansaldo-FIAT electric motor powered by batteries housed on the sides of the chassis, but its power is unknown. This version remained at the stage of a testing prototype. Despite the ‘L’ in the name, it was not a Lungo. In fact, the truck maintained a wheelbase of 3,000 mm, like the FIAT 626N. It had a weight of 3,960 kg and 3,000 kg of payload.
Prototype of the Autocarro FIAT 626EL in 1943. Source: italie1935-45.com
Autocarro FIAT 626 with Wooden Cab
In April 1943, in order to save on raw materials, FIAT Veicoli Industriali proposed a new variant of the FIAT 626BLM. The sheet metal cab was replaced by a plywood cab with a canvas roof on a wooden structure. Despite the new materials, the original shape was not altered. This model was produced during the German occupation until 1945.
An Autocarro FIAT 626BLM with a wooden cab in civilian post-war service. Source: Pasquale Caccavale
Trattore FIAT 626TNL
After the war, a tractor variant of the Autocarro FIAT 626 was produced to tow semi-trailers with a maximum weight of 14 tonnes. This variant was produced in small numbers. It was named Trattore FIAT 626TNL (TNL for Trattore Nafta Lungo – Tractor Unit Diesel Long).
A post-war Trattore FIAT 626TNL with a 14-tonne semi-trailer. Source: wikipedia.com
Carro Soccorso FIAT 626NLM
Officine Viberti also built a tow truck on the Autocarro FIAT 626NLM chassis. It was equipped with a crane mounted on the rear platform and carried a mobile trolley to be positioned under the front or rear axle of the broken vehicle in order to be able to tow it.
Thanks to its power, the FIAT 626 was able to tow even heavy trucks. The Regio Esercito was not interested in the project because the Italian units usually towed broken down trucks with other trucks by means of iron chains. The only known vehicle produced on the Autocarro FIAT 626NLM chassis with a military cab was employed by FIAT. It may have been produced in small numbers, but probably there was only a prototype.
The Carro Soccorso FIAT 626NLM with military cab bodyworked by Officine Viberti and deployed by the customer service of FIAT in Brescia. Source: Officine Viberti
Trailers
The Autocarro FIAT 626 could tow a total of 6.5 tonnes, meaning that it could tow the Rimorchi Unificati (English: Unified Trailers). These were produced under the same rules as the Autocarri Unificati. The Rimorchio Unificato Medio (English: Medium Unified Trailer) had a length of 4.585 m, a width of 2.15 m, a height of 1.75 m, an unloaded weight of 2.1 tonnes and a payload capacity of 5.4 tonnes, for a total weight permitted by law of 7.5 tonnes. According to these rules, the Autocarro FIAT 626 was not permitted by law to tow fully loaded medium trailers. However, at times during the war, some were used to tow overloaded trailers.
An early Autocarro FIAT 626N towing a medium trailer. Source: italie1935-45.com
The Rimorchi Unificati were produced by Officine Viberti, Società Italiana Ernesto Breda per Costruzioni Meccaniche (English: Italian Company Ernesto Breda for Mechanical Constructions), Officine Meccaniche Umberto Piacenza (English: Umberto Piacenza Mechanical Workshops) of Cremona, Carrozzeria Orlandi of Modena, Carrozzeria Strafurtini, Carrozzeria Bartoletti of Forlì, and Sauro.
Production
In total, the FIAT Mirafiori plant produced 7,941 Autocarri FIAT 626N from 1940 to 1948. Some non-confirmed sources include 35,600 Autocarri FIAT 626NM produced between 1940 to 1948. Unfortunately, FIAT never released the exact number of military variants of the FIAT 626 truck.
Unfortunately, the number of FIAT 626 with petrol engine and other variants that were built is unknown, even if it probably exceeded a couple thousand of vehicles produced.
It was the most common medium truck in Italian civilian and military service in the 1940s. The first known Regio Esercito order requested 1,650 FIAT 626NLM on 19th December 1940. It seems that others were ordered before December 1940, in the FIAT 626NM variant, but the number of vehicles ordered and date of ordering is unknown. Another 1,000 FIAT 626NLM were ordered on 8th April 1941, while on 23rd October 1941, the Regia Aeronautica ordered 490 FIAT 626 in an unknown variant. In 1942, the Regio Esercito ordered 1,000 FIAT 626BLM, 700 FIAT 626NLM and 14 FIAT 626NRL on 5th March and 3,466 FIAT 626BLM, 247 FIAT 626NLM and 3 FIAT 626NLM chassis (probably for prototypes or special variants) on 10th October. The last two Regio Esercito orders were in 1943 when, on 29th February, 19,000 FIAT 626BLM were ordered, and on 6th June, when another 600 vehicles were ordered with the same petrol engine.
A FIAT 626 captured by the Royal Air Force and redeployed in Tunisia with a new particular camouflage and coat of arms. Source: facebook.com @Les Linda Freathy
After the Armistice of 8th September 1943, when the Italians signed a peace treaty with the Allied forces, the Germans captured thousands of FIAT 626s, took control of the Italian industry and produced another 3,323 FIAT 626 and FIAT 628 until 23rd January 1945. The Bulgarian Army received a small number of Autocarri FIAT 626 during the war, probably about a hundred, but their service is unknown.
The production of civilian FIAT 626s was restarted after the war and was stopped only in 1948, when the Autocarro FIAT 639N replaced it on the production lines.
A FIAT 639N deployed after the war by the Italian Army as an ambulance and now preserved in a Bologna Museum. Source: flickr.com @samestorici
Brief Operational Use
The Autocarro FIAT 626 was deployed on all the fronts of the war by the Regio Esercito from June 1940 until September 1943 and by various armies and resistance forces in Europe until May 1945.
Two Autocarri FIAT 626 advancing to Athens in 1941. Source: Archivio Centrale dello Stato
In the Balkans, during the invasion of Greece and the war against the Yugoslavian Partisans, the Autocarri FIAT 626NM and FIAT 626NLM were not appreciated due to their diesel engine ignition problems at cold temperatures. When the Autocarri FIAT 626BM and FIAT 626BLM were introduced, the problems of ignition were solved and the trucks were deployed without significant problems by the Corpo di Spedizione Italiano in Russia (CSIR) (English: Italian Expeditionary Corps in Russia).
A column of FIAT 626s in Ukraine, stopped for Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler during their visit to the Eastern Front. Source: Archivio Centrale dello Stato
The Autocarri FIAT 626 with diesel engines also had the same problem with ignition in the Soviet Union. For this reason, most of the FIAT 626s sent to Russia had gasoline engines.
According to some veteran reports, it is known that during the Don Offensive retreat, many Autocarri FIAT 626BM and FIAT 626BML were captured and reused by the Soviet soldiers, who usually only reused the most reliable Axis trucks.
An Autocarro FIAT 626BLM at the Stalino (now Donetsk) airfield in Ukraine. Source: Archivio Centrale dello Stato
In North Africa, the Autocarri FIAT 626NM had problems with the dust due to their cartridge air filters. With the introduction of bath oil filters, the problem was solved and the trucks were deployed until the end of the North African campaign in May 1943.
An Autocarro FIAT 626NLM deployed near Tobruk during Autumn 1941. Source: Archivio Centrale dello Stato
In the two theaters, the Autocarri FIAT 626 were deployed to cover many roles, form prime movers to mechanized divisions trucks, supply and ammunition transporters, and even as anti-aircraft vehicles mounting Cannoni-Mitragliere Breda da 20/65 Modello 1935 (English: 20 mm L.65 Breda Automatic Cannons model 1935) or machine guns in the cargo bay to defend the supply convoys from air attacks.
An Autocannone da 20/65 su FIAT 626NM in North Africa. It was a standard Autocarro FIAT 626NM cargo truck loaded with a Cannone-Mitragliera Breda da 20/65 Modello 1935. Source: Benvenuti
Other Users
French Service
The French Armée de Terre (English: Ground Army) ordered 1,650 Autocarri FIAT 626NM before the Second World War. FIAT and the French Army signed a contract for the delivery of 150 trucks per month starting from February 1940. A total of 700 were delivered before the Italian declaration of war on 10th June 1940.
German Service
Almost all the French FIAT 626s were deployed against the German forces during the invasion of France and Belgium in 1940 and the captured ones were redeployed by the Germans and renamed Lastkraftwagen 3 tonnen FIAT (Italienisch) Typ 626 (English: Truck 3 tonnes FIAT [Italian] Type 626).
The trucks were redeployed by the Germans during Operation Barbarossa and in occupied France.
An Autocarro FIAT 626NM deployed by the French Armée de Terre (English: Ground Force) during the French campaign. Source: eshop
An unknown number of specialized versions (ambulances and fuel trucks mainly) were delivered by the Italians to the Germans in North Africa due to the lack of German specialized trucks.
Two FIAT 626 in ambulance configuration in service with the Wehrmacht after the Armistice whilst receiving a new coat of paint. Source: kfzderwehrmacht.de via Collection Holger Erdmann
After the Armistice of 8th September 1943, the Wehrmacht captured 16,631 Italian trucks, including many thousands of Autocarri FIAT 626. Another 3,346 were built for the Germans between 1944 and 1945, some as FIAT 628N.
The majority of the captured FIATs were deployed in Italy, but a small percentage were deployed by some German divisions in the Balkans, France, Hungary, and Germany. In all the campaigns, the Italian trucks were appreciated for their sturdiness and lack of significant problems. This was partly due to the deployment of many Italian drivers that had already driven the trucks before the Armistice.
FIAT 626NLM with civilian cab deployed by a German Luftwaffe unit. Source: eshop
Repubblica Sociale Italiana
The Repubblica Sociale Italiana (RSI) (English: Italian Social Republic) was the puppet government created by the Germans in the territories of Italian peninsula not yet occupied by the Allied forces.
An Autocarro FIAT 626NM of the Gruppo Corazzato M ‘Leonessa’ of the Guardia Nazionale Repubblicana. Source: facebook.com @Curzio Cobetti
The Esercito Nazionale Repubblicano (ENR) (English: National Republican Army), the Guardia Nazionale Repubblicana (English: National Republican Army), its military police and Brigate Nere (English: Black Brigades) militia units were equipped with any former Regio Esercito Autocarri FIAT 626 that could be obtained. The majority of them were recovered from military depots or barracks in which the Regio Esercito soldiers abandoned their equipment after the surrender to the Germans.
A FIAT 626 loaded with Arditi of the Gruppo Corazzato M ‘Leonessa’ in Milan on 25th July 1944. Source: Paolo Crippa via Elvezio Borgatti, Gruppo Corazzato M ‘Leonessa”s veteran
A small number of Autocarri FIAT 626 were also deployed by the Italian Partisans after the Armistice. These were captured trucks deployed to transport supplies or to quickly deploy small units of Partisans from their bases to isolated Axis garrisons.
On 25th April 1945, when the Great Partisan Insurrection broke out, the vehicles were deployed to transport the Partisans to the main Italian cities where they took part in the liberation of Northern Italy.
A Lancia 3Ro heavy truck (with Wehrmacht Luftwaffe license plate) and a FIAT 626 deployed by Italian Partisans in a city near Milan. Source: museopartigiano.com
Armored Variants
During the years, many armored personnel carriers were developed on the FIAT 626 chassis by Italian and German forces. The first ones were produced in North Africa by Italian soldiers to protect themselves during the fighting against the Commonwealth forces.
During 1941, the Centro Studi ed Esperienze della Motorizzazione developed an armored personnel carrier based on the Autocarro FIAT 626N or FIAT 626NLM. In the end, only a wooden mock-up was built on a truck chassis and became the Carro Protetto Trasporto Truppa su Autotelaio FIAT 626N. The project was abandoned in favor of other armored personnel carriers.
The Carro Protetto Trasporto Truppa su Autotelaio FIAT 626N mock-up at the Centro Studi ed Esperienze della Motorizzazione. Source: Gli Autoveicoli da Combattimento dell’Esercito Italiano
During the last two years of war, in order to counter the Italian and Yugoslavian partisans, the German and Repubblica Sociale Italiana units independently created some improvised armored personnel carriers on various Axis trucks. Some were also built on FIAT 626 chassis, creating the so-called Autocarri FIAT 626 Blindati (English: FIAT 626 Armored Truck).
A FIAT 626 Blindato with FIAT 665NM Protetto cab of the Compagnia ‘Mazza di Ferro’ in Capodistria, November 1943. Source: Italia 43-45. I Blindati di Circostanza della Guerra Civile
Some received only partial armor, to protect the soldiers in the cargo bay with armored shields, such as trench shields. Some Italian ones were fitted with FIAT 665NM Protetto armored cabs recovered from damaged armored personnel carriers. Some other German vehicles received completely new armor on original bodywork.
A German FIAT 626 Blindato with an armored cab and trench shields on the cargo bay. Source: beutepanzer.ru
Esercito Cobelligerante Italiano
After the Italian Armistice in 1943, some Italian soldiers decided to continue the war fighting for their King with the Allied forces. These soldiers became members of the Esercito Cobelligerante Italiano (English: Italian Co-belligerent Army) and fought the German forces in the Italian campaign. The Allied forces re-equipped the Italian soldiers with British uniforms, Allied handguns, artillery pieces and trucks.
A FIAT 626 of the Esercito Cobelligerante Italiano during a funeral in Cremona. The rear tires were of US origin, while the coat of arms on the side door is the coat of arms of the Savoy royal family. Source: italie1935-45.com
A small number of guns and vehicles of Italian origin were redeployed by the Italian soldiers loyal to king Vittorio Emanuele III. Some FIAT 626 were redeployed by the Esercito Cobelligerante Italiano until the end of the war in Italy.
A former Regia Aeronautica FIAT 626 with a civilian cab deployed to transport the coffin of an Italian pilot during a funeral in December 1945. The truck has an Italian Co-belligerent Air Force coat of arms on the front for identification. Source: pinterest.com
After the War
After the end of the hostilities in Europe, many former Axis FIAT 626 trucks were taken from Azienda Recupero Alienazione Residuati (ARAR) (English: Company of Recovery and Alienation Survey). ARAR was entrusted with the task of reconditioning and selling military vehicles confiscated from the enemy or abandoned by the Allied armies on Italian territory by the Italian Government of National Unity after the Second World War.
Many were sold to private owners of companies as transport trucks or delivered to the Esercito Italiano (English: Italian Army) and to the police corps.
A post-war FIAT 626N equipped with a telescopic aerial work platform, jacks, and metal cargo bay. Source: facebook.com Sergio Zuddas
After the war, FIAT also restarted the production of civilian versions of the FIAT 626, ending in 1948. The Autocarri FIAT 626N remained in use until the early 1960s, mainly as buses and in the army. The army officially retired them in 1954, but some were still used until 1960.
A FIAT 626N in service with the Esercito Italiano during a parade for the Day of the Republic in Rome on 2nd June 1960. It carries an army marching band. Source: eshop
Conclusion
The Autocarro FIAT 626N, in all its variants, was one of the most produced and most common medium trucks in service with the Regio Esercito in the first years of war. It was deployed on all the fronts with modest results. It was also appreciated by other armies that captured and redeployed it for various tasks.
Even the civilian versions were appreciated, being used in the thousands, mainly after the war, by Italian truckers that appreciated its simplicity, ease of drive and maintenance and its customization characteristics.
Autocarro FIAT 626N. Illustration done by Oussama Mohamed ‘Godzilla’.Autocarro FIAT 626NL. Illustration done by Oussama Mohamed ‘Godzilla’.Autocarro FIAT 626NM of the Guardia Nazionale Repubblicana. Illustration done by Oussama Mohamed ‘Godzilla’,.Autocarro FIAT 628. Illustration done by Oussama Mohamed ‘Godzilla’.Postwar Autocarro FIAT 626NM in ambulance configuration coachworked by Carrozzeria Borsani. Illustration done by Oussama Mohamed ‘Godzilla’.
Autocarro FIAT 626NM Specification
Size (L-W-H)
5.790 x 2.157 x 2.675 m
Empty weight
3.73 tonnes
Payload capacity
3.32 tonnes
Crew
2 (driver and commander)
Engine
FIAT Tipo 326 6-cylinder diesel, 5,750 cm3, 65 hp at 2,200 rpm
Pignato N., Cappellano F., Gli Autoveicoli Tattici e Logistici del Regio Esercito Italiano fino al 1943, Tomo 1, Ufficio Storico Stato Maggiore dell’Esercito, Roma 2005
Pignato N., Cappellano F., Gli Autoveicoli Tattici e Logistici del Regio Esercito Italiano fino al 1943, Tomo 2 – Nicola Pignato e Filippo Cappellano – Ufficio Storico Stato Maggiore dell’Esercito, Roma 2005
A FIAT 500 ‘Topolino’ deployed by the Regio Esercito as liaison car in North Africa. Illustrations by the illustrious Godzilla funded by our Patreon Campaign.
Kingdom of Italy/Italian Republic (1936-1955)
Car – 519,847 Built
The FIAT 500 was an Italian city car produced by the Fabbrica Italiana Automobili di Torino or FIAT (English: Italian Automobiles Factory of Turin) from 1936 to 1955. It received the nickname ‘Topolino’ (English: Small Mouse) and was the smallest car produced in Europe in that period. It was the car that started the mass motorization of Italy, with half a million produced in three main variants for about 20 years.
Despite its roots as a small city car, the ‘Topolino’ would also go on to have a military career, being requisitioned by various armies and fighting forces.
The FIAT 500 ‘Topolino’ in a FIAT official image of the 1930s. Source: Centro Storico FIAT
History Behind the Project
In 1930, the Italian dictator, Benito Mussolini, felt the necessity of increasing the number of cars present in Italy. In the 1930s, cars were becoming the most iconic symbol of welfare in the Western world and Italian Fascism did not want to fall behind.
To give an example, in 1931, the Italian peninsula had a population of 41.2 millions, with only 188,000 cars and trucks of all kinds, including public and military ones. This meant there was one vehicle for every 240 inhabitants. This low ratio was also due to the Great Depression, which had limited vehicle registrations from 33,436 in 1929 to 14,760 in 1931.
In 1936 (the year in which the FIAT 500 mass production started), there were 220,000 vehicles in Italy for a population of 46 million inhabitants. This translated into one motor vehicle for every 209 Italians, a small number, 10 times lower than France and 40 times lower than the United States’ average.
Politically, Fascism was trying to promote Italian manufacturing capabilities and tended to excel in various fields at the time. The Italian Fascists invested heavily in air races, the naval industry and, finally, even the development of cars.
Trying to emulate other European countries, such Germany with the Volkswagen Beetle, Mussolini convened with Senator Giovanni Agnelli, founder of the FIAT company. The dictator asked the businessman to fulfill the need of producing a cheap car that each Italian family could afford to buy.
The maximum price of the city car was not to exceed 5,000 lira (equivalent to $216 in 1936 or $4,800 in 2023).
Giovanni Agnelli (with the bowler hat) and Benito Mussolini (with the Panama hat) on 8th April 1932, during the official presentation of the FIAT 508 ‘Balilla’ in Villa Torlonia, Rome. Source: ilfattoquotidiano.it
Agnelli, who was not at all happy with the new task assigned to him by the Duce, was forced to accept. He assigned the unappreciated task to the FIAT Design Office placed on the fifth floor of La Palazzina (English: The Building) at the FIAT Lingotto production plant of Via Nizza 250 in Turin. The FIAT engineers, after various briefings, had two different opinions:
The first opinion was that FIAT was actually capable of producing a cheap city car using the same technologies and know-how they had gained developing other cars, but saving up as much as possible on raw materials and equipment.
The second opinion was that the FIAT was not capable of producing such a vehicle in a short time and that the project should be passed to Oreste Lardone (1894-1961). Mr Lardone was an engineer that had worked for FIAT until 1924. In that year, he followed his mentor, Giulio Cesare Cappa, when he was hired at ITALA. In 1928, Mr. Lardone presented a small and cheap ITALA prototype of a city car. The FIAT technicians in favor of the ‘Lardone Option’ suggested hiring Lardone and letting him continue his studies on the prototype under the new requests of the Fascism.
Giovanni Agnelli listened to both opinions and decided to proceed as fast as possible in both directions. He ordered the FIAT Design Office to develop a project following the FIAT standards and hired Oreste Lardone and assigned him a group of technicians and workers to develop and test his prototype.
FIAT Lingotto production plant with the testing track over the roof. On the left is La Palazzina and on the right Lingotto’s freight yard. Source: atlasofplaces.com
Failed Project
After the Wall Street Crash of 1929, ITALA failed during the financial depression and Mr. Lardone accepted and willingly agreed to return to work at FIAT. He started his project, which was a small front-wheel drive city car with 4 seats and a 500 cm3 air-cooled two-cylinder engine and the development proceeded quickly. Lardone’s prototype was finished in summer 1931 and, after the driving tests on the FIAT Lingotto factory roof, the car was ready to be tested on the road.
During the driving test in the city of Turin, a FIAT test driver, Giovanni Agnelli himself and Oreste Lardone took part. Perhaps because of the excessive speed with which the project was carried out to satisfy the Fascist demands, there was an accident with the prototype.
The car exited the FIAT Lingotto production plant and drove for some kilometers around Turin. While testing the climbing capabilities of the car at the Cavoretto slope, the petrol engine caused a fire, from which the three occupants escaped quickly.
Although the accident was probably caused by a simple malfunction of the fuel pump, Giovanni Agnelli was shaken. He immediately fired Lardone and then banned front-wheel drive on FIAT cars.
Original drawings of Oreste Lardone’s FIAT car. Source: Centro Storico FIAT
Delaying the Project
After the failure of Lardone’s project at FIAT, the city car project desired by Fascism continued very slowly and without significant economic investment. Many designers at FIAT thought Lardone’s design was the best idea to keep the car as cheap as possible and did not want to contradict Giovanni Agnelli, who had banned front-wheel drive cars.
Of secondary importance, but nonetheless significant, was the anti-Fascist beliefs held by FIAT’s workers. Despite the fact that, in the late 1920s to early 1930s, the Partito Nazionale Fascista or PNF (English: National Fascist Party) had very high support among the Italian population, the working-class segment was mostly disappointed or opposed to the party of Benito Mussolini and to Giovanni Agnelli himself, who was very close to the regime.
FIAT’s workers usually joked about Benito Mussolini, calling him ‘ël Crapun’ (English: The Bald One), while Giovanni Agnelli was nicknamed ‘Giuanìn Lamera’. Giuanin is a nickname used in Piedmont (the region of Italy where Turin is located) for people called Giovanni (like Johnny for people called John in English-speaking countries), while Lamera means sheet metal in Piedmont dialect.
In general, in Turin, which was a working-segment city where most of the inhabitants were workers or working in activities related to factories and assembly plants, mainly in the automotive sector, Fascism never had the same following as in other cities of Italy. Although fascism emphasized its support for workers and the better conditions theoretically achieved, in reality, the Italian working class never had any tangible benefits during the two decades of Fascism in Italy.
Another problem was the mistreatment of the workers by the Fascist Party in Turin. For example, on 18th December 1922, in retaliation for the killing of two Fascist militants in Turin, the Squadre d’Azione (English: Action Squads) of the PNF in Turin, led by Piero Brandimarte, killed 14 workers and trade unionists and wounded 26 others.
Memorial of the Squadre d’Azione atrocities committed in Turin on 18th December 1922. Piazza XVIII Dicembre, 18th December 2023. Source: Author
With the Wall Street Crash a few years later, the working class experienced another period of suffering, with many workers laid off and wages reduced by 7-8% compared to the period before 1929.
After the economic recovery of the 1930s, the working conditions in the factories did not improve. Silent resistance to the Fascist regime took root at FIAT Lingotto, where, already in 1927, a Communist newspaper was being clandestinely printed and shared. The highest expression of anti-Fascism occurred on 15th May 1939, at the inauguration of the FIAT Mirafiori production plant, which was also attended by Mussolini. Of the approximately 50,000 FIAT workers present at the ceremony, more than 90% refused to applaud and cheer the dictator during his speech.
A frame of a propaganda film of Benito Mussolini visiting the FIAT Lingotto plant on 23rd October 1932. As visible, many workers on the right do not respond to the fascist salute as a sign of silent resistance. Mr. Giovanni Agnelli is on the podium, on the right, in the black suit, while on the left is Benito Mussolini. Source: Archivio Storico Luce
It was also for these reasons that the development of the car desired by Mussolini was delayed and hindered by the workers and managers, who wanted to avoid worker protests and demonstrations against the regime and bad publicity for the company.
Everything changed when Benito Mussolini visited the FIAT Lingotto manufacturing plant on 23rd October 1932. During a private meeting with Giovanni Agnelli, the Italian dictator reminded the businessman of the commitment he had made and the project received new emphasis.
The question returned to the desk of FIAT’s Design Office and one of the main engineers of the office, Antonio Fessia (1901-1968), suggested assigning the development of the car to a young but brilliant junior designer and his personal assistant, Dante Giacosa. The idea was also agreed to by FIAT’s other main engineer, Tranquillo Zerbi (1891-1939). In fact, both considered Giacosa the right man for this project due to his excellent work with the FIAT 508 ‘Balilla’s’ development.
The New Project
Dante Giacosa (1905-1996) is nowadays considered one of the masters of the Italian motor school. Giacosa started working in 1927, aged 22, for the Società Piemontese Automobili (SPA) (English: Piedmont Automobile Company), after graduating from the Polytechnic University of Turin. In 1929, he was transferred to the FIAT Design Office of the Lingotto plant (SPA was a FIAT subsidiary), where he started working on the development of the Pavesi P4 artillery tractor. After a brief career in the FIAT Automobiles Engines Design Office, where he was assigned to the development of the FIAT 508 ‘Balilla’, in 1933, he was promoted to Technical Car Department Office.
Dante Giacosa at the FIAT Lingotto testing track with a FIAT 500 ‘Topolino’ in 1978. Source: topclassico.com
In 1934, Antonio Fessia met with Giacosa, detailing Agnelli’s project to him. At that time, there were examples of cheap cars in Germany and France, but the Italian designers wanted to offer a new Italian designed vehicle without taking a cue from foreign vehicles. The new FIAT car had to be powerful and more comfortable than the foreign vehicles, but with comparable prices.
From the knowledge gained in the development of the FIAT 508, Giacosa studied an even simpler version of the vehicle to make it easy to produce at lower costs, keeping in mind the failure of Lardone.
The FIAT 508 ‘Balilla’ in a 1930s poster. Source: cdn.motor1.com
While Giacosa took on the development of the chassis and the engine, the bodywork was penned by Rodolfo Schaeffer (1893-1964), who was at the time the leader of FIAT’s Coachwork Technical Office.
The plans were to save up on everything superfluous. The fuel pump was not added, preferring a fuel tank that filled the engine by gravity, being placed over the engine. The water pump used to cool the engine was not added, and the radiator was also placed over the engine. With this solution, the cooling of the engine was made thanks to a thermosiphon passive heat-exchange physics system, with the cold water that fell in the cooling system by gravity and the hot water that returned to the water tank.
The position of the radiator over the engine permitted a sensible increase of the aerodynamics of the project. In that period, the front grilles were usually vertical or slightly angled due to the presence of the radiator in front of the engine.
Another solution to save on costs was the introduction of an independent suspension system. To do so, the engine was placed in front of the wheel axle, supported by the coachwork of the car instead of the chassis. This permitted the lowering of the car’s bonnet, improving the aerodynamics.
The simple chassis of the FIAT 500 ‘Topolino’ developed by Dante Giacosa. Source: modelist-konstruktor.com
The lubricant oil pump was retained but was simplified as much as possible, with a rudimentary system. The oil circulated thanks to the mechanical parts that, when the vehicle was in motion, “slammed” the oil to all the parts that needed to be lubricated.
Given the small dimensions of the vehicle, a new tire size was requested from the Pirelli factory of Milan. The tire company developed a small 4/00R15 tire, the smallest tire diameter adopted for a car until then. The vehicle had a spare wheel placed on the rear side, under the rear windshield.
A FIAT 500 ‘Topolino’ after an accident, with its wheel replaced. Source: wikipedia.com
The simple gearbox had 4 forward and reverse gears. The third and fourth gears were synchronized.
Giacosa and Fassia assumed that the vehicle would have a chassis weighing less than 250 kg, plus 180-200 kg of coachwork, arriving at a total weight of 450 kg with all the necessary parts. Their assumption was they could sell the vehicle at 12 liras per kg (5,400 liras) instead of the 17 liras per kg (10,800 liras) for the FIAT 508.
History of the Prototype
Giacosa claims that the new vehicle’s engine’s development began after the coachwork of the car was designed. Giacosa started the engine’s drawing on 1st June 1934 and the engine project was delivered to the Prototype Production Office shortly before August 1934, before the holiday month for FIAT workers.
FIAT’s Prototype Production Office delivered the engine on 15th September 1934, less than two months after the project was finished, although the engine had some noise problems.
The Zero A prototype outside the FIAT Lingotto production plant with a black coat of paint. Source: media.stellantis.com
On 7th October 1934 (other sources incorrectly claimed 17th October), the prototype, at the time called ‘Zero A’ (A for Aero, from the Aero Engine Office in which the engine was developed), was ready for its test drive.
Due to the speed at which the vehicle had been developed, Giacosa had doubts about its capabilities, especially in terms of driving uphill because of the low engine power and braking system. Having the engine at the front, it was believed that the unbalanced weight forward caused problems, overheating the brakes even during short runs.
For the test, Giacosa and Fessia took turns driving the prototype from the FIAT Lingotto plant on the route Ivrea (~ 80 km) – Andrate (~ 15 km) – Biella (~ 20 km) – Vestignè (~ 40 km) – Borgomasino (~ 5 km) – Cigliano (~ 7 km) and, taking the A4 Highway, returned to Turin (~ 60 km) with a maximum speed on the last part of the test of 82 km/h. During the driving, especially in the Andrate – Biella, the engineers took some dirt mountain roads to test the prototype’s suspension and off-road capabilities.
Dante Giacosa and the Zero A during the test drive. The image was taken by Antonio Fessia. Source: Centro Storico FIAT
The road performance was good, comfort during driving was better than other vehicles thanks to the independent suspension, and the brake system worked better than what Giacosa expected.
Three days after the first driving test, on 10th October, the prototype was tested at high speed, reaching the maximum speed of 86 km/h.
The noise problems were solved after a briefing on 11th October during which the various FIAT’s engineers and Giovanni Agnelli himself took part. In a day, the second prototype of the engine, which had 69 hours of testing, was completely dismounted and the rear bearings substituted. The noise persisted and, the very next day, the engine was tested many times, finally finding the problem in the crankshaft bearings. Engineer Giacosa quickly delivered three different crankshaft solutions to substitute the original one on the same day. The new crankshaft led to a quick redesign of the engine.
When Giacosa and Fessia started planning the car, they predicted that 20 hp of power would be needed from the engine. Due to the redesign of the engine, this goal was not achieved, but the result was still excellent. The engine was immediately considered adequate even if it delivered a total of 13 hp due to increased friction of the bearings.
The engine mounted on the Zero A. Source: Centro Storico FIAT
A second Zero A prototype was produced with the necessary modifications. On this second vehicle, the headlights were placed outside the mudguards, while on the first one, they were inside the coachwork.
After more tests during which other small details were fixed, the tooling-up of the production lines was next. Giacosa visited the workshops many times, discussing with worker foremen and continuing to slightly modify the project of the Zero A with their suggestions to make it easier and faster to produce while still maintaining a low waste of resources.
In the end, the serial production FIAT 500 ‘Topolino’ weighed 535 kg, 85 kg more than the first prototype.
The Zero A front and side views (top) and FIAT 500 ‘Topolino’ serial production (bottom). Source: Centro Storico FIAT
The vehicle was presented to Benito Mussolini on 10th June 1936 at his home in Villa Torlonia. While testing the car with Senator Agnelli as passenger, the Italian dictator was impressed by the characteristics of the vehicle, despite its rudimentary production.
Prices, Oddities, and Nickname
The FIAT Sales Division decided the name of the new car FIAT 500 and the launch of the car took place on 15th June 1936. It was publicized abroad as the ‘Smallest Car in the World’ and as ‘L’Auto del Popolo Italiano’ (English: The Italian People’s Car) within Italy.
The FIAT 500 ‘Topolino’ was sold for 8,900 liras (equivalent to $450 in 1936 or $10,000 in 2023) in the standard version and for 9,700 liras (equivalent to $496 in 1936 or $10,995 in 2023) for the convertible car configuration presented in October 1936.
FIAT 500 roof’s folding framework from the inside. Source: twitter.com @EvokeClassics
The FIAT 500’s final total cost was 78% higher than Benito Mussolini’s had demanded because of the inability of the industry to produce such an inexpensive vehicle at the time.
It should also be emphasized that FIAT’s management still wanted to offer a certain degree of comfort for the buyers of the new car. The interior was not spartan, as one might expect from a car aimed at absolute economy.
The 8,900 lira price tag for the car was too much for a worker earning between 200 liras (simple worker) and 400 liras (skilled worker) monthly. The purchase of a FIAT 500 was equivalent to almost 4 years of salary for the former’s case and almost 2 years for the latter.
FIAT poster advertising the FIAT 500 with the motto: ‘I Have an automobile too, the small big car’ emphasizing the affordability of the vehicle to the majority of the population. Source: twitter.com @Centro Storico FIAT
However, the price was not a major obstacle, especially in Turin, where FIAT workers and their relatives had discounts on the purchase of the cars they produced. The biggest problem with the FIAT 500 ‘Topolino’, which did not limit its sales however, were the only two seats available at the front, which became four with a wooden bench placed in the back, suitable only for transporting two children. When the rear passengers were two adults, the increase in weight decreased the car’s performance significantly.
A frame from the US film The More the Merrier of 1943, showing four of the protagonists on board a FIAT 500 ‘Topolino’ convertible car. In order to make room for the rear female characters the roof had to be opened. Source: imcdb.org
The nickname of the car, Topolino, literally means ‘little mouse’ in Italian, but is also the Italian name of Walt Disney’s most iconic character: Mickey Mouse.There are a whole load of theories and opinions about the adoption of this particular nickname for the FIAT 500.
Some sources claim that the car was nicknamed Topolino, after Mickey Mouse, due to the presence on the serial vehicles of the external headlights painted black that, from inside the vehicle, reminded the driver and passengers of the characteristic rounded ears of Disney’s character.
Other sources deny the idea of Mickey Mouse being the origin of the name, claiming that it was given due to the fact it was the smallest car produced at the time in Europe. The nickname ‘Little Mouse’ was possibly given for its dimensions and speed, as a mouse is a small and agile animal.
The first series-produced FIAT 500 ‘Topolino’ during an exhibition. The logo on the stand says: “The very first FIAT car in the world, a small big car”. Source: Centro Storico FIAT
It has to be noted that FIAT never officially adopted the nickname, like, for example, with the ‘Balilla’ nickname for the FIAT 508. However, this is not very important given that these cars are still known today in Italy simply as ‘Topolino’ and ‘Balilla’. The three-digit number or the manufacturer never needs to be mentioned.
Uncle Topolino in the Disney Pixar film Cars 2. The character is inspired by the FIAT 500 Topolino. Source: Disney Pixar
The use of the nickname for the ‘Topolino’ is also so common because, in 1957, FIAT presented a new car model known as the FIAT Nuova 500 (English: FIAT New 500), a completely different vehicle that had nothing in common with the ‘Topolino’. Despite the specification of ‘New’ in its name, the vehicle quickly entered the common knowledge of the Italians simply as the FIAT 500. It is still one of the most iconic vehicles of the Italian industry to this day, together with the Piaggio Vespa motorbike. This is one of the reasons why, today, the FIAT 500 ‘Topolino’ is simply known as the ‘Topolino’, in order to differentiate between the pre-war FIAT 500 and the post-war FIAT Nuova 500.
Dante Giacosa with two of his most famous cars, the FIAT Nuova 500 (left) and FIAT 500 ‘Topolino’ (right). Source: ilgiornale.it
Shortly before the war, the Kingdom of Italy had reached a total of 290,000 vehicles registered, meaning that in 3 years, 70,000 new vehicles were registered. Given these numbers, Italy had a motorized vehicle for every 158 persons.
Design
Engine and Liquids
The engine was a water cooled FIAT Tipo 500 flathead engine, 4-cylinder in line, 569 cm3, giving out 13 hp at 4,000 rpm and with a maximum torque of 32.4 Nm at 2,500 rpm. The car was equipped with a Magneti Marelli Tipo S 25 F 14 distributor, while the horizontal carburetor was a Solex 22HD.
Drawings of the FIAT Tipo 500 engine adopted on the FIAT 500 ‘Topolino’. Source: Centro Storico FIAT
The FIAT 500 ‘Topolino’ had a total weight of 535 kg, but with two passengers and 50 kg of luggage, the total weight reached 750 kg.The spare wheel (10 kg) and a toolbox (3.5 kg) are also considered.
FIAT 500 ‘Topolino’ Speed Fully Loaded
Gear
Maximum speed (km/h)
Surmountable slope (%)
1st
20
22
2nd
32
12.5
3rd
50
7
4th
85
3
The fuel tank had a capacity of 21 liters, of which 3.4 liters of reserve. The fuel consumption of the FIAT Tipo 500 engine was about 6 liters every 100 km, meaning it had a maximum range of 350 km.
The radiator had a capacity of 4.5 liters of water to cool the engine. For the lubricant oil, there were different quantities of various oils with different viscosity. A total of 2 kg of FIAT oil lubricated the engine, and 1.45 kg of FIAT oil CP were used for the gearbox, rear axle housing, and steering box. The brake system was hydraulic on all four wheels, with a brake pedal. The brake system was loaded with 0.55 kg of a special oil for brakes (FIAT suggested the Liquido Speciale Lockheed – Lockheed Special Liquid).
FIAT 500 ‘Topolino’ scheme. Source: favcars.com
Electrical System
The electric system worked at 12 V and was connected to a Magneti Marelli Tipo 6 BA 7 di 30 Ah battery on the first vehicles produced. After an unknown (but low) number of vehicles produced, the battery was substituted with a Magneti Marelli Tipo 6 VX 7, 38 Ah battery. It had a size of 17.5 x 20 x 25 cm and had a total weight of 19.7 kg with an autonomy, without dynamo, of 10 hours of traveling. The dynamo was a FIAT Tipo 75/12 that charged the battery after the engine reached 1,050 rpm.
The starting engine, until engine number 33,508, had a power of 0.7 hp. From engine number 33,509 onward, the power was increased to 0.9 hp. The ignition coil was a Magneti Marelli Tipo 662-04/20 with a power of 12 volts. The spark plugs were Magneti Marelli Tipo MW 125 T 3 P with dimensions of 12 x 1.25 cm until engine number 60,057. From engine number 60,058 onward, the spark plugs had dimensions of 14 x 1.25 cm.
The electrical system of the FIAT 500 ‘Topolino’ according to the Ministerial Decree of 1937. Source: topolinoclubsanmarco.it
The FIAT 500 ‘Topolino’ was equipped with two 20 watt headlights on the front mudguards (35 watts while in main beam mode). A light was placed between the sun visors with a toggle switch on the dashboard.
On the dashboard were the speedometer, the light for the battery charge, and oil pressure gauge. An inspection bulb socket was placed on the left, under the dashboard panel.
On the first vehicles produced, the signal arrows could be added as an extra on the ‘Topolino’. After the adoption of a new Ministerial Decree on signal arrows in 1937, these were added on all vehicles. Precisely, the signal arrows were added from chassis number 14,421. The driver had to operate them manually with a button located near the steering wheel.
A FIAT 500 ‘Topolino’ cut in half. Source: favcars.com
With the decree of 1937, the stop light on the rear also became compulsory on all models and it was placed over the license plate.
Suspension System
The first 46,000 ‘Topolino’ produced had quarter-of-ellipse leaf springs on front and rear axles, with the front ones equipped with hydraulic pistons.
This was an adequate solution for the city car version, but not for the Furgoncino (English: Little Van) version. The first examples had some problems when fully loaded, as their loading bay floor collapsed.
The problem was found to be in the small rear leaf spring suspension and the FIAT Design Office solved the problem by adopting half-of-ellipse leaf springs instead.
In order to increase the production rates and decrease FIAT’s overall costs, it was decided to modify the ‘Topolino’ with half-of-ellipse leaf springs as well, maintaining a single production line for both the models. This change was made in the second half of 1938 and, to distinguish between the two variants of FIAT 500 ‘Topolino’, the terms FIAT 500 a Balestra Corta (English: FIAT 500 with Short Leaf Spring) for the vehicles produced until 1938 and FIAT 500 a Balestra Intera (English: FIAT 500 with Entire Leaf Spring) for the vehicles produced after the modification are unofficially used.
The FIAT 500 a Balestra Intera had an increased weight of 30 kg and was otherwise indistinguishable from the earlier model.
Italian Versions
FIAT 500B
In spring 1948, a new ‘Topolino’ model was presented at the Geneva Motor Show. This was the FIAT 500B, with the pre-war model unofficially receiving the designation FIAT 500A.
A FIAT 500B ‘Topolino’. As clearly noticeable, there are no differences from the pre-war FIAT 500A. Source: zf-24.de
The vehicle externally remained essentially unchanged, but internally had many improvements. The engine was modified with a new iron cast cylinder head with overhead valves and some other modifications that brought the total power to 16.5 hp at 4,400 rpm.
The Solex carburetor was substituted with a Weber 22 DRS reverse intake carburetor. Thanks to the increased output, the maximum speed was increased to 95 km/h while the fuel consumption was reduced to 5 liters for 100 km, bringing the range to 420 km.
FIAT 500B ‘Topolino’ in convertible configuration. Source: pinterest.com
An anti-roll bar was added on the rear axle, while hydraulic pistons were added on all four wheels.
Other improvements were made inside the passenger compartment with the addition, at the request of the customer, of a heating system for the winter season.
FIAT 500C
In 1948, the last version of the FIAT 500 ‘Topolino’ was presented. The new vehicle was the 100th car model designed by FIAT and it was decided to completely change the design of the vehicle.
The chassis was left unchanged, while the engine received a new aluminum cylinder head, maintaining the same output and speed of the FIAT 500B.
A FIAT 500C ‘Topolino’, the last post-war version of the iconic city car. Source: newsauto.it
The coachwork was completely redesigned, with headlights placed inside it and with a new ‘US-style’ front. The spare wheel was also removed from the usual position on the rear and placed behind the passenger seat.
Front view of a FIAT 500C ‘Topolino’ with the new US-style front. Source: twitter.com @nhhotelsit
Like for the pre-war model, in order to accomodate two more passengers at the rear, the convertible variant was needed and the demand on the Italian market for that model was high.
In order to speed up production, the convertible car variant became the standard variant in the production lines. The rigid-roof one was still produced at the specific request of the customer.
Variants
FIAT 500 Furgoncino
The FIAT 500 Furgoncino was introduced in late 1936 and had a payload capacity of 300 kg in its 1 m3 rear space. It was mainly intended for civilian users, such as milkmen, post carriers, suppliers, etc., but was also produced for the Italian Regio Esercito (English: Royal Army). The Furgoncino had a single seat for the driver and the spare wheel was placed on the driver’s right instead of the passenger’s seat. After November 1937, the second seat could be reinstalled at the request of the customer. After the introduction of the FIAT 500 a Balestra Intera, the Furgoncino’s suspension was reinforced compared to the half-of-ellipse leaf springs of the ‘Topolino’, with 13 springs instead of 6 on the city car.
A FIAT 500 Furgoncino with its rear door opened. This particular vehicle was produced in 1940 and was photographed outside the FIAT Lingotto production plant. Source: Centro Storico FIAT
After chassis number 100,900, built in December 1946, the vehicle adopted two configurations: angled rear with a single door or vertical rear with two doors.
FIAT 500B Furgoncino used by the Campari Vermut company as an advertising vehicle. Source: twitter.com @sportgoodies
The FIAT 500 Furgoncino based on the pre-war chassis had a maximum speed of 82 km/h (90 km/h for the FIAT 500B and C chassis) and could overcome 18% slopes. The FIAT 500 Furgoncino production was continued with the FIAT 500B and FIAT 500C and its production ended in 1954.
A FIAT 500C Furgoncino with vertical rear and two doors outside the FIAT Mirafiori production plant in Turin in 1950. On the left, a FIAT 500C Giardiniera is partially visible while, on the right, some FIAT 500B ‘Topolino’ city cars and a FIAT 500B Furgoncino are visible. Source: Centro Storico FIAT
FIAT 500B and FIAT 500C Giardiniera
In 1946, a brilliant designer, Mario Revelli di Beaumont (son of Abiel, developer of the FIAT-Revelli machine gun and other weapons) presented a new station wagon model while working for the Carrozzeria Viotti (English: Viotti Coachworker). This type of car, built on the FIAT 1100 chassis, was called Giardinetta and does not have a proper translation. The term Giardinetta was used for some years in Italy to refer to station wagons.
Revelli di Beaumont’s innovative solution increased the space inside standard city cars by adding a rear door to make room for luggage or other materials. The spare wheel was stored on the floor of the rear section, under the luggage compartment.
A FIAT 500B Giardiniera, the first mass-produced station wagon in the world. Source: clubtopolinofiattorino.com
FIAT, which sensed the vehicle’s potential, introduced a similar model for the FIAT 500B that was officially presented at the Turin Motor Show in 1948. As a matter of copyright, FIAT could not call the car Giardinetta, so the FIAT Sales Division renamed it Giardiniera, which had a double meaning:
Giardiniera was a similar name to the model presented by Carrozzeria Viotti, increasing its publicity.
In Piedmont, Giardiniera is an Italian relish of pickled vegetables, a simple dish, really popular among the Italian peasants and workers during and after the war in northwestern Italy. It was simple to cook and with ingredients that almost every Italian family grew in the garden or bought at the market.
The FIAT 500B Giardiniera was characterized not only by a new rear part bodywork, but also the introduction of a second row of seats. The sides of the coachwork were made not only of iron, but also of wood and Masonite (pressure-molded wood), following the example set by Revelli and the US Woodie cars. The wooden parts were produced by the Sezione Carrozzerie Speciali (English: Special Coachwork Section).
A rear door was added to easily store luggage in the back and the space was appreciated by the customers. The space could be increased by lowering the back of the second row of seats.
The luggage compartment in a FIAT 500C Giardiniera Belvedere, with the second row of seats lowered. On the lower part, under the compartment’s floor, is the spare wheel compartment. Source: twitter.com @mi_classico
The FIAT 500B Giardiniera was the first mass-produced station wagon of the world.
With the introduction of the FIAT 500C, the Giardiniera in Legno (English: Wooden Giardiniera) was still produced until 1951. It was substituted on the production line by the Giardiniera Belvedere.
The difference from the previous model was the absence of the wooden and Masonite parts, supplanted by molded iron plates. The iron plates speeded up the production and obviously reduced the overall cost. The lower cost permitted even more Italian families to buy the car. The FIAT 500C Giardiniera Belvedere was the last variant of the FIAT 500 ‘Topolino’ produced in Italy, with the last vehicles leaving the factories in late 1955.
A FIAT 500C Giardiniera Belvedere in a poster from the 1950s. Source: lov2xlr8.no
Special Variants
FIAT 500 ‘Topolino’ Racing Models
The FIAT 500 ‘Topolino’ was not only the most popular city car in Italy, but also the base of dozens of racing cars produced in small numbers which took part in famous Italian and European racing competitions.
Unfortunately, many of these beautiful vehicles with characteristic shapes were produced in single prototypes by specialized coachworkers and companies that no longer exist. Tracking their stories or finding information is now difficult, and, in some cases, impossible.
FIAT-SIATA 500 Gran Sport from 1937, which took part in the 1937 Mille Miglia cup. Source: ruotedasogno.com
In April 1937, the FIAT 500 ‘Topolino’ made its racing debut at the Mille Miglia (English: Thousand Miles) motorsport endurance race. Not being a racing car, obviously none of the FIAT 500-equipped racing teams came close to the podium. However, the ‘Topolino’ won two different races: the Sport Class up to 750 cm3 was won by a FIAT 500 ‘Topolino’ Testa SIATA modified by the Turin’s company Società Italiana Applicazioni Tecniche Auto-Aviatorie (SIATA) (English: Italian Society for Technical Applications for Cars and Airplanes) with a powerful overhead valve head engine. The car was driven by Piero Dusio and Ciro Basadonna. Another ‘Topolino’ won the National Touring Class prize for under 750 cm3. The teams arrived at the finish line 50th and 51st respectively. A total of 27 racing teams out of 149 participated in the race with FIAT 500s, some modified by specialized coachworkers, while others were simple civilian models.
A FIAT 500 Testa SIATA, numbered 29, driven by Raffaello Guzman and Mario Jelmini during a pit stop at the Mille Miglia of 1937 in which it came 63rd. Except for the powerful SIATA engine, the car remained unchanged from the civilian one. Source: Foto Locchi
In the French 24 Heures du Le Mans (English: 24 Hours of Le Mans) endurance sports car race of June 1937, two SIMCA 5 were among the 48 racing teams. The SIMCA 5 that competed in the 24 Heures du Le Mans was equipped with the smallest engine ever entered in the French race, with a volume of 568 cm3.
The Amedeo Gordini racing team’s SIMCA 5 during one of the 24 Heures du Le Mans editions. Source: 24h-lemans.com
The new engine and coachwork of the Amedeo Gordini racing team (sometimes Frenchified into Amédée Gordini) gave the SIMCA a top speed of 110 km/h. Thanks to its performance, the Amedeo Gordini racing team won the prize for the small-engine car class for three years in a row, from 1937, when the SIMCA 5 was first entered, until 1939, before the forced break due to the war. In 1938, Amedeo Gordini’s SIMCA 5 also won the performance index prize.
The Stanguellini SN750 Spider Torricelli (on a FIAT 500 ‘Topolino’ chassis) at the finish line in 1938. This car won the Sport Class under 750 cm3 prize with the racing team Giulio Baravelli (right) and Adelmo Sola (left). Source: wikipedia.com
In the Mille Miglia race of 1938, the ‘Topolino’ cars returned with even more curious shapes. The ones that won the Sport Class under 750 cm3 prize was the Stanguellini SN750 Spider Torricelli, while the other two ‘Topolino’ coachworked by Zagato came right behind. The vehicles were the FIAT 500 Testa SIATA Spider Zagato and the FIAT 500 Testa SIATA Hardtop Zagato.
The FIAT 500 Testa SIATA Hardtop Zagato driven by Renato Donati and Alberto Garzi during the 1938 Mille Miglia. Source: twitter.com @postmanden1
During the next few years, the FIAT 500 ‘Topolino’ continued its participation in motorsport races. In the 1940 edition of the Mille Miglia, the Stanguellini SN750 Testa SIATA Spider Torricelli arrived 12th, winning the Sport Class under 750 cm3 prize. Even after the Second World War, the FIAT 500 ‘Topolino’ continued its participation in the Mille Miglia with other curious-shaped coachworks.
A FIAT 500 ‘Topolino’ in Bologna shortly before the start of the 1947 Mille Miglia edition. Source: wikipedia.com
It is also worth mentioning the victory of Maria Teresa de Filippis (1926-2016) in the Cava dei Tirreni race in 1948 aboard a FIAT 500 ‘Topolino’. De Filippis then continued her automotive career by becoming the first woman to qualify in Formula 1 races.
Maria Teresa de Filippis on board her FIAT 500 ‘Topolino’ racing car. Source: f1grandprixdriversclub.com
FIAT 500C Coupé Bizzarrini ‘Macchinetta’
Another interesting model was the FIAT 500C Bizzarini, also known as ‘Macchinetta’ (English: Little Car). It was a personal development from engineer Giotto Bizzarini (1926-2023). Bizzarini started the development while he was studying at the University of Pisa and brought the car project as a dissertation for its university graduation. After university, the young engineers started the assembly of the car, which began in 1952 and ended the following year.
The chassis was that of a FIAT 500C, while the engine was taken from a FIAT 500B but with the cylinder head of a SIATA sport car. It also equipped the engine with two Dell’Orto carburetors for a total output of 25 or 30 hp (whether one or both carburetors were working).
The engine was then moved over the front wheel axle to decrease the front imbalance of the car. A new coachwork was designed by Bizzarini and completely made of aluminum to decrease the weight of the vehicle.
Giotto Bizzarini with his FIAT 500C Bizzarini ‘Macchinetta’. Source: wikipedia.com
In the end, the new vehicle, produced as a single prototype, had a maximum speed of 155 km/h. The young engineer went to Ferrari’s plant in Maranello with his product after the assembly.
The founder of Ferrari, Enzo Ferrari, was surprised by the characteristics of the car and decided to hire Bizzarini. This was the start of the fortunate and brilliant career for the Italian designer.
The FIAT 500C Bizzarini ‘Macchinetta’ at present. Source: twitter.com @AndreaImondi
Other Customizations
SIATA Amica 49 and 50
After the Second World War, the Società Italiana Applicazioni Tecniche Auto-Aviatorie produced two GT variants of the FIAT 500B ‘Topolino’, the SIATA Amica 49 (English: SIATA [Female] Friend 49), of which 50 were produced from 1948 to 1949, and the SIATA Amica 50, with 500 produced between 1950 to 1952.
The SIATA Amica 49 had a tubular perimeter frame, while the SIATA Amica 50 had a steel box frame. Both were convertible cars with a SIATA 633 cm3 engine delivering 22 hp that, thanks to the only 580 kg of the car, guaranteed a top speed of 100 km/h. The cars had state-of-art finishes and were among the most luxurious of the era, with elaborate detailing in the upholstery and very distinctive designs.
A SIATA Amica 49, one of the 14 surviving examples. Source: finarte.it
Zagato
It is impossible to speak of racing and sport versions of the ‘Topolino’ without mentioning Zagato. This was a coachbuilder located in Milan that specialized in coachworking ALFA Romeo, Lancia, FIAT, and Aston Martin cars in small batches for racing or GT cups.
Zagato modified the FIAT 500 ‘Topolino’ chassis in many different configurations from 1936 until the 1950s.
FIAT 500 ‘Topolino’ Trasformabile, a convertible car version presented in 1936 by Zagato. Note the elegant wheel rims. Source: carstyling.ru
One of the first Zagato coachworks was the Trasformabile (English: Convertible Car) that had a short life due to the appearance, in October 1936, of a similar variant coachworked by FIAT itself.
In 1938, the production of the racing versions of the ‘Topolino’ was also started, with the already mentioned FIAT 500 Testa SIATA Spider Zagato and the FIAT 500 Testa SIATA Hardtop Zagato.
FIAT 500 Testa SIATA Spider Zagato during the 1938 Mille Miglia edition. Source: imcdb.org
During the Second World War, Ugo Zagato, the founder of the company, started the development of a new style of coachwork known as the Panoramica (English: Panoramic), characterized by windows and windshields of greater dimensions compared to standard cars.
After the war, the Panoramica coachwork was adopted on various car chassis, including the FIAT 500B ‘Topolino’ after 1948 and FIAT 500C ‘Topolino’ after 1950.
FIAT 500C Panoramica coachworked by Zagato in Watkins Glen, United Stated, in 1950. Source: carstyling.ru
In the post-war period, Zagato cooperated with Giorgio Giusti, a designer that modified the ‘Topolino’ engine with a new cylinder head in bronze alloy, the so-called Testa d’Oro or Testadoro (English: Gold Head) for the color of the alloy.
The new 600 cm³ engine, coupled with the aerodynamic shape of the Zagato coachworks, created the famous FIAT-Giusti 500 Drin Drin Zagato, which won the Monthléry race in 1947 and had other great success in other races.
In 1948, also in cooperation with Giusti and on the ‘Topolino’ chassis, the FIAT 750 ‘Daniela’ Testadoro Zagato (five to six produced) and the FIAT 750 ‘Marinella’ Testadoro Zagato (four produced) were created. The new cars were powered by new engines developed by Giorgio Giusti’s own Testadoro company. ‘Marinella’ had a 742 cm³ cast iron engine with an aluminum alloy cylinder head. It gave a maximum output of 45 hp at 6,500 rpm. While ‘Daniela’ had the same engine, it had some modifications that brought it to a maximum output of 48 hp at 7,000 rpm.
The FIAT-Giusti 500 Drin Drin Zagato with the racing team after the Monthléry race in 1947. Source: autopuzzles.com
Other Versions
Other customizations included a three-axle Furgoncino variant produced by Ollearo of Turin and produced in limited numbers. Due to its limited dimensions and payload capacity, this variant was mainly used to advertise various products with their curious shapes.
The FIAT 500 ‘Furgoncino’ in its three-axle variant specifically coachworked for the Cormaiore Mineral Water company. Source: ollearo.com
Another curious variant was the one made for the Fabbrica Italiana Velocipedi Edoardo Bianchi (English: Italian Bicycles Factory Edoardo Bianchi) or simply Bianchi. The company is one of the most famous in Italy not only for its bike production, but also for its participation at the Giro d’Italia (English: Tour of Italy) and Tour de France (English: Tour of France) bicycle races.
For its racing team, Bianchi deployed at least one FIAT 500C ‘Topolino’ in Furgoncino variant produced in 1954 and then specially coachworked as a pick-up by the Carrozzeria Grazia of Bologna in 1961.
The FIAT 500C Furgoncino coachworked in 1961 as a pick-up for Bianchi by Carrozzeria Grazia. Source: catawiki.com
The vehicle followed the cyclists during the race and substituted their damaged bikes in case of accidents or tire punctures. It was used for many years, probably with other vehicles coachworked in a similar manner. It was found in the 1990s and completely restored.
FIAT 500 ‘Topolino’ specially developed for the British market with right-hand drive and four seats. The production of this particular variant is unknown but surely limited. Source: pinterest.com
Production
Exact data on the production of the car per year is unknown. Dante Giacosa, in the book Forty Years of Design with FIAT, mentions that the FIAT 500 ‘Topolino’ reached a production of 100 vehicles daily.
Between mid-1936 and mid-1938, the production was of 46,000 examples, as can be deduced from the introduction of the half-of-ellipse leaf suspensions on the FIAT 500 with chassis number 46,001. This surely was a sensible improvement in Italian vehicle production. The production rates increased, reaching about 20,000 examples produced (compared to an average FIAT 508 production of 16,000 cars per year) until 1940, when the Kingdom of Italy entered the Second World War. The production of everything that was not military-related was drastically reduced, as can be noted by the production of only 177 ‘Topolino’ in 1944.
The production restarted when the war ended in 1945 and was stopped in 1948, with a total of 110,000 examples produced.
A beautiful view of the FIAT Mirafiori’s FIAT 500B assembly line in 1948. On the right, a Furgoncino painted white followed by a FIAT 500B ‘Topolino’ convertible car and by a third Furgoncino. Source: Centro Storico FIAT
The history of the ‘Topolino’ was not finished yet. In 1948, the production of the pre-war model was stopped while, in the same year, the FIAT 500B ‘Topolino’ was introduced. It was produced for shortly more than a year, totaling 21,000 vehicles in various variants. In 1949 came the turn of the FIAT 500C ‘Topolino’ that totalled over 388,000 vehicles until 1955. In total, 519,847 FIAT 500 ‘Topolino’ were produced in Italy between 1936 and 1955.
A FIAT garage in the Netherlands showing some FIAT models before selling them. On the left is a FIAT 600, on the right a FIAT 500C ‘Topolino’ with open bonnet. In the background are at least four other FIAT 500C: three convertible cars and a Giardiniera Belvedere. Source: wikipedia.com
Military Service
Despite being a small city car, the ‘Topolino’ also saw extensive service during the Second World War.
Italy
In North Africa, the Regio Esercito, Italian Regia Aeronautica (English: Royal Air Force), and Wehrmacht deployed small quantities of ‘Topolino’ as staff cars or liaison vehicles. Some Furgoncini were also deployed as ‘medevac’ vehicles or to transport medical equipment.
A group of Italian officers near a ‘Topolino’ used as a staff car in Ventimiglia during the Italian invasion of France in 1940. Source: Istituto Luce
There is no information about their service, but it is easy to suppose that these small city cars were deployed to be as cheap as possible and did not perform well in operational theaters with extreme weather conditions, such as the Soviet Union or the Libyan desert.
The ‘Topolino’ had problems climbing over hills in cities, so it is difficult to imagine how they could perform off-road without adequate maintenance and spare parts.
An Italian soldier undertaking maintenance on a FIAT 500 ‘Topolino’ of the Regia Aeronautica used by the Istituto Luce war correspondents. Source: Istituto Luce
Despite their inadequacy, many images testify to the wide use of ‘Topolino’, SIMCA, and NSU-FIAT in Italian and German service.
A FIAT 500 ‘Topolino’ deployed by the Deutsche Afrika Korps in Libya. As the watermark suggests, the image was taken at the Mehari hotel in Tripoli during the North African Campaign. It was probably requisitioned by the Axis forces and deployed as a staff car for German officers. Source: pinterest.com @ALESSANDRO GIUCASTRO
After the fall of North Africa in 1943 and the later Armistice of 8th September 1943, the Italian Army was disbanded. The majority of the FIAT 500 ‘Topolino’ still present in the Italian peninsula not yet liberated by the Allies falled in German hands and their Italian Fascist allies.
Italian Partisans
A FIAT 500 ‘Topolino’ captured from the Axis forces on the streets of Milan after the Great Partisan Insurrection of April 1945. Source: pinterest.com
Some FIAT 500s were deployed by Italian partisans during the Great Partisan Insurrection of April 1945 to quickly transport small groups of fighters and ammunition to the main cities in which fighting occurred. The ‘Topolinos’ as any other motor vehicle in partisan hands, were deployed as needed also as evacuation vehicles for wounded partisans and took part to the partisans paraded at the end of the conflict.
A wounded partisan is carried by other partisans inside a FIAT 500 ‘Topolino’ during the fighting against Axis forces in Milan between 25th and 27th April 1945. Source: reddit.com u/JCFalkenbergIII
France
The Armée de Terre (English: French Ground Force) adopted the SIMCA 5 (French copy of the ‘Topolino’) for its needs. The vehicles were mainly used as staff cars to transport NCOs, liaison cars to transport important messages from headquarters, as airport cars to quickly carry pilots to the planes located far from the airstrip, and as medical cars to transport lightly wounded soldiers to the nearest hospitals.
A SIMCA 5 of the 98e Régiment d’Infanterie of the Armée de Terre. Source: simca5fgb.unblog.fr
From September 1939 until the fall of France in June 1940, the French Army placed various orders, totalling 1,650 SIMCA 5s.
In early 1940, because of the shortage of light vehicles for the Army, some SIMCA 5s intended for the civilian market were taken from the SIMCA plant or even requisitioned from civilians.
Before the surrender of France on 25th June 1940, about 1,000 SIMCA had been delivered to the Armée de Terre, while an unknown number were requisitioned.
A French SIMCA 5 convertible car used by the Armée de Terre to transport lightly wounded soldiers to the hospital. Image taken in March 1940. The vehicle was of the ‘Découvreable Grand Luxe’ model. Source: wikipedia.com
Some vehicles also fell to French partisans, who deployed them in the same way as the Axis troops.
In 1944, during the fighting in the La Rochelle pocket against the Germans, French partisans built four improvised armored vehicles. Of the four vehicles, two were based on the SIMCA 5 and were nicknamed Joseph Camaret I and Joseph Camaret II.
The chassis were stripped of the coachwork and protected by armored plates recovered from some factories in La Rochelle. The vehicles did not participate in the clashes but took part in the victory parade after the defeat of the German forces. An example survived the war and is now exhibited in La Rochelle as a war memorial.
The Joseph Camaret II and Joseph Camaret I armored cars together with the other armored vehicles produced by the French resistance. The image was taken after the surrender of the German forces. Source: forgesdaunishistoire.e-monsite.com
Germany
After the capitulation of the Armée de Terre, the German Wehrmacht captured many hundreds of SIMCA 5. Many were captured from batches not yet delivered to the French Army or requisitioned from civilians.
After Operation Barbarossa in 1941, the SIMCA 5s were mainly used as staff cars. Some vehicles were used to quickly deploy medics and their equipment to the frontline or to evacuate lightly wounded soldiers from the battlefield.
A SIMCA 5 ‘Standard’ used as a medical car by the Wehrmacht, towed by a pair of horses after a breakdown somewhere in the Soviet Union. Source: pinterest.com
After the Italian Armistice of 8th September 1943 and the subsequent occupation of the Italian peninsula by German forces, the FIAT 500 became even more popular in German service.
With Italy having become an inconvenient ally, the Germans captured many Italian FIAT 500s, commandeering them from private individuals or FIAT plants.
An Italian soldier armed with MAB38 submachine gun stands guard riding a FIAT 500 ‘Topolino’ parked in front of the EIAR public service broadcaster in Rome shortly after the Italian Armistice. Source: Bundesarchiv
The cars were widely deployed by German and Italian fascist troops to patrol areas in which Italian partisans operated or to connect isolated garrisons without deploying more precious military vehicles, such as armored cars or trucks.
A group of German officers standing near a FIAT 500 ‘Topolino’ with an open roof. Date and location unknown. Source: pinterest.com
Partisans normally steered clear of German or fascist vehicles to avoid confrontation. Sometimes, these cars were at the head of columns and there was a risk of losing the skirmish when confronted with reinforcements.
At the same time, in case small groups of partisans were surprised near the road, the two occupants of the ‘Topolino’ could attack them with the favor of surprise or quickly turn back to call for reinforcements. As the war continued, however, the partisans began to arm themselves better and better and began to ambush isolated vehicles.
A Bussing-NAG 4500 super heavy truck next to a FIAT 500 ‘Topolino’, both in service with the Wehrmacht. Source: reddit.com u/vitoskito
Allied Forces
The Allied forces also deployed some FIAT 500 ‘Topolino’ and SIMCA 5 captured from the Axis forces. A SIMCA 5 that was still in German three-tone camouflage was deployed by the Brigade Major of the Royal Artillery as a staff car for the officers.
A British officer and his attendant riding a SIMCA 5 which belonged to the Wehrmacht. The acronym painted on the door stands for Brigade Major of the Royal Artillery. Source: geocities.wsA SIMCA 5 abandoned in a scrapyard after the end of the hostilities. As the white star painted on the sides and bonnet suggests, the vehicle was deployed by the US Army during the war. Source: oldclassiccar.co.uk
Foreign Versions
SIMCA 5 and SIMCA 6
The French Société Industrielle de Mécanique et de Carrosserie Automobile (SIMCA) (English: Mechanical and Automotive Body Manufacturing Company) was founded in 1934 by Enrico Teodoro Pigozzi, an Italian who lived in France.
In 1926, Pigozzi had founded in France a company to sell FIAT cars and assemble small batches of FIAT cars produced in Italy. After the 1929 crisis, France imposed high taxes on imported vehicles. In 1934, to overcome this problem, Pigozzi with the help of FIAT, founded SIMCA, which would produce license copies of FIAT cars, opening a production plant in Nanterre.
The third model of FIAT car produced was the FIAT 500 ‘Topolino’, known in France as the SIMCA 5 or SIMCA Cinq (English: Five).
A SIMCA 5 in red livery. Source: wikipedia.com
The first preseries FIAT 500 ‘Topolino’ examples arrived at SIMCA, in France, before the official presentation of the car to the Italian Duce. The first SIMCA 5 was presented on 10th March 1936, but the production was delayed due some worker strikes in France in that period.
Unlike its sister from the other side of the Alps, the SIMCA 5 was not only available in two cheap configurations, but was also in expensive ones.
The ‘Standard’ model had a price of 9,900 Francs (equivalent to $382 in 1936 or $8,475 in 2023). It had the same mechanics and characteristics as the ‘Topolino’, but was not equipped with a spare wheel and running board between the front and rear wheel axles. The ‘Standard’ model was produced only until August 1936.
The SIMCA 5 ‘Luxury’ had a price of 10,900 Francs and had the spare wheel, two windshield wipers, and frontal bumper (in Italy, this was an extra). The SIMCA 5’s bumper was divided into two parts, leaving the radiator grille uncovered, while on the few Italian examples that received the bumper, it was in a single piece.
A French SIMCA 5 before the Second World War. Source: simca5fgb.unblog.fr
Other models of the SIMCA 5 were the ‘Grand Luxe’ (11,950 Francs) and ‘Super Luxe’ (12,750 Francs), which had refined interiors. The last and most expensive model, the ‘Découvreable Grand Luxe’ (English: Grand Luxury Convertible Car) had a price of 12,950 Francs.
In October 1937, SIMCA presented a new version of the 5 in van configuration, known as the ‘Fourgonnette’ (English: Little Van). It was externally identical to the Italian one, although it had a lighter payload of 250 kg.
A SIMCA 5 Fourgonnette produced in 1947. Source: wikipedia.com
Production started in 1936 but was stopped due to the war in June 1940 and restarted in 1946, finally stopping in 1948 after reaching a total of 46,472 SIMCA 5s built.
In 1948, while the FIAT 500B was still produced in Italy, SIMCA presented the SIMCA 6, a copy of the already designed but not yet produced FIAT 500C. Only 16,508 were produced from summer 1948 until 1950. In total, in France, 62,980 SIMCA 5 and 6s were produced between 1936 and 1950.
A SIMCA 6, a French copy of the FIAT 500C. Source: wikipedia.com
Polski-FIAT 500
The FIAT 500 ‘Topolino’ was produced in Poland by Państwowe Zakłady Inżynierii or PZInż (English: National Institute of Engineering) in its production plant in Warsaw. The cooperation between PZInż and FIAT started with the license agreement signed on 21th September 1932 for the assembly and later production of the FIAT 508 ‘Balilla’.
Little is known about the production and service of the FIAT 500 ‘Topolino’ in Poland. The Polski-FIAT 500 production probably started in 1937 and was suspended in September 1939, when Germany invaded the country.
A Polski-FIAT 500 used by a Polish company as an advertising car. Source: twitter.com @kuba16241
FIAT-NSU 500
In 1928, the German company NSU Motorenwerke was forced to sell its new production plant of Heilbronn to FIAT due financial problems. In summer 1929, the NSU Automobil AG was founded in the Heilbronn plant. In 1934, it started to assemble and then produce FIAT cars for the German market.
As with SIMCA and PZInż, the first FIAT car produced was a copy of the FIAT 508 ‘Balilla’, known on the German market as the NSU-FIAT 1000. After a series of modifications and new models (such as the NSU-FIAT 1500), in 1937, the German company presented the NSU-FIAT 500.
A NSU-FIAT 500C in convertible car configuration at an old car motor show in Emmendingen, Germany. Source: wikipedia.com
The NSU-FIAT 500 was produced from 1937 to 1941 when, due to war needs, the factory stopped the production of vehicles for the civilian market. In total, until 1941, about 4,000 NSU-FIAT 500 were produced in Germany. The vehicles were also produced in the Furgoncino configuration.
Poster of the NSU-FIAT 500 Furgoncino for the Dutch market. Source: zuckerfabrik24.de
After the war, the FIAT license production was restarted and, in 1951, substituted with the NSU-FIAT 500C, of which 9,064 were produced until 1955.
Surely, the most famous German version of the ‘Topolino’ was the NSU-500 Spider, a roadster coachworked by Karosseriewerke Weinsberg (English: Weinsberg Coachworker). The total number of cars produced in this version is unknown, but it was popular due to its characteristic shape.
A German-produced NSU-FIAT 500 Spider in roadster configuration coachworked by Karosseriewerke Weinsberg. Source: coachbuild.com
Other License Production Around the World
The ‘Topolino’ production history did not end with Germany. Unfortunately there is little information about the other manufacturers and it is difficult to track their histories and total numbers.
The Austrian FIAT-Steyr company produced the FIAT 500 from Complete Knock Down (CKD) kits from 1952 to 1956, namely the FIAT 500C ‘Topolino’ city car, Furgoncino, and Giardiniera variants. No data on their precise numbers is given.
The Indian company Premier produced the FIAT 500 after the Second World War in the B version, but there is no more information about how many were produced.
Another nation which produced the FIAT 500 ‘Topolino’ was New Zealand. The Todd Motors company produced small batches of the Italian car starting from 1937.
A FIAT 500 ‘Topolino’ produced in India used to transport two tigers after a hunting session. Source: simca5fgb.unblog.fr
The ‘Topolino’ in other Parts of the World
The FIAT 500 ‘Topolino’ had a discrete export success for such a small car. It was sold in various nations around the world before and after the Second World War.
At least one example was used during the filming of the US film The More the Merrier directed by George Stevens in 1943, while other vehicles were sold in the United States in small quantities.
A FIAT 500 ‘Topolino’ in front of Marble Collegiate Church and Empire State Building in E 28th Street, New York, in the 1940s. Source: Centro Storico FIAT
Other vehicles were sold to Argentina, where the Italian community was very much present (today, 47% of Argentininans have Italian ancestors). It is unknown how many FIAT 500 ‘Topolino’ were sold in Argentina, but the majority were bought by Italians who lived there.
A child near a FIAT 500 ‘Topolino’. The car has a Buenos Aires license plate. The image was taken in 1951 in Bosque de Palermo, a big park in the Italian-Argentine neighborhood of Palermo in Buenos Aires. Source: twitter.com @BsAs_recuerdo
Returning to Europe, many FIAT 500 were also sold in the Netherlands before and after the Second World War. Other cars were also sold in the United Kingdom, where the Furgoncino variant also had a small success.
In 1939, the British Sidney Smith Garage company in Purley presented the FIAT-SIATA Smith Special, a roadster variant of the ‘Topolino’. It had a 20.8 hp at 2,500 rpm SIATA overhead engine that powered the car to a top speed of 95 km/h. It had enough space to accommodate a driver and passenger and even two other passengers in the rear. The total number of FIAT-SIATA Smith Specials produced is unknown, but at least four still exist today.
The FIAT-SIATA Smith Special roadster produced in United Kingdom in 1939. Source: zeroa.it
In the 1950s, Hamblin, a British small manufacturer of sports car bodies, presented some FIAT 500 ‘Topolino’ converted to sports cars for the 750 cm3 competition class.
A FIAT 500 ‘Topolino’ parked in a street of Amsterdam, Netherlands, in an unknown period after the Second World War. Source: wikipedia.com
Some FIAT 500s were also sold to Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, and Spain almost surely only after the war, but their use and total number is unknown.
Spanish actress Conchita Montenegro in a FIAT 500 ‘Topolino’ in San Sebastian, Spain. Source: wikipedia.comThree smiling Soviet soldiers posing near a FIAT 500 ‘Topolino’ in Sofia in an unknown period. The vehicle was mobilized by the army during the war. Source: vintagecars.com
Conclusion
The FIAT 500 ‘Topolino’ was one of the most famous cars produced in Italy during the Fascist regime. Thanks to its characteristics and cost, it was bought by a large portion of the Italian population and saw incredible success around the world, with thousands of licensed vehicles produced and sold in many nations.
Developed to be a cheap city car, it was forced into war to be deployed by various armies in Europe, with bad results in dusty desert or harsh steppes. In the ‘Topolino’s’ defense, this was not what it had been designed for.
After the Second World War, it was still produced and sold in Italy and Europe, becoming one of FIAT’s most successful vehicles.
A FIAT 500 ‘Topolino’ in elegant two-tone paint before the Second World War. Illustrations by Godzilla.A FIAT 500 ‘Topolino’ deployed by the Regio Esercito as liaison car in North Africa. Illustrations by Godzilla.FIAT 500 ‘Topolino’ Furgoncino deployed as MEDEVAC vehicle. Illustrations by Godzilla.SIMCA 5 of the 98e Régiment d’Infanterie of the Armée de Terre before German invasion of France. Illustrations Godzilla.SIMCA 5 of the Brigade Major of the Royal Artillery still in its Wehrmacht camouflage. Illustrations by Godzilla.
FIAT 500A ‘Topolino’ Specification
Size (L-W-H)
3.215 x 1.275 x 1.377 m
Curb Weight
535 kg
Fully Loaded Weight
750 kg
Passengers
2 (4)
Engine
FIAT petrol, in-line, 4-cylinders, 569 cm³, delivering 13 hp at 4,000 rpm.
Fuel reserve
21 liters
Speed
85 km/h
Range
350 km
Production
519,847
Sources
I miei 40 anni di Progettazione alla FIAT – Dante Giacosa
Also in English language as: Forty Years of Design with FIAT – Dante Giacosa
Autocarro FIAT 666NM for the Regia Aeronautica. Illustrations by the illustrious Godzilla funded by our Patreon Campaign.
Kingdom of Italy/Italian Social Republic/Italian Republic (1939-1948)
Heavy Duty Truck – 8,000 Built
The Autocarro FIAT 666N (English: FIAT 666N Truck) heavy duty truck was the first Italian heavy cab-over-engine truck produced by Fabbrica Italiana Automobili di Torino or FIAT (English: Italian Automobiles Factory of Turin), from 1939 until 1948.
It was produced both in a civilian versions for the Italian and European markets and in a military versions for the Italian Regio Esercito (English: Royal Army), Italian Regia Aeronautica (English: Royal Air Force) and Italian Regia Marina (English: Royal Navy).
After the Italian Armistice of 8th September 1943, it was also deployed by the Germans and by the Repubblica Sociale Italiana (English: Italian Social Republic).
After the war ended, it remained in production for another 3 years in a civilian version that also saw a small export to other European countries.
Autocarro FIAT 666N with a trailer. Source: italie1935-45.com
History of the Project
After the Great War, in the 1920s, the Italian industry grew with the development of robust and capable petrol trucks that were substituted in the mid-1930s with diesel engines, in a similar way Germany had done in 1932.
The major truck producers in the Kingdom of Italy were FIAT Veicoli Industriali (English: FIAT Industrial Vehicles), the FIAT branch that produced trucks; Lancia Veicoli Industriali of Turin; ALFA Romeo of Milan; and Isotta Fraschini of Milan.
There were also other producers, such as Fabbrica Automobili e Velocipedi Edoardo Bianchi (English: Edoardo Bianchi Automobile and Bicycle Factory) and Officine Meccaniche or OM (Mechanical Workshops) that produced light and medium and heavy trucks.
Except for the FIAT, all the other ones had bought diesel engines from German producers such as Junkers, MAN and Mercedes-Benz. Some other Italian vehicles were simply copies of German trucks such as the ALFA Romeo 500 that was developed from a Büssing-NAG medium truck with a new Deutz diesel engine or the OM 3 BOD produced under Saurer license.
All the vehicles produced by these companies were powered by petrol or diesel engines, had different payloads and weights, and in some cases, even between trucks produced by the same company, their characteristics were not similar.
FIAT 666N wallpaper. Source: FIAT archives
In July 1937, the Italian government created a law on truck production. The law was passed for 3 main reasons:
Firstly, Italy was a rapidly growing nation with numerous companies producing dozens of different models of trucks. Standardization would lead companies to produce vehicles very similar to each other and with common parts, increasing production capacity.
Secondly, there was also the problem of embargoes placed on the Kingdom of Italy and the policy of autarky (the aspiration of Italian Fascist leaders to be economically independent from foreign countries). Unified truck standards, as part of this policy, were one part of the process, and they would help to avoid wasting resources.An example of this standardization process can be seen in the size of wheel rims. After 1935, due the embargoes placed after the invasion of Ethiopia, Italy had little rubber with which to produce tires. If all the trucks had the same rim diameters and sizes, companies that produced tires could produce one-size tires adaptable to all heavy trucks.
Thirdly, and probably the most important reason, was the unification of civilian and military truck standards, which meant that, in case of war, civilian trucks could be requisitioned for military purposes.
Autocarri Unificati Laws
Truck Types
Medium
Heavy
Maximum Weight (tonnes)
6.5
12
of which payload
3
6
Engine Type
Diesel ¹
Diesel
Maximum Speed (km/h)
60
45
Maximum Turning Radius (m)
7
7
Length (m)
2.35
2.35
Ground Clearance (cm)
20
20
Driving System
4×2
4×2
Note
¹ In some cases were accepted also patrol engines for medium trucks
With Regio Decreto (English: Royal Decree) N° 1809 of 14th July 1937, the so-called Autocarri Unificati (English: Unified Trucks) were born. For heavy trucks, the maximum weight should not exceed 12,000 kg, of which at least 6,000 kg had to be of payload, with a diesel engine with a minimum road speed of 45 km/h. The ALFA Romeo 800 and FIAT 666N were the first heavy trucks designed under the Regio Decreto N° 1809 rules.
The peculiar ALFA Romeo 800 RE, another heavy truck developed under Autocarri Unificati laws. Source: italie1935-45.com
Many Italian truckers were reluctant in purchasing the Autocarri Unificati, this was because in case of war these trucks would be requisitioned first. Despite their better features, Italian truckers preferred to continue buying older or less efficient vehicles that theoretically would not be requisitioned in case of war.
History of the Prototype
FIAT Veicoli Industriali started the development of a new heavy truck and of a new medium truck after the adoption of the decree on autocarri unificati.
FIAT’s plan was to substitute their earlier FIAT 632N, FIAT 633N, FIAT 634N, and FIAT 635N diesel heavy trucks.
FIAT 634N2 showing off its elegant style. Source: FIAT archives
The new heavy truck would become the FIAT 666N (‘N’ for Nafta – Diesel), while the medium one would become the FIAT 626N. Both the projects were cab-over-engine layout (the first for the FIAT) and followed the Regio Decreto N° 1809’s rules.
The FIAT 666N project was ready in late 1938 and the first prototype was produced between 1938 and early 1939.
This new truck was presented to the Italian Dictator Benito Mussolini and accompanying press on 15th May 1939. This was also the occasion of the opening of a new FIAT factory in Turin, the modern FIAT Mirafiori.
It was in this new plant where these new trucks would be produced. This factory building covered 300,000 m2 on an area of over one million m2, with a total of 22,000 workers on 2 shifts. All 50,000 FIAT workers of Turin were present for Mirafiori’s inauguration.
Despite a serious propaganda incident (Mussolini did not receive the reception he expected at Mirafiori), the Italian dictator visited the factory in which some military officers presented him the FIAT 626N, the FIAT 666N, and the Autoblinda AB40 prototypes.
Autocarro FIAT 666N prototype at the Centro Studi ed Esperienze della Motorizzazione. Source: italie1935-45.com
The military version, the FIAT 666NM (‘NM’ for Nafta Militare – Diesel; Military), was presented to the Centro Studi ed Esperienze della Motorizzazione (English: Vehicle Study and Experience Center), the Italian department which examined new vehicles in Rome, for evaluation on 19th September 1940.
It differed from the civilian version through the addition of acetylene headlights, a bulb horn, support for rifles on the cab’s roof, manually operated turn signals on the sides of the windscreen, and only the rear side of the cargo bay was openable.
It was accepted into service and the first Regio Esercito order for the new unified heavy truck was made on 10th January 1941.
An Autocarro FIAT 666N. The differences of the cabs can be seen. Source: italie1935-45.com
Production
FIAT 666N Ordered or Produced
Year
Regio Esercito
Regia Aeronautica
Wehrmacht
1941
2,500 ordered 1
796 ordered 2
//
1942
1,000 ordered 1
//
//
1943
700 ordered 1
//
//
1944 – 1945
//
//
78 brand new trucks produced for the Germans
Total Production until 1948
~ 8,000 3
Notes
1 No data about the delivery, so it is impossible to know how many were produced, the presence of new orders in 1942 and then in 1943 suggests that the previous orders had been completed. 2 Probably all delivered 3 Including civilian versions
In total, between late 1939 to 1948 a total of about 8,000 Autocarri FIAT 666N in all variants were produced by FIAT Mirafiori plant in Turin.
An unknown number of vehicles were sold around Europe after the war. Some FIAT brochures in French suggest the FIAT 666N were sold in the French market, while posters suggested the sale of FIAT 666N’s bus version in the United Kingdom. Many Autocarri FIAT 666N were also sold in Spain, probably in all civilian variants. The relatively small number produced would suggest that only a few hundreds were exported.
Design
Chassis
The chassis was composed of 2 stringers connected by side cross members. In the front, the bumper connected to the stringers, the engine and radiator were in the center, between the driver and passenger’s seats. The compressed air tank for the brakes and the battery box were fixed on the left side of the chassis, while the fuel tank and the muffler were placed on the right side.
Autocarro FIAT 666N chassis. On the left, the air tank and the batteries box are visible. On the right is the fuel tank. Source: Archivio FIAT
Engine and Suspension
Propulsion was provided by a FIAT Tipo 366 6-cylinder in-line diesel engine. It had overhead valves, with a displacement of 9,365 cm³ and FIAT-produced injectors. The maximum output power was 110 hp at 2,000 rpm on the civilian FIAT 666N, the FIAT 666NM for the Regia Aeronautica, and on the FIAT 665NM. The maximum output power on the Regio Esercito’s FIAT 666NM was limited to delivering 95 hp (70.84 Kw) at 1,700 rpm. The Ricardo type direct-injection chamber created lots of problems in the cold Russian steppes, which forced the crews to mix the diesel fuel with gasoline in order to allow the engine to start. In some cases, crews had to light fires near the vehicle’s cabs to heat the engine before igniting it.
FIAT Tipo 366 with cartridge filters (top right). Source: Archivio FIAT
The maximum speed on-road was 48.3 km/h (30 mph) for the power-limited FIAT 666NM, 56.8 km/h for the FIAT 666N and FIAT 666NM and 57 km/h for the FIAT 665 NM.
The fuel was kept in a 135 liter tank (255 liters for the FIAT 665NM) located on the right side of the chassis, which offered a 750 km on-road range (465 km for the FIAT 666N). A FIAT 6-75-2510 diaphragm pump then pumped the fuel into a 5.5-liter tank located behind the cab’s dashboard. This ensured trouble-free feeding thanks to a gravity injection pump. In case of breaking of the main fuel pump or of the main tank itself. This system ensured, in case of pump failure or puncture of the main tank, a limited range until reaching a workshop that could repair the damage.
FIAT Tipo 366 with oil bath filters (top right). Source: Archivio FIAT
The water-cooling tank had a capacity of 50 liters. Air was drawn through 2 filters mounted at the back of the engine. Up until engine number 000530, they used cartridge filters, after which they were replaced with oil bath filters. As on the FIAT 626 medium truck, the engine could be extracted through the cab’s front after the removal of the grille thanks to rollers mounted on the 2 supports of the engine, rolling on guides fixed to the frame.
The lubricant oil for the engine was 20 liters (about 16 kg), 1.5 liters (1.2 kg) for the oil bath filters, and about 30 liters of oil (21 kg) in the gearbox and transmission. The brake fluid was 3 liters (2.9 kg).
Brakes and Electric Systems
The single dry plate clutch was connected to the gearbox via a drive shaft. This could be removed independently of the gearbox and engine simply by removing the rear casing. This meant that maintenance and disassembly were easier.
The transmission, thanks to the reducer, had eight forward gears and two reverse gears.
The drum brakes were hydraulic and had a pedal-operated air-brake booster.
The compressed air tank, with a capacity of 55 liters, was located on the left of the frame. It had a pressure of 5.5 bar (550 kPa). On the NM version, the rear axle was equipped with a differential.
The battery box of the FIAT 666NM. Also visible are the air tank on the left and the fuel tank on the other side. Source: Archivio FIAT
There was a 12 Volt electrical circuit used to power the headlights and dashboard, and a FIAT 10 hp/24 Volt circuit for starting the engine. The batteries were 2 Magneti Marelli 6MF21 12V housed in a box on the left side of the chassis, behind the air tank.
Structure and Bodywork
The cargo bay measured 4.75 m long by 2.20 m wide. The height of the cargo bay was 600 mm on the civilian version and 650 mm on the military version for a total cargo volume of 6.27 m3 and 6.79 m3 respectively. It was homologated to carry up to 6 tonnes of cargo, but could carry, without much difficulty, a 6.84 tonnes Carro Armato L6/40 light reconnaissance tank.
The cab had the steering wheel and the driver on the right, while the vehicle’s commander was placed on the left. The cab’s doors opened backwards. FIAT was one of the only Italian truck companies that produced bodywork for its vehicles instead of having them coach-built. This allowed FIAT to increase the speed of its production as well as reducing the overall cost of the truck.
Despite this, some FIAT 666N were provided with custom coach-built bodies by various private companies upon special request from the customer.
Autocarro FIAT 666N with a coach-built custom body by Officine Viberti of Turin with metal sheet cargo bay. Source: Archivio Pasquale CaccavaleAutocarro FIAT 666N of the Dezzani wine company of Ivrea, Italy. The cab had its characteristic square cab-sign with white triangle painted inside. Source: facebook.com @Dazzani Vini
Due to the slow production rates, some early FIAT 666NMs were equipped with civilian FIAT 666N cabs. These differed from the military ones for the presence of a road sign on the cab’s roof. The black square with a yellow or white triangle painted inside meant the truck could tow a trailer and warned drivers in its vicinity to be careful. If the rectangle was upright, the truck was towing a trailer. If it was horizontal, the trailer was not present. The triangle was only required by law on civilian vehicles. Another detail not present in the military cabs were the electric arrow keys that were manual on the military version.
Autocarro FIAT 666NM with civilian cab and military cargo bay. Source: italie1935-45.comAutocarro FIAT 666NM for the Regia Aeronautica. Source: italie1935-45.com
In spite of its respectable dimensions and its large load capacity, the FIAT 666 heavy-duty truck chassis weighed only 1 tonne.
The bodywork and cargo bay increased the weight by 5 tonnes for a total weight of 6 tonnes in the FIAT 666NM variant.
The FIAT 666N, FIAT 666NM Regia Aeronautica, and FIAT 665NM could travel at a maximum empty speed of 56 km/h, while the FIAT 666NM Regio Esercito had a maximum speed of 48 km/h. Fully loaded, it could climb a 20º or 28° slope while empty or fully-laden, respectively.
Thanks to its short wheelbase and cab layout, it was comfortable traveling on mountain roads. The FIAT 666NM had a wheel rim size of 20 x 8” (50.8 x 20.32 cm). Like the other vehicles, it could use a wide variety of tires developed and produced by the Pirelli company in Milan.
It was considered a short range heavy duty truck. In fact, the companies that coach-built bodywork on the chassis never used long cabs with berths inside (apart from some of Officine Viberti’s private work). The only FIAT vehicle with berths was the FIAT 634N, the first truck in Europe with the possibility to be equipped with 2 or 3 berths. As an example, the second company to provide a berth in the cabin was Renault with its 3-axle Renault AFKD, with a load capacity of 10 tonnes, which entered service only in 1936. The third was Lancia with the Lancia 3Ro in 1938 that could have 1 or 2 berths.
Special Variants
The Autocarro FIAT 666NM was produced in a wide range of special bodyworks for the Regio Esercito.
Autocarro FIAT 665NM
One of the most notable versions of the FIAT 666N was the 4-wheel drive Autocarro FIAT 665NM that had the majority of parts in common with the FIAT 666NM truck.They were deployed as heavy duty cargo trucks with larger tires and 4-wheel drive that could reach any unit for resupply even in muddy roads and on rough terrains even with an empty weight of 7.2 tonnes.
Autocarro FIAT 665NM four-wheel drive heavy duty truck. Source: Archivio FIAT
Thanks to its excellent off-road mobility, it was introduced in 1942 as a cargo truck and about 100 were eventually converted into APCs by applying armored plates to them. The FIAT 665NM Protetto was a standard 4×4 heavy truck on which armored plates with a thickness between 4.5 mm to 7.5 mm were added on the existing cargo truck bodywork. Another vehicle called FIAT 665NM Blindato con Riparo Ruote was designed but never produced. It had a new armored superstructure that would transform the vehicle into a well designed armored personnel carrier.
The FIAT 665NM Protetto (top) and FIAT 665NM Protetto con Riparo Ruote (bottom). Sources: tumblr.com and Gli Autoveicoli da Combattimento dell’Esercito Italiano
Autocisterna and Autobotti
The Officine Viberti (English: Viberti’s Workshops), one of the coach-building companies specialized in custom-built bodywork for trucks, produced a FIAT 666N fuel carrier variant for the Italian Regia Aeronautica, the Autocisterna FIAT 666N Modello Regia Aeronautica 4 (English: Fuel Carrier [on] FIAT 666N Model [for the] Royal Air Force [type/version/model] 4). This vehicle was equipped with a 7,710 liter fuel tank and could tow a 10,995 liter tank on trailer for a total of 18,705 liters of fuel transported to refuel planes. There were 2 Società Anonima Industriale di Verona or SAIV (English: Industrial Anonymous Company of Verona) pumps delivering 100 liters of fuel per minute.
Autocisterna FIAT 666N with Viberti-SAIV fuel tank and trailer for the Regia Aeronautica. Source: Officine Viberti
From photographic evidence, it seems that standard Regio Esercito fuel carriers with a capacity of 5,000 liters were not produced on the FIAT 666NM chassis. After the war, some civilian FIAT 666N were equipped with fuel or water tanks (in Italian nomenclature, a water carrier is ‘Autobotte’). The majority were Viberti-SAIV tanks, but some were equipped with other companies’ special bodyworks.
Autofficine
For the Regio Esercito’s needs, some FIAT 666NM were equipped with special bodywork, such as Officine Volanti (English: Flying Workshops). These mobile workshops were composed of 4 Autocarri FIAT 666NM 2 in van configuration that transported machinery tools while other 2 standard cargo trucks transported the spare parts.
It seems that the only unit produced, under the control of FIAT mechanics, was sent to the Soviet Union as a FIAT private project to support Italian soldiers on the frontline. It was deployed in Stalino (today known as Donetsk, Ukraine) in the abandoned Putilov Plant and supported the Autofficine Pesanti Modello 1938 (English: Heavy Mobile Workshops Model 1938) of some Italian infantry divisions.
Some Autocarri FIAT 666N in mobile workshop versions were also deployed by the Regia Aeronautica and Regio Esercito in Officina Mobile Modello 1938 configuration. The mobile workshop was composed of 2 trucks, one for spare parts and another one for machinery tools. The exact number of workshop bodied FIAT 666N is unknown, even if it could be supposed that only a small number were converted due the absence of photographic evidence.
The Officina Volante that will be sent to the Soviet Union. In the picture it was probably fully opened at the FIAT Mirafiori for the journalist of the Sapere magazine who wrote an article on this mobile workshop. Source Sapere
Other Variants
In 1942, the Società Anonima Bergomi of Milan proposed a special tow truck version of the Autocarro FIAT 666N with a winch on the rear to tow even other heavy trucks. The Regio Esercito was not interested in the project because the unit usually towed broken down trucks with other trucks.
A special version which remained a prototype was the Autocarro FIAT 666NM Radio, equipped with an A310 radio apparatus, and developed by Officine Viberti. This powerful radio apparatus had a range, with special radio antennas, of 200 to 300 km. To avoid air recognition, the soft-skinned cargo bay could be covered by a second tarpaulin to make it seem like a standard cargo truck. Due to unspecified uninspired performances during trials, the project was abandoned.
Autocarro FIAT 666NM Stazione Radio. Source Officine Viberti
Due to problems encountered with the injection of the engine at low temperatures, FIAT proposed a patrol version of the FIAT 666NM, the Autocarro FIAT 666BM (BM for Benzina Militare – Patrol Military). It was approved only in June 1943, when the Soviet front was lost and the petrol version of the truck was no longer a necessity. It was never adopted due the Armistice of 8th September later that year that canceled production.
The vehicle was also produced in some bus variants even after the war.
After the war, a new variant of the vehicle was produced, the Autocarro FIAT 666N7, with a major modification, direct injection engine. The vehicle was produced until 1948, when it was substituted on the production lines by the Autocarro FIAT 680N.
Autocarri FIAT 666N7 of the Polizia di Stato in 1950. Source: italie1935-45.com
Trailers
The Autocarri FIAT 666N and 666NM had a towing capacity permitted by law of 12 tonnes (cargo + trailer) for a total weight of the fully loaded truck and fully loaded trailer of 24 tonnes. During the war, the FIAT 666NM was found capable of loading on the cargo bay a battle ready Carro Armato L6/40 light truck without problems.
It was a similar story in terms of towing. With special towing tank trailers, it could tow Carri Armati M13/40, M14/41, and M15/42 and the semoventi on their chassis that ranged between 13 to 16 tonnes without over-stressing the engine.
FIAT 666N with a medium trailer with the Giovanni Ambrozich transport group. Source: pinterest.com
Brief Operational Service
The first Autocarri FIAT 666N were ready in early 1940, but the majority of them were requisitioned by the Regio Esercito for military needs and immediately redeployed to frontline units. Some civilian trucks were seen during the Italian invasion of France. In fact, in June 1940, the FIAT 666NM was not yet in production, so civilian trucks were needed.
An Autocarro FIAT 666N destroyed by French artillery during the Italian invasion of France in June 1940. It is clearly visible that it was a civilian truck requisition by the Regio Esercito as identified by the absence of the acetylene headlight, the rectangle sign over the cab, and the electric arrow keys (small rectangle behind the cab door). Source: italie1935-45.com
Each Italian division had some heavy-duty trucks to tow the artillery pieces or the tanks of the division. The exact number of heavy-duty trucks changed for each division type. An armored division had a theoretical number of 246 heavy-duty trucks, which was increased to 258 in June 1942. In 1942, an Italian motorized division had in service a theoretical number of 861 trucks (light, medium, and heavy), prime movers, and staff cars. The 101ª Divisione Motorizzata ‘Trieste’ (English: 101st Motorized Division) had 61 heavy duty trucks of all variants during the same year. An infantry division in North Africa had a theoretical organic strength of 127 heavy trucks, 28 SPA Dovunque medium trucks, and 72 FIAT-SPA TL37 light prime movers.
An Autocarro FIAT 666N requisitioned by the Regio Esercito in Oligopol, Romania, in Summer 1941. Source: Archivio Centrale dello Stato
Many Autocarri FIAT 666NM were assigned to Italian infantry and mechanized divisions of the Corpo di Spedizione Italiano in Russia (English: Italian Expeditionary Corps in Russia) that was then renamed ARMata Italiana in Russia or ARMIR (English: Italian Army in Russia).
An Autocarro FIAT 666NM being loaded with a Carro Armato L6/40 at the Pinerolo training school. Source: Cavalleria Italiana
During the Great Soviet Offensive on the Don, many Italian trucks were captured by the Soviets that redeployed only some sturdy Axis vehicles that did not have problems in ignition at low temperatures. From Italian veterans reports, it is known that the Soviet preferred to destroy the Autocarri FIAT 666N when they ambushed the Axis troops on retreat because the low-temperature ignition problems meant that it was considered problematic by the Soviets.
An Autocarro FIAT 666NM advancing on the Via Balbia in North Africa followed by German Krupp Protzes and trucks. An Italian flag was attached on the left side of the cab and a giant Italian flag was painted on the roof for aerial recognition. Source: Collezione Yves Casagrande
In North Africa, the FIAT 666N was deployed in all logistic roles, from artillery tractor to tank transporter. The British managed to capture some vehicles, but it seems that their judgment was not positive and only a few were reused. Their objections were probably down to the cartridge filters that failed with the desert dust. The problem was solved shortly after by adopting bath oil filters for the engine.
A FIAT 666 and a FIAT 500A ‘Topolino’ captured and reused by the Australian pilots of the British Royal Air Force. Source: facebook.com @Dario Caraglio
In 1942, the Italian Regia Marina (English: Royal Navy) developed its own Autoprotetto FIAT 666NM per la Regia Marina (English: Armored FIAT 666NM for the Royal Navy). Its main task was to patrol Italian military harbors and docks and to patrol coastal areas to prevent Allied paratrooper landings. A single prototype was built, but the project was abandoned due to the minimal protection to the soldiers transported on board.
Autoprotetto FIAT 666NM per la Regia Marina’s armor layout. The only drawing of the vehicle which survives until this day. Source: Gli Autoveicoli da Combattimento dell’Esercito ItalianoA FIAT 666NM followed by a FIAT 634N fuel carrier in North Africa. Source: pinterest.com
After the Armistice of 8th September 1943, the German forces captured dozens of Autocarri FIAT 666NM and redeployed them on any front of the war, together with 79 brand new vehicles produced under German control.
Some were also deployed by the new Italian puppet state, the Repubblica Sociale Italiana or RSI. The RSI forces were equipped with a few dozen FIAT 666NM. Among them was the 630ª Compagnia Ordine Pubblico (English: 630th Public Order Company) of Piacenza, that, due the absence of armored vehicles, modified a civilian Autocarro FIAT 666N with armored plates and an heavy machine gun, creating the FIAT 666N Blindato.
The Germans, on other hand, deployed some FIAT 666NM as self-propelled anti-aircraft guns loading 2 cm Flakvierling 38 quadmount anti-aircraft automatic cannons on the cargo bays of a few FIAT 666NM.
A 2 cm Flakvierling 38 quadmount anti-aircraft automatic cannon on a FIAT 666NM deployed by German forces. Source: e-shopA German soldier poses with a FIAT 666N of the Wehrmacht after the Armistice of 8th September. The vehicle has a German number plate. Source: e-shop
In Italy, after the war, the Azienda Recupero Alienazione Residuati or ARAR (English: Company of Recovery and Alienation Survey) society was entrusted by the Italian Government of National Unity with the task of reconditioning and selling military vehicles confiscated from the enemy or abandoned by the Allied armies on Italian territory after the Second World War. Private owners, companies, the Italian Army, and the Italian police had the possibility of buying hundreds of those vehicles after 1945. Many other vehicles were also acquired, such as US GMC 353 and Dodge T-110 trucks, German Opel Blitz, British CMPs, and the ubiquitous FIAT and Lancia trucks.
After the war, FIAT also proposed a new versions, the FIAT 666N7 direct ignition cargo truck and with Viberti-SAIV presented new fuel carriers for the civilian market.
A FIAT 666N7 with Officine Viberti’s cab with Viberti-SAIV fuel tank and 14 tonne payload trailer after the war. It was deployed to refuel the Casale Monferrato area, in Piedmont by Bertola Vincenzo Autotrasporti company. Source: e-shop
Conclusion
The Autocarro FIAT 666N and its military version, the FIAT 666NM, were both reliable vehicles and innovative in Italy for their cab-over-engine configuration.
Even if their service in cold winter temperatures was judged to be poor due to ignition issues, the overall service could be considered positive, with some trucks sold in France, the United Kingdom, and Spain after the war. It was one of the three most widely produced and deployed Italian heavy trucks during Second World War, along with the Lancia 3Ro and FIAT 634N.
Autocarro FIAT 666NM for the Regia Aeronautica. Illustrations by the illustrious Godzilla funded by our Patreon Campaign.Autocisterna FIAT 666N with Viberti-SAIV fuel tank. Illustrations by the illustrious Godzilla funded by our Patreon Campaign.Autocarro FIAT 666NM loaded with a Carro Armato L6/40. Illustrations by the illustrious Godzilla funded by our Patreon Campaign.
Autocarro FIAT 666NM Specification
Size (L-W-H)
7.095 x 2.250 x 2.850 m
Empty weight
6,000 kg
Payload capacity
6,000 kg
Crew
2 (driver and commander)
Engine
FIAT Tipo 366, 9,365 cm3 6-cylinder diesel, 95 hp at 1,700 rpm
Speed on road
48,3 km/h
Range
465 km on-road, 350 km off-road
Production
about 8,000 trucks in all the variants
Sources
Gli Autoveicoli Tattici e Logistici del Regio Esercito Italiano fino al 1943, Tomo 1 – Nicola Pignato e Filippo Cappellano – Ufficio Storico Stato Maggiore dell’Esercito – 2005
Italie1935-45.com
Gli Autoveicoli Tattici e Logistici del Regio Esercito Italiano fino al 1943, Tomo 2 – Nicola Pignato e Filippo Cappellano – Ufficio Storico Stato Maggiore dell’Esercito – 2005
Ruote in Divisa, I veicoli Militari Italiani 1900-1987 – Brizio Pignacca – Giorgio Nada Editore, 1989
Italian Tanks and Combat Vehicles of World War II – Ralph A. Riccio – Mattioli 1885 – 2010
Semicingolati, Motoveicoli e Veicoli Speciali del Regio Esercito Italiano 1919-1943 – Giulio Benussi – Intergest Publishing – 1976
Lancia 3Ro Serie 564 in standard desert camouflage.
Kingdom of Italy/Italian Social Republic/Italian Republic (1938-1948)
Heavy Duty Truck – 12,692 Built In All Versions
The Lancia 3Ro was an Italian heavy duty truck produced by Lancia Veicoli Industriali (English: Lancia Industrial Vehicles) for the civilian market and for military service.
Its production began in 1938 in many civilian and military variants, becoming one of the most used trucks of the Italian Regio Esercito (English: Royal Army) during the Second World War.
After the war, production restarted and some upgraded variants ran out the factories until 1948, 20 years after it first appeared on the market, when it was substituted by more modern trucks in the production lines. It remained in Lancia’s sales brochure until 1950.
Lancia 3Ro Serie 564 in heavy duty truck standard configuration towing a M13/40 medium tank. In the photo, it has just passed underneath the Arch of the Philaeni (Arco dei Fileni in Italian) Tripolitania in Libya, which was built by order of Italo Balbo. Winter 1942. This monument was destroyed on the orders of Muammar Gaddafi in 1973. Source: Archivio Centrale dello Stato
History of the Lancia Company
Vincenzo Lancia was an Italian car racer and businessman who founded the Lancia & Company car factory in 1906 in Turin with his business partner Claudio Foglin.
After some years of producing small quantities of racing and luxury cars that enhanced the brand’s reputation in Italy and Europe, World War I stopped the dreams of the founders. During World War I, Lancia’s only production plant was totally converted to the production of military vehicles at orders of the Italian Government.
After the war, Vincenzo Lancia felt the need to develop his own range of trucks in order to respond to changes in the Italian civilian and military market and also in the European civilian market.
In fact, many European car companies were physically destroyed during the war. Many others that had been converted between 1915 and 1918 from civilian to military production, may have survived, but were out of funds and forced to declare bankruptcy. Many did not have enough funds to convert the production lines from military to civilian production and were forced to declare bankruptcy. In this context, US companies, such as Ford, were doing big deals selling US-designed and built cars and trucks in Europe.
In 1921, Lancia Veicoli Industriali restarted civilian production of trucks in parallel with Lancia & Company, which restarted production of racing and luxury cars. The new post-war truck models were the Trijota and Tetrajota, 585 of which were produced until 1923 and 1924 respectively, and which were appreciated by Italian and European truckers. The Trijota was also deployed by the British Army in an armored car version. In fact, the vehicle was one of the most exported vehicles of Europe in that period, with a few hundreds sold in France and Great Britain.
The most important truck produced in that period was the heavy duty truck Pentajota (factory code Serie 254), 2,191 of which were produced from 1924 to 1933. It was really appreciated, with some hundreds bought by British companies. It became so popular on the European market due its payload capacity of over 6 tonnes, which only some much more expensive American trucks could match.
Lancia Eptajota medium truck used by the Rome Public Bus Company after 1935. It was previously a bus purchased in 1927 and retired in 1935 to be converted into a standard truck. Source: wikipedia.org
Another important model produced in the Interwar period was the Eptajota (factory code Serie 254), of which 1,827 were produced from 1927 to 1935. This vehicle was one of the first Lancia trucks that received special bodyworks, such as water or fuel carrier, ice transporter, milk delivery, and garbage truck.
The last chassis produced before the ‘Ro’ series was the Omicron (factory code Serie 256), produced as heavy-duty trucks and buses. It was 9 to 10 m long in the bus version, while the truck ones, also produced with three-axles, were even longer, at 12 m.
Lancia Omicron heavy truck in standard two-axle cargo truck. Source: auto-moto-epoca.blogspot.com
The Lancia Omicron was equipped with the Lancia Tipo 77 petrol engine with a displacement of 7,060 cm³, offering 91.5 hp at 1,600 rpm. Its maximum payload was 7.95 tonnes in the two-axles version. It was a reliable truck used by some Middle Eastern companies in the bus version on the road between Beirut (Lebanon) and Baghdad (Iraq). They were so reliable that they were retired after completing over 2 million km each.
The Omicron’s only flaw was the high petrol consumption, which led Vincenzo Lancia to decide to switch to better-performing diesel engines. The diesel engine was invented by Rudolf Diesel and first patented in 1892, but was little known. The first use of a diesel engine did not come until 1903, finding use as a ship engine. The first diesel engine for aircraft was created in 1914 but it was only in February 1936 that the first wheeled vehicle powered by a diesel engine appeared, the Mercedes Benz 260D car.
The research of reliable diesel engines was a feature shared by almost all car and truck manufacturers in the 1930s in Italy, but also in other parts of Europe. All European car companies looking for diesel engines went to Germany, where many German companies were already producing excellent high-performance diesel engines.
Almost every European car company had contracts with Mercedes-Benz, Maschinenfabrik Augsburg-Nürnberg (MAN), and Büssing AG. However, Vincenzo Lancia was not satisfied with the engines of the big German manufacturers. All the Italian companies (except FIAT) bought blueprints for German diesel engines, with some companies buying blueprints for entire trucks, such as ALFA Romeo and Officine Meccaniche (OM).
At the beginning of the 1930s, Vincenzo Lancia signed a contract with Junkers, considered by the Italian businessman to be more advanced in the production of diesel engines.
Previous Models of the ‘Ro’ Series
After the reliable Junkers engines were chosen, Lancia needed new trucks to install them into. The first project had a license-built Junkers 2-cylinder engine produced as the Lancia Tipo 89. It had a 3,181 cm³ displacement and gave a maximum power of 64 hp at 1,500 rpm.
It powered the newly designed Lancia Ro (factory code Serie 264) heavy-duty truck, first presented at the Milan Motor Show in 1932. It was a totally new vehicle with more modern shapes that distinguished it from the Lancia trucks of the 1920s.
The Lancia Ro, an early production model with coachwork by Officine Viberti and towing an Officine Viberti medium trailer. Source: Camion Lancia
A total of 5,196 trucks were produced between 1933 and 1939 in five different series, two civilian and three military ones. It had a weight of 5.40 tonnes and a payload capability of 6.35 tonnes in the standard civilian version, while the military one had a weight of 5.30 tonnes and a payload capability of 6.45 tonnes. Its maximum speed was 35 km/h. The coachwork was primarily the work of Officine Viberti of Turin.
However, the Lancia Ro had power problems. In order to cope with the requests of increased maximum payload, a new Junkers-licensed engine mounted on a new vehicle was introduced in 1935.
The engine was the Junker 3-cylinder 6 opposed pistons version with a displacement of 4,771 cm³. It produced 95 hp at 1,500 rpm (produced under license as Lancia Tipo 90). The vehicle on which it was mounted was the new Lancia Ro-Ro (factory code Serie 265) heavy-duty truck.
This new vehicle was a failure because the Italian Royal Army was not interested in buying it, so, after a total production of only 301 vehicles for the civilian market, the construction was terminated. Lancia Veicoli Industriali wanted a common vehicle to produce simultaneously in military and civil versions to save up money and have that maximum percentage of common parts.
A Lancia Ro-Ro with an Officine Viberti short cab. This particular vehicle was produced without the frontal bumper, probably for service in the colonies. Source: Camion Lancia
This was an unfortunate destiny for a truck that had a weight of 6.9 tonnes but a payload capability of 8.9 tonnes. During the Second World War, no other Italian truck had such a load capacity.
The Lancia 3Ro
Vincenzo Lancia, not satisfied by the license-built engines, decided to develop his own four-stroke five-cylinder diesel engine in order to decrease the production costs, as the Junkers engines were expensive, and to become more independent from foreign developments. In the mid-to-late 1930s, the Junkers engines that Lancia produced under license were not powerful enough to compete with the new trucks of other companies, which made the ‘Ro’ truck series become less competitive.
The new engine, dubbed Lancia Tipo 102, was mounted on the new Lancia 3Ro (factory code Serie 464) heavy-duty truck. The prototype was presented at the 10th Milan Motor Show on 28th October 1937. The new truck was bodied by Officine Viberti of Turin, now a leader in the sector and a valuable partner of Lancia. The prototype had an innovative drop-shaped radiator grille, inspired by that of the Lancia Augusta sports car. However, this would not be used on the first vehicle series.
The Lancia 3Ro prototype at the 10th Milan Motor Show. It had a modern bodywork and a Viberti trailer. Source: Archivio Lancia
Production began in late 1937, while sales of the new vehicle began in 1938. It replaced the Lancia Ro and Lancia Ro-Ro on the production lines. Initially, two models were offered by Lancia in 1938. A civilian one with factory code Serie 464 and a military one, Serie 564. These codes were rarely used even if some sources, for the sake of clarity, define the models as ‘Lancia 3Ro 464’ and ‘Lancia 3Ro 564’.
A Lancia 3Ro poster. On the bottom, the writing says ‘Lancia & Company Automobiles Factory of Turin, S.A. Corporation’. Source: Archivio Lancia
The first version of the civilian model retained a fairly rustic bodywork in order to keep the cost low, speed up production, and make it competitive on the Italian civilian market.
Name
From 1906 to 1919, Lancia & Co. vehicles received very simple names, consisting of the horsepower delivered by the engine (Lancia 12HP, etcetera).
In 1919, Vincenzo Lancia’s brother, Giovanni, a scholar of classical languages, suggested to his brother to use the ancient Greek alphabet for the names of his cars. They first appeared during that year: the Lancia Lambda was the first, and then the previous models were renamed Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and so on. The Lambda made its debut at the Paris and London Motor Show in 1922.
Brochure for a Lancia Lambda of the 8th Series. Source: minumy.net
In the same period, the prefixes ‘Di’ and ‘Tri’ began to be adopted to represent evolutions or simply similar vehicles. The last Lancia car to adopt the Greek letters was the Dilambda, the prototype of which was presented at the 1929 New York Motor Show.
Truck names likewise received the same name treatment. The ‘Jota’ series had several variants: Dijota, Trijota, Tetrajota, Eptajota, etc. Between 1929 and 1930, Vincenzo Lancia decided to switch to the Latin language, using old place names to baptize his cars: the Lancia Augusta, Aprilia, and Ardea were the most popular. In 1931, some of these cars received ‘ad hoc’ French names when Lancia tried to sell them on the French civil market, with mixed success.
For the trucks, strangely enough, the Italian businessman preferred to maintain the Greek alphabet with the new series of trucks, the ‘Ro’ ones. ‘ϱ’ was the 17th letter of the Greek alphabet. However, strangely enough, Lancia decided to use different nomenclature for these trucks, naming the second Ro-Ro instead of ‘Diro’, and the third one 3Ro and not ‘Triro’.
Design
Chassis
The steel frame consisted of two straight spars connected by five welded and two bolted cross sections. The two bolted ones supported the engine. At the ends of each spar was a towing hook, while the rear cross-section received the hinged hook to tow trailers or artillery pieces.
Some military trucks were equipped with a winch with a capacity of 9.5 tonnes, with a 31.5 m long cable. This hydraulic winch was operated by the truck’s engine thanks to a Power Take-Off (P.T.O.) system. When necessary, the driver stopped the vehicle, would shift out of gear on the gearbox, engage the handbrake, and, via a manual override, connected the engine’s flywheel to a second driveshaft that operated the winch’s gearbox, which regulated the speed of the cable.
The Lancia 3Ro NMSP chassis. The 135 liters tank is behind the cab. Only the five welded cross sections are visible. On the last one, the hinged hook (number 1) is visible and the two towing hooks on the sides. The transmission shaft, leaf-spring suspensions and brake pulleys are also visible. Source: Manuale di Uso e Manutenzione Lancia 3 RoThe Lancia 3Ro chassis seen from above. Source: Aldo Mario Feller
The 4.8 m long, 2.3 m wide, and 0.65 m tall loading bay was built out of wood, with 2.5 cm thick planks, for an area of 10.34 m² and an internal volume of 6.72 m³. The civilian Lancia 3Ro, weighing 5.5 tonnes, was approved by law to carry 6.5 tonnes of cargo, for a total weight of truck and cargo of 12 tonnes. However, the maximum transportable cargo came to almost 10 tonnes. The military version, with an empty weight of 5.61 tonnes and a payload capability approved by law of 6.39 tonnes, could carry 32 fully equipped soldiers on two side benches or almost 42 sitting on the floor. Other possible loads were military vehicles, such as the series L3/33, L3/35, or L3/38 fast tank (~ 3.2 tonnes), L6/40 light reconnaissance tank (6.84 tonnes), a Semovente L40 da 47/32 (6.82 tonnes) self-propelled gun, or even 7 horses.
A Lancia 3Ro Serie 564 during the loading operation of a Semovente L40 da 47/32 in Tunisia. With a length of 3.82 meters and a width of 1.92 meters, the L40 fit perfectly in the 3Ro’s cargo bay. Source: pinterest.comAn L3 tank climbing the ramps to be loaded on a Lancia 3Ro, probably in the Balkans. Source: pinterest.com
Engine and Suspension
The Lancia 3Ro stood out with its new diesel engine, designed and produced by the Turin company. The Lancia Tipo 102 diesel, 4-stroke, direct ignition, 4 valve, 5-cylinder in-line water-cooled engine, with a capacity of 6,875 cm³, delivered 93 hp at 1,860 rpm, leading to a maximum speed on road of 45 km/h. It had a 135 liters tank behind the cab. The fuel tank was connected to a license-built Bosch pump that injected the fuel in the chamber thanks to license-built Bosch injectors. The lubricant oil tank had a capacity of 10.5 liters.
The left side of the Lancia Tipo 102 5-cylinder in-line diesel engine. Source: Archivio LanciaThe right side of the Lancia Tipo 102 5-cylinder in-line diesel engine. Source: Archivio Lancia
It had a range of 530 km on-road, with an approximate consumption of 1 liter of fuel each 3.9 km on-road. The off-road range was 450 km, with an approximate consumption of 1 liter of fuel every 3.3 km.
The fuel tank cap, curiously placed on the right side of the upholstered bench. Source: facebook.com @Autocarro Lancia 3RO – Scala 1/35
Initially, the engine had an inertial starter connected to a crank. Some vehicles produced during the war and almost all the post-war Lancia 3Ros were equipped with electric starters. On some Lancia 3Ro produced before 1946, the inertial starter was substituted by electric ones later on.
Semi-elliptical steel leaf springs were used on all four wheels. A trick Soviet soldiers used to stop Axis vehicles during the great Russian retreat was to dig holes in the roads. With temperatures below -30° degrees, the leaf spring suspensions of the trucks would break when they hit such a hole, stopping the vehicle in place. The Lancia 3Ro and a few other models of Axis vehicles did not have this problem, probably due to the quality of the steel with which they were manufactured.
The engine compartment on a Lancia 3Ro Serie 564. The original Lancia Tipo 102, in excellent condition, is clearly visible. Source: facebook.com @Autocarro Lancia 3RO – Scala 1/35
The rear-wheel drive was connected to a gearbox with 4 forward and 1 reverse gears and two-stage reductor, for a total of 8 forward and 2 reverse speeds. It had a single dry plate clutch, as on the Lancia Ro and Ro-Ro. It was built under license after a German Maybach model and was located behind the cab for ease of maintenance.
The Lancia 3Ro had expansion shoe-type brakes. The brakes were composed of tie rods that acted on the brake shoes and moved two servo conical pulleys. These used force from the transmission when the brake pedal was pressed. This meant that, in the event of a brake system failure whether the vehicle was moving or stationary, the brakes would be locked in place by the brake shoes. This system would be abandoned in favor of a hydraulic system after the war.
The brake system of the trailer was pneumatic, powered by a compressor connected to an air tank of the ‘Triplex’ type mounted on the truck. After the war, the 3Ro received new arrangements for towing 12 tonnes instead of the 10 tonnes authorized for the civilian variant. This increased the maximum weight of the loaded truck and the loaded trailer to 24 tonnes. On the military model, it was not uncommon to see vehicles carrying material for a total of almost 10 tonnes in the loading bay.
Thanks to the power of the engine, fully loaded trailers could be towed by fully loaded Lancia 3Ros even on steep roads, where other heavy-duty trucks, such as the FIAT 634N, were forced to stop. The pulley brake system worked very well on downhill slopes, braking the enormous mass of the fully loaded truck and trailers.
One of the Lancia 3Ro’s problems was the rear axle, which was composed of two load-bearing axle shafts. This meant that, in case the axle shafts broke, the Lancia would get stuck and it was very difficult to move it. Fortunately, this problem was rarely encountered and, after the war, this was replaced with a better-performing system. Civilian models produced with this axle were sometimes modified independently by the owners, replacing the axle shafts with stronger ones from other heavy trucks, such as FIAT 666Ns or Isotta Fraschini D80s.
The electrical system was a 6 volt one in the first 1,611 Lancia 3Ro Serie 564 vehicles produced, then replaced by a 12 volt system in the following models. It was linked to the Magneti Marelli D90R3 12/1100 dynamo produced by Magneti Marelli of Sesto San Giovanni. This was used to power the two front lights, the license plate and dashboard lighting, the windscreen wipers, and the horn. On the Serie 464, the 12 volt system was mounted from the start.
Prototype of the Lancia 3Ro NMSP Serie 564 at the Centro Studi della Motorizzazione. It had Pirelli Tipo ‘Celerflex’ solid tires. Source: italie1935-45.com
Artillery-type forged steel rim wheels could mount various types of tires produced by the Pirelli company of Milan or the French Michelin company. These were 270 x 20” tires on the 564 MNP and Pirelli Tipo ‘Celerflex’ solid tires with a 285×88” diameter on the 564 MNSP.
For sandy soils, the Lancia could use Pirelli Tipo ‘Sigillo Verde’ tires. These, thanks to their wide profile, offered good flotation on loose sand.
The vehicle was also tested with rubberless tires before the war. This is because of the lack of rubber due to embargoes placed on Fascist Italy after the Ethiopian War. During its operational life, the Lancia 3Ro was often equipped with Pirelli Tipo ‘Raiflex’ tires for sandy grounds and produced with Rayon (Raion in Italian) synthetic fibers (RAI-flex for Raion) in order to save on rubber.
Bodywork
The main bodyworker for Lancia Veicoli Industriali trucks was Officine Viberti of Corso Peschiera 249 in Turin. This partnership began with the Lancia Ro model. This Turinese company was less than 800 m from the Lancia plant in the Borgo San Paolo district in Via Monginevro 99. It was easy for Lancia to deliver the truck frames to Viberti, which bodyworked them. Officine Viberti thus became the unofficial Lancia coachworker.
The brand of the Officine Viberti factory. This brand is visible on the sides of the Viberti civilian cab. Source: Officine Viberti
Officine Viberti was founded by Candido Viberti in 1922; he had previously been employed by another company. After a collaboration with the Ceirano car company, in 1928, he moved his company to the Borgo San Paolo district. In that period, the company abandoned car bodyworks and began to bodywork trucks for ‘special’ use (coaches, buses, trailers, and semi-trailers).
In 1932, Candido Viberti bought the Società Anonima Industriale di Verona or SAIV (English: Industrial Limited Company of Verona) and started the production of fuel or liquid carriers in parallel. In the same period, Viberti became a valuable partner of Lancia Veicoli Industriali, for which it bodywork the majority of the civilian trucks and all the military ones.
Also thanks to this collaboration, Officine Viberti grew. From just 150 workers in 1928, the firm reached 800 workers in 1935, and then 1,517 workers and 263 employees in 1943. This was also partly due to the continuous requests from the Royal Italian Army not only for truck bodywork but also for trailers, semi-trailers, etcetera.
The Officine Viberti plant in Corso Peschiera 249, Turin, in the 1950s. Now this building is a residential house block. Source: museotorino.it
Officine Viberti equipped the civilian 3Ro trucks with wooden cargo bays covered with thin metal sheets, but some customers sometimes asked specifically for only wooden ones or only metal sheet ones. Other special cargo bays could be added on the Lancia 3Ros, such as a tilting dump-truck cargo bay, a van-style bay, cold storage, transport of perishable materials, or live animals.
In the late 1930s, due the enormous amount of work entrusted to the company, occasionally there were delays in the construction of truck bodywork (not only the Lancia ones). Thus, many customers that had ordered a truck that they needed immediately purchased ‘naked’ chassis from Lancia. They then privately got them bodied by Carrozzeria Orlandi of Modena, Cab, Zagato of Rho, near Milan, Carrozzeria Esperia in Pavia, or even Carrozzeria Caproni of Milan and Carrozzeria Zorzi. This made some vehicles quite different and with lots of differences from the ones bodied by Viberti.
A Lancia 3Ro with Carrozzeria Esperia cab and wooden plank cargo bay. Source: pinterest.com
For the bus versions, these vehicles were fitted out by companies such as Carrozzeria Garavini of Turin, Carrozzeria Macchi of Varese, Orlandi or, the most popular and common, Officine Viberti.
After the war, due to the bad financial situation and the poor state of the infrastructure of Officine Viberti, many trucks were subcontracted by Viberti. The coachwork of the Lancia 3Ro was done by other companies, such as Caproni or other brands with just some small workshops with a few workers.
For the Lancia 3Ro, Officine Viberti offered a whole range of cabs and loading bays. There were the ‘short cabs’ with two seats for truckers that had no need to make long journeys. In some vehicles, the seats were substituted with a single upholstered bench for three men.
Lancia 3Ro Serie 464 coachworked by Officine Viberti with a short cab of the first series and metal sheet cargo bay with higher walls and overhead storage rack. Source: italie1935-45.com
The ‘long cabs’, about 300 mm longer, had a single upholstered bench for three people and, behind the backrest, a berth. This cab came with many small modifications. The customers could request to equip the rear part with small windows with curtains or without windows. The Lancia 3Ro was the third European truck to have the provision for a berth, after the Italian FIAT 634N heavy duty truck (that could even have 3 berths if requested), its main rival on the Italian civilian market, and the French three-axle Renault AFKD super heavy duty truck (10 tonne payload) produced after 1936.
The berth was often made of wood between two sheets of molded steel, although some customers opted for the simpler solution of having the entire berth made of wood. Some owners asked for two berths, one on top of the other, with no exterior differences between single-berth cabs and two-berths cabs.
However, the Lancia 3Ro was the first truck that could permit one of the drivers to sleep while the other was driving. The FIAT and Renault vehicles only allowed the use of the berths when the vehicle was stationary.
Lancia 3Ro Serie 464 with Officine Viberti coachwork. It has a 1st series long cab and a heavy trailer produced by Viberti. The cargo bay and trailer had metal sheet walls. It was delivered to the Zanaboni Autotrasporti of Villanterio near Pavia. Note the marking ‘3Ro’ on the vertical hood, requested by the owner. Source: Camion Lancia
Another modification of the Officine Viberti long cab was the one used in the fuel carrier variant. Instead of a berth in the rear part of the cab, it was separate and there was a compartment to store some refueling tools and tubes with doors on the cab’ sides. This modification could probably be done on other types of trucks as well. Usually, the owner of a ‘long cab’ Lancia 3Ro that needed to travel long journeys carried only a second driver so, when one of the two was sleeping on the berth, the second one could drive. It was common that, when both the two drivers were tired, one slept on the upholstered bench, which could be used as a second berth.
The first cab versions featured a vertical front grille with an exposed radiator, vertical one-piece hood sides, single-line vertical air intakes and almost vertical windshield, all inspired by the previous Lancia Ro and Ro-Ro.
A Lancia 3Ro with Viberti’s short cab and a curious third headlight on the radiator grille, probably requested by the customer. The truck was used by the delivery company Maggiorano, which operated between the provinces of Turin, Asti, and Milan. Source: italie1935-45.com
In 1939, Officine Viberti introduced a new, more modern and elegant bodywork to increase aerodynamic performance, along with a drop-shaped radiator grille, like the Lancia Augusta luxury car. This model also had angled windscreen and more rounded shapes, exactly as the Lancia 3Ro prototype. The same thing was done by FIAT for its FIAT 634N in the same period. This new bodywork also had a short and long variant.
Lancia 3Ro with Officine Viberti long cab of the 2nd series. The cargo bay was made of wooden planks. Source: Lancia
Another detail that not all cabs had was an overhead storage rack. The black square with a yellow or white triangle painted inside meant the truck could tow a trailer and warned drivers in its vicinity to be careful. If the rectangle was upright, the truck was towing a trailer. If it was horizontal, the trailer was not present. The triangle was only required by law on civilian vehicles.
All the Lancia 3Ro Serie 564 military trucks were bodied only by Officine Viberti.
The Officine Viberti military cab. It was definitely more rustic than the civilian ones to speed up production and save money and raw materials. The waterproof tarpaulin placed instead of lateral windows is clearly visible on the right drawing. Source: Officine VibertiLancia 3Ro Serie 654 cargo bay drawing. Like the cab, it was a rustic one, made of wood, openable only on the rear side. Source: Officine Viberti
Civilian Versions
The truck had a length of 7.40 m and a width of 2.5 m. Its weight was 5.5 tonnes and its payload capability was 8 tonnes meaning it could theoretically weigh up to 13.5 tonnes fully laden. This was even though the maximum weight allowed by Italian laws for these types of vehicles at the time was 12 tonnes. Thus, the permitted carried weight was a more modest 6.5 tonnes. The new Lancia’s engine guaranteed a maximum speed of 45 km/h that was enough for the 1930s standards, although by the standards of the 1940s this would have been a rather slow vehicle.
Lancia 3Ro of the 1st series with Officine Viberti short cab. Source: pinterest.comA Lancia 3Ro of the second series, converted with Officine Viberti short cab and side-dump-truck cargo bay made of sheet metal. Source: Centro Storico FIAT
The total production of Lancia 3Ro Serie 464 was 1,307 vehicles produced until late 1941. The civilian version was homologated to tow two-axle trailers with a maximum payload of 10 tonnes.
In general, Italian truckers really appreciated Lancia’s new vehicle, which was fast, sturdy, powerful but, above all, very economical. The other Italian heavy trucks in the market at the time were the FIAT 634N, the Isotta Fraschini D80, the FIAT 666N, and the ALFA Romeo 800 (the last two entered service in 1939).
Lancia 3Ro vs other Italian Heavy Trucks
Truck model
Lancia 3Ro Serie 464
FIAT 634N
FIAT 666N
ALFA Romeo 800
Isotta Fraschini D80
Unloaded weight
5,500 kg
6,360 kg
5,770 kg
5,000 kg
5,500 kg
Maximum payload
6,500 kg
6,140 kg
6,240 kg
7,000 kg
6,500 kg
Engine power
93 hp at 1,860 rpm
75 at 1,700 rpm
110 hp at 2,000 rpm
108 hp at 2,000 rpm
90 hp at 1850 rpm
Maximum speed
45 km/h
37 km/h
56.8 km/h
37 – 49 km/h
34 km/h
Range
530 km
400 km
465 km
500 km
380 km
The 3Ro was competitive with the first two trucks. The FIAT model 634N entered service in 1931 and was really heavy, at 6.36 tonnes, and permitted the transport of only 6.14 tonnes of cargo and had some problems when fully loaded on mountain roads due to the 80 hp engine. The FIAT 666N was modern and powerful but had a lower cargo payload. The Isotta Fraschini compared similarly in some aspects, as the truck had the same weight and payload capacity as the Lancia, but had a higher fuel consumption and higher costs due to a more refined structure. Only the wealthiest truckers or companies could afford such a vehicle.
Regarding the competition between 3Ro and ALFA Romeo, the ALFA vehicle was far better due a lighter weight of just 5 tonnes, which permitted a payload of 7 tonnes and a more powerful engine that guaranteed a top speed of 49 km/h with reductors. The problem was the absence of a berth for long journeys. The same issue existed with the FIAT 666N. It weighed 5.77 tonnes and could load 6.24 tonnes of cargo with a maximum speed of 56.8 km/h. The main problem with these last two vehicles was a series of laws passed in the Kingdom of Italy in 1937 that outlined the main characteristics required for all future civilian or military trucks. The Lancia 3Ro, fortunately, avoided being covered by the new laws, probably because the project was already almost finished in 1937.
This new law was passed for three main reasons:
Firstly, Italy was a rapidly growing nation with numerous companies producing dozens of different models of trucks. Standardization would lead companies to produce vehicles very similar to each other and with common parts, increasing the production capacity.
Secondly, there was also the problem of embargoes placed on Italy and the policy of autarky, or the aspiration of Italian leaders to be economically independent from foreign countries. Unified truck standards would certainly have helped to avoid wasting resources. An example was wheel rim size. After 1935, due the embargoes placed for the invasion of Ethiopia, Italy had little rubber with which to produce tires. If all the trucks had the same rim diameters and sizes, the companies that produced tires produced one-size tires adaptable on all trucks.
Thirdly, and probably the most important reason, was the unification of civilian and military truck standards, which meant that, in case of war, civilian trucks could be requisitioned for war needs.
With Regio Decreto (English: Royal Decree) N° 1809 of 14th July 1937, the so-called Autocarri Unificati (English: Unified Trucks) were born. For heavy trucks, the maximum weight did not to exceed 12,000 kg, of which at least 6,000 kg had to be of payload, with a diesel engine with a minimum road speed of 45 km/h. The ALFA Romeo 800 and FIAT 666N were the first trucks designed under the Regio Decreto N° 1809 rules.
This led Italian truckers to be reluctant to purchase this type of truck (the Autocarri Unificati rules also applied to medium trucks), as it was clear that, within a few years, the Kingdom of Italy would enter the war and, therefore, that FIAT 666N and ALFA Romeos would surely be requisitioned first. So, despite their better features, Italian truckers preferred to continue buying Lancia 3Ro or less performing vehicles that theoretically would not be requisitioned in case of war.
The Italian heavy duty trucks produced before the war, the competitors of the Lancia 3Ro. From top left clockwise: the FIAT 634N 2nd Series on FIAT’s Lingotto plant’s roof, the prototype of the ALFA Romeo 800 outside the ALFA plant of Milan, Isotta Fraschini D80, and the last one, the FIAT 666N with Officine Viberti’s cab. Sources: pinterest.com, italie1935-45.com, Lancia, Archivio Pasquale Caccavale with modification by the author
The Italian truckers nicknamed the Lancia 3Ro the ‘Lancia Trairò’, a pun between the Italian word ‘Traino’ (English: Towing), pronounced ‘Trài·no’, and the name of the vehicle, which in Italian is pronounced ‘Lancia Tré-Rò’.
Starting in 1940, fenders were painted white because of the regulations imposed by the so-called darkening laws. These rules dictated that motor vehicles and bicycles had to travel with their headlights partially covered to avoid being spotted by enemy planes that flew almost undisturbed in the Italian skies at night. The white band on the mudguards and on the hood made it possible to notice the few vehicles that were allowed to drive around at night.
A Lancia 3Ro Serie 464 produced after 1939 with Officine Viberti’s long cab. The white bands on the mudguards and on the hood are clearly visible. Source: italie1935-45.com
The diagonal stripe painted on the radiator grille indicated the type of transportation license. If red, it was for the owner’s account, if white, for other individuals.
Special Variants
Like the Lancia Ro, the Lancia 3Ro was available in many special versions for civilian and army needs. It was produced as a standard duty truck, fuel or non-flammable liquid carrier, animal carrier, bus, and recovery truck.
Lancia also developed a methane gas-powered version of the Lancia Tipo 102, the 102G. It was used mainly in the bus versions (Factory code Serie P566), but a small series of standard Serie 464 were also equipped with this engine type and sold to companies that traded methane gas.
One of the Lancia 3Ro Serie 464 with methane gas engine. It was delivered to the Smercio e Applicazioni Metano Società Anonima of Turin, as painted on the Viberti short cab door (together with the phone number of the company). Turin, March 1940. Source: italie1935-45.com
The version with a water or fuel tank was adopted for the Serie 464 and for the Serie 564, produced by Officine Viberti, with a capacity of 5,000 liters. It was mainly used in North Africa to transport fuel or water. A trailer with the same capacity produced by Officine Viberti could be attached to it, for a total of 10,000 liters. A civilian variant was also equipped with a Società Anonima Industriale di Verona fuel tank. These versions had an impressive fully loaded weight of more than 15 tonnes, about 6 tonnes for the empty truck, trailer of unknown weight, and 10 tonnes of water or other liquids.
Lancia 3Ro with long cab and tank produced by Officine Viberti and a Viberti trailer. This particular truck, with a total capacity of 10,000 liters of fuel, was used by the Lancia Veicoli Industriali plant in Turin to refuel freshly produced trucks. The white lines on the fenders were painted to operate during the night. Source: italie1935-45.comA civilian 2nd series Lancia 3Ro with Viberti-SAIV fuel tank. Source: italie1935-45.com
Some Lancia 3Ros received some strange and relatively unknown special bodyworks. To give an example, in 1948, the Municipality of Pavia ordered an unknown number of Lancia 3Ros for the transportation of garbage bins. Is not clear if the Pavia Municipality asked for a specific model or if it was a decision taken by Lancia, but the vehicles that Lancia delivered were on the 3Ro P3 variant, specially developed for bus bodyworks. These became the first Lancia trucks with cab-forward configuration, 7 years before the appearance of the first ‘official’ cab-forward Lancia Veicoli Industriali’s truck, the prime mover Lancia Esatau A that entered in the market in 1955.
One of the Lancia 3Ro PL3 converted for the transportation of garbage bins for the Pavia Municipality, ready to be delivered. The cab was a Viberti one. Source: Camion Lancia
After the war, at least one Lancia 3Ro PL3 was converted into a food truck. Nothing is known about it, but it was probably converted from an old bus in the late 1950s or early 1960s. However, it seems it is a strange and curious homemade version.
A Lancia 3Ro PL3 (also seen on the plaque of the radiator grille) converted into a food truck, probably from a former bus. Source: forum.camperonline.it
Another interesting garbage variant of the Lancia 3Ro appeared in a scene of ‘Ladri di Biciclette’, an Italian film of 1948. In these scenes, at least 2 Lancia 3Ros of the Municipality of Rome that were used by dustmen are clearly visible. These particular vehicles had a rounded bodywork produced by an unknown workshop.
One of the Lancia 3Ro converted into a garbage truck for Rome’s municipality appeared in the film Ladri di Biciclette (English: Bicycle Thieves). Source: Ladri di Biciclette
Officine Viberti also produced a small series of 3Ro Serie 464 with a towing hook and winch, meant to be used as recovery trucks. Some of these were used by the Trucchi company in the Turin countryside.
A Lancia 3Ro recovery truck with Officine Viberti’s early model short cab and overhead storage rack. It was produced in 1939 for the company Trucchi. Source: Centro Storico FIAT
Bus Versions
In 1939, Lancia Veicoli Industriali proposed the lowered chassis Lancia 3Ro P (P for Passo – Wheelbase), factory code Serie 266 and Lancia 3Ro PL (Passo Lungo, English: Longer Wheelbase) for the civilian market. These were 7,860 mm long compared to the 7,400 mm of the standard series.
Lancia 3Ro P bodied by Carrozzarie Macchi-Baratelli with a trailer. This particular model was used as a standard articulated bus and entered service in 1941. Source: Fondazione NegriLancia 3Ro P bodied by Officine Viberti. This vehicle was used as an intercity coach. Source: italie1935-45.com
These versions of the Lancia 3Ro were designed to tow a trailer in order to increase the passenger capacity. The Lancia 3Ro P, bodied by Officine Viberti, carried 32 passengers plus the driver, with the trailer taking the capacity to over 50 people. In 1940, 78 Lancia 3Ro P chassis rolled off the assembly lines, almost all bodied by Officine Viberti.
Bus on Lancia 3Ro P2 chassis with coachwork by Carrozzeria Garavini of Turin for the Società Biellese Autolinee (English: Biella Bus Company), here in front of Garavini’s workshop. Source: italie1935-45.com
In 1942, Lancia Veicoli Industriali proposed a cab-over chassis version of the Lancia 3Ro called P3 (and P3L for the long wheelbase version), code Serie 466, of which 142 were produced. In parallel, a conventional engine forward chassis called Lancia 3Ro P2 (and P2L) was introduced. In total, 611 Lancia 3Ro were produced of the three Passo Lungo variants between 1939 and 1950.
A Lancia 3Ro 3PL with coachwork by Officine Viberti, utilized by the coach company that connected Lucca to Castelnuovo di Garfagnana in Tuscany. Source: Officine VibertiAnother Lancia 3Ro P3 working as a city bus in 1948. Source: Centro Storico FIAT
Military Versions
The military model was only bodied by Officine Viberti. The following versions were produced: troop transport, animal or equipment transport, tractor for heavy artillery pieces (mainly 90 mm anti-aircraft cannons and 149 mm howitzers), quadruped carrier variant for cavalry divisions, mobile workshop, fuel and liquid carrier, ammunition carrier, tank transporter, and also truck-mounted artillery for a wide range of artillery pieces.
A Lancia 3Ro NMP Serie 564 in its standard cargo truck configuration. This is a colorized photo of the Lancia 3Ro manual printed by the Royal Army in 1941. Source: Manuale di Uso e Manutenzione per Autocarro Pesante Lancia 3Ro
Rear and front view of two different Lancia 3Ro NMP, license plate ‘Regio Esercito 102155’ and ‘Regio Esercito 72012’. On the two vehicles, the tires were of the Pirelli Tipo ‘Raiflex’ type. Sources: italie1935-45.com
This model differed from the civilian version by having a length of 7.25 m and a width of 2.35 m, a wooden cargo bay, and 2 horizontal bars to protect the vertical radiator. On the upper bar, a white line was factory-painted, on which, after delivery, the army license plate was painted in red and black.
Other differences were an inertia starter motor under the radiator grille, doors with fixed windows, acetylene headlights on the sides of the windshield, a wooden floor, and only the rear side of the cargo bay openable.
The Lancia 3Ro Serie 564 was delivered starting in 1938, one year after the Serie 464 went into production. A prototype was produced and presented to the Centro Studi della Motorizzazione (English: Motorization Studies Center), the military department which examined new vehicles, in early 1938. After testing, it was quickly accepted into service in the Italian Regio Esercito as the Lancia 3Ro MNP (for Militare; Nafta; Pneumatici – Military, Diesel, Tires) version with standard tires and the Lancia 3Ro NMSP (for Militare; Nafta; SemiPneumatici – Military, Diesel, Solid Tires) with solid rubber tires. Apart from the difference in the type of tires, which changed the vehicle’s performance, the truck models were identical.
Each truck probably cost more than 65,000 Lira. This was the price for the earlier military variant of the Lancia Ro. In 1938, Lancia Veicoli Industriali planned that its maximum production rate would be 150 heavy-duty trucks (Ro and 3Ro) per month.
The unloaded weight was 5.61 tonnes for the Lancia 3Ro MNP and 5.89 tonnes for the Lancia 3Ro MNSP. The maximum speeds were 45 km/h for the MNP and 41.7 km/h for the MNSP.
According to Lancia sources, a total of:
Lancia 3Ro Serie 564 Production
Year
Number
1938
177
1939
657
1940
2,646
1941
3,162*
1942
1,643
1943
1,205
1944
51
1945
1
Total
9,542
Notes
* Maximum production rate of 260 Lancia 3Ros per month
After three different bombing raids of the Lancia plant in Turin, in October 1942, production of the Lancia 3Ro was entrusted to the Lancia Veicoli Industriali plant in Bolzano, in the Trentino Alto Adige region, where it remained until the end of the war.
During the war, first the Royal Army and then the Germans and the Italian Social Republic requisitioned most of the civilian Lancia 3Ro Serie 464 to reuse them for military purposes. These are easy to identify due to their civilian-style cabs that differed from the military ones.
A Lancia 3Ro Serie 464 with a Officine Viberti long cab in service with the Regio Esercito in Corsica. It was requisitioned from a private owner or from the Lancia plant to be quickly repainted, replated and put in service with the Italian Royal Army. Source: italie1935-45.com
One of the main special variants was the Autofficina Mobile Modello 1938 (English: Mobile Workshop Model 1938). As the name suggests, these were standard Lancia 3Ro trucks equipped with tools and spare parts to repair Italian vehicles. These mobile workshops, composed of two trucks, one with machinery tools and the second with spare parts, were assigned to the Italian divisions and followed them on the front. After any battle, the damaged vehicles were transported to the rear lines, where the mechanics of the mobile workshops could repair them. The Lancia 3Ro were modified into mobile workshops by Officine Viberti but the number of vehicles converted was really limited. The Italian Royal Army preferred to use different vehicles, such as the old Lancia Ro. Apart from the prototype based on a Serie 564 MNSP, it seems that very few were produced. The few workshops produced remained in service after the war until the first years of the 1950s.
The Autofficina Mobile Modello 1938 on Lancia 3Ro NMSPs. The vehicle on the left was the spare parts carrier, while the one on the right was the one in which the machinery tools were transported. Source: Officine VibertiLancia 3Ro NMSP license plate ‘Regio Esercito 81715’ in working position at the Centro Studi della Motorizzazione during test. Source: italie1935-45.com
For operations in Africa, the Lancia 3Ro Tipo Libia (English: Libya Type) was created, even if it was probably produced in small numbers. It essentially was a standard Lancia 3Ro Serie 564 with the cab left open and without a windshield, windows, and roof. It had a water tarpaulin to protect the driver and vehicle’s commander. Another characteristic feature was the cargo bay’s walls, which were shorter than the standard 650 mm ones. It had a different radiator grille and it probably also had a fuel tank with more capacity to extend the range.
Lancia 3Ro Tipo Libia blueprint. Source: Semicingolati, Motoveicoli e Veicoli Speciali del Regio Esercito Italiano 1919-1943
Another vehicle was the Lancia 3Ro fuel carrier or non-flammable liquid carrier. It was used mainly in North Africa as a fuel carrier. Its tank could carry a total of 5,000 liters of fuel or water. The liquid carrier truck could also tow a tank-trailer produced by Viberti or SAIV with the same capacity as the truck.
The Lancia 3Ro Serie 564 water carrier with tanks produced by Officine Viberti. The trailer was on a standard Rimorchio Unificato Medio also produced by Viberti and with the same capacity of the truck’s tank. Source: Archivio Viberti
The fuel carrier variants were also extensively used by the Italian Regia Aeronautica (English: Royal Air Force) and Italian Regia Marina (English: Royal Navy) to refuel planes and warships.
Two Lancia 3Ro fuel carriers during a refueling operation. In the background, two Spica-class torpedo boats are visible. Unfortunately, it is impossible to identify to which Italian Army branch the trucks belonged to because the license plates are unreadable. Source: David Zambon
For the transport of water or fuel, the Serie 546 could be equipped with two removable 2,000 liters tanks loaded on the cargo bay. These tanks did not require any modification to be fitted to the vehicle and were easy to remove, allowing the transport version to be even more versatile.
A Standard Lancia 3Ro NMSP, probably at the Centro Studi della Motorizzazione of Rome, loaded with a 2,000 liters tank. Source: italie1935-45.com
An example was converted into a mobile command office and donated to German Generalfeldmarschall Erwin Rommel, commander of the Deutsches Afrikakorps or DAK (English: German Africa Corps) in 1941. Unfortunately, not much is known about this variant. However, the Desert Fox did not appreciate its characteristics and, after a short use of the Lancia, changed vehicles and used an AEC ‘Dorchester’ 4×4 Armored Command Vehicle captured from the British forces.
The Lancia 3Ro NM mobile command office in a depot, probably the Officine Viberti one in Turin. It had Pirelli Tipo ‘Sigillo Verde’ tires. Source: instagram.com @Forza Italiana
Some Lancia 3Ros were modified by the Ansaldo-Fossati plant in Sestri Ponente near Genoa as ammunition carriers. These vehicles received box-shaped metal ammunition racks. Two different versions were created. The prototype had a single box of large dimensions, for a total of 210 90 mm rounds placed on the rear part of the cargo bay, permitting 8 gun crewmembers to take a seat on the front section. It was presented in March 1941, but the series models were slightly modified. The series variant had eight separate boxes with a total of 216 rounds. Between the boxes, placed on the sides of the cargo bay, a small corridor remained. There, a total of eight seats for soldiers were positioned.
These ammunition carriers were created to transport rounds for the Italian 90 mm Autocannoni (English: 90 mm Truck-mounted artillery) groups that were used in North Africa. A total of 64 Lancia 3Ro ammunition carriers were ordered by the Regio Esercito. It is not known if all were delivered.
One of the ammunition carrier variants that could transport 210 rounds for the 90 mm Cannone da 90/53 Modello 1939 anti-aircraft gun. Source: fondazioneansaldo.com
Gasoline Version
During the war, a gasoline version of the engine was developed. This version was renamed Lancia Tipo 102B (B for Benzina – Gasoline). This engine was modified to work with cheaper and more available gasoline and delivered 91 hp. The majority of the 52 Lancia 3Ro produced for the Germans between 1944 and early 1945 were equipped with petrol engines. The Lancia Esarò (factory code Serie 627) medium truck, a ‘light’ version of the Lancia 3Ro developed in 1941, received an identical engine but with lower horsepower, the Tipo 102B, delivering 80 hp, coupled to the same transmission as the Lancia 3Ro. In 1946, 12 unfinished Lancia Esaròs received the Lancia Tipo 102 diesel, but giving out only 81 hp. In total, 398 Lancia 3Ros with petrol engines were produced during the war.
The lighter Lancia Esarò. Source: wikipedia.com
Trailers
The Lancia 3Ro, in both military and civilian versions, could also tow two-axle trailers of the Rimorchi Unificati (English: Unified Trailers) type. These were produced under the same rules as the Autocarri Unificati. The Rimorchio Unificato Medio (English: Medium Unified Trailer) had a length of 4.585 m, a width of 2.15 m, a height of 1.75 m, an unloaded weight of 2.1 tonnes and a payload capacity of 5.4 tonnes for a total weight permitted by law of 7.5 tonnes. The Rimorchio Unificato Pesante (English: Heavy Unified Trailer) had a length of 6.157 m, a width of 2.295 m, and a height of 1.920 m. Its unloaded weight was 3.3 tonnes and had a payload capacity of 10.7 tonnes, for a total weight of 14 tonnes.
These trailers had twin wheels, a compressed air braking system connected to the cabin by flexible cables, a spare wheel, openable sides and, curiously, the triangular trailer connector could be mounted on the front or on the rear side in order to tow the trailer from both sides. These Rimorchi Unificati were produced by the ubiquitous Officine Viberti, Società Italiana Ernesto Breda per Costruzioni Meccaniche (English: Italian Company Ernesto Breda for Mechanical Constructions) or more simply Breda, Officine Meccaniche Umberto Piacenza (English: Umberto Piacenza Mechanical Workshops) of Cremona, Carrozzeria Orlandi of Modena, Carrozzeria Strafurtini, Carrozzeria Bartoletti of Forlì, and Sauro.
Before the war, the maximum weight of the Lancia 3Ro truck and trailer fully loaded was not to exceed 22 tonnes, 12 tonnes of the truck, and 10 tonnes of the trailer. After the war, the maximum came to 24 tonnes, 12 tonnes each.
During the war, Officine Viberti and Carrozzeria Bartoletti developed two different variants of Rimorchi a Ralla Unificati Grandi per Trasporto Carro M13 (English: Large Slewing Bearing Unified Trailers for M13 Tank Transport), more simply known as the Rimorchi Unificati da 15T (English: 15-tonne payload Unified Trailers) developed for tank transport.
Carrozzeria Strafurtini and Officine Viberti also developed a particular type of trailer that was discarded by the Italian Royal Army after long tests due to difficulties in production. This delayed the start of production of the Rimorchi Unificati da 15T, for which the Viberti ones won the contract. In fact, the Viberti trailer was accepted in service only on 24th March 1942.
The Viberti trailers had a payload of 15 tonnes and were designed specifically to be towed by heavy trucks for the transport of medium tanks and self-propelled guns. These two-axle trailers had a 5.7 m length, 2.4 m width, height of 2.02 m, and an unloaded weight of 3.75 tonnes, with a maximum total weight of 18.75 tonnes.
Lancia 3Ro Serie 464 of the first series with an Esperia short cab and Orlandi medium unified trailer. It was used by Trasporti Vanzetta de Santis transport company of Bolzano. Source: italie1935-45.comA civilian-origin Lancia 3Ro Serie 464 with Viberti‘s short cab and metal sheet cargo bay towing a Rimorchio Unificato Viberti da 15T with a Carro Armato M13/40 loaded on. The crew of the tank is resting on the cargo bay. Under the radiator grille, the electric ignition is visible. Unfortunately, the unit’s name is not readable. North Africa, date unknown, but probably 1941. The tank was of the VIII Battaglione Carri M13/40 of the 132° Reggimento Fanteria Carrista assigned to the 132ª Divisione Corazzata ‘Ariete’. Source: David Zambon
It could carry any tank of the ‘M’ series (M13/40, M14/41 or M15/42) and any self-propelled gun on their chassis (Semovente M40, M41 or M42 da 75/18) for a total weight of loaded truck and loaded trailer of almost 30 tonnes. Even if not fully loaded, the Lancia 3Ro could tow even 2 or three trailers at the same time. In fact, it was possible to correct the turning radius of the trailers to allow several trailers to be towed together by a single truck.
The Lancia 3Ro was probably also capable of towing the Rimorchio Porta Carri Armati P40 (English: P40 Tank Trailer), with a length of 13.6 m, a width of 2.76 m, a height of 0.5 m, an unloaded weight of 10.26 tonnes and a payload capacity of 30 tonnes. The Italian Regia Aeronautica (English: Royal Air Force) and Italian Regia Marina (English: Royal Navy) also used some Lancia 3Ro to tow some airplane trailers or to transports bombs or torpedoes to the airfield.
A Lancia 3Ro with short cab and metal sheet cargo bay produced by Officine Viberti of Turin towing a Reggiane Re. 2000 fighter aircraft. The total weight of the unloaded aircraft was 2.08 tonnes. Source: Archivio Govi
Service
Brief Operational Service
The Lancia 3Ro, in civilian and military variants, had great off-road capabilities. In North Africa, due to these characteristics, it earned the nickname ‘Re del Deserto’ (English: King of the Desert).
An example of the great off-road performance of the Lancia 3Ro heavy duty truck. This unloaded Lancia 3Ro Serie 564 is climbing a high-angle hillside while towing a Rimorchio Unificato Viberti da 15T. Only a few truck models during the whole duration of World War Two had similar off-road characteristics. Photo taken somewhere near Sollum, June 1942. Source: David Zambon
The Lancias were assigned mainly to the autoreparti pesanti (English: heavy vehicles units) assigned to logistic units and usually transported ammunition, food, and other supplies from ports (for North Africa) or railway stations (for the Russian and Balkan fronts) to the front line, which could be several hundred kilometers away.
The 34° Autoreparto Pesante (English: 34th Heavy Vehicles Unit), assigned to the 2° Autoraggruppamento (English: 2nd Motorized Group) deployed in the Soviet Union, had the task of connecting the battlefront with the rear line. When it arrived from Italy, it had a total of 3,160 trucks and, in a few months, from 1st July 1942 to 31st December 1942, it lost 883 trucks, 28% of the total, to various causes.
A Lancia 3Ro and a FIAT-SPA 38R light lorry advancing in the African Desert near Sidi el Barrani in 1940. Source: Archivio Centrale dello Stato
Each Italian division had some heavy-duty trucks to tow the artillery pieces or the tanks of the division. The exact number of heavy-duty trucks changed for each division type. An armored division had a theoretical number of 246 heavy-duty trucks, which theoretically increased to 258 in June 1942. In 1942, an Italian motorized division had in service a theoretical number of 861 trucks (light, medium, and heavy), prime movers, and staff cars. The 101ª Divisione Motorizzata ‘Trieste’ (English: 101st Motorized Division) had 61 heavy duty trucks of all variants during the same year. An infantry division in North Africa had a theoretical organic strength of 127 heavy trucks, 28 SPA Dovunque medium trucks, and 72 FIAT-SPA TL37 light prime movers.
A Lancia 3Ro Series 464 of civilian origin helped to cross a muddy road on the Eastern Front by a captured Soviet agricultural tractor. 1942. Source: Archivio Centrale dello StatoLancia 3Ro of a convoy marching towards the front, 25 kilometers from Stalino (now Donetsk) in Ukraine in spring 1942. In the foreground are some Soviet civilians.
During the Second World War, many Lancia 3Ros were abandoned during the catastrophic Axis retreats in the Soviet Union and North Africa. Sometimes, these were fully operative trucks abandoned for lack of fuel or other parts. The Allied troops, particularly the British, reused them due to their robustness, power, and load capacity. There were trucks captured and reused by the Soviets in the Soviet Union as well.
Lancia 3Ro in the hands of the British 7th Armoured Division in the North African desert. The new proprietors renamed it ‘Tiny Tim’. Source: o5m6.de
On the Russian front, the Lancia 3Ro was mainly used for the transport of materials of the Alpine divisions of the Corpo di Spedizione Italiano in Russia (English: Italian Expeditionary Corps in Russia) that was then renamed ARMata Italiana in Russia or ARMIR (English: Italian Army in Russia). In this campaign, it proved to be a reliable vehicle. Even during the harsh Russian winters, the engine was reliable and performed well in very low temperatures that did not allow other Italian and German vehicles to move.
Some Italian veterans claim that the Soviet soldiers usually destroyed all the logistical vehicles that they captured from the Axis troops during the Don Offensive and the subsequent retreat from Russia, ramming over them or shooting them with tanks. Eventually, however, they began to appreciate the qualities of some vehicles, putting the Lancia 3Ro and FIAT 626 that they were able to capture back into service, while destroying the Opel Blitz and FIAT 634N, which they considered performed less well.
A Lancia 3Ro plated ‘Regio Esercito 82260’ of the Gruppo Battaglioni Camicie Nere ‘Leonessa’ of the 5ª Divisione di Fanteria ‘Cosseria’ on the Eastern Front. In front, two Italian and two German officers. 1942. Source: Come il DIamante
In North Africa, the Lancia was one of the most common heavy duty trucks of the Italian Royal Army, used for all tasks.
Due to the delay in the delivery of tank trailers, they were often used to tow tanks that were damaged or had mechanical failures. This task put strain on the trucks due to the sheer size of the tanks.
German, Partisan, and Repubblica Sociale Italiana Service
After 8th September 1943 and the armistice with the Allies, Lancia Veicoli Industriali stopped production until Germans entered the Bolzano and Turin plants, transforming them into ‘War Auxiliary Factories’. The production was quickly resumed and the Lancia 3Ros were built for the Germans and kept the same bodywork until order 7967/8153. This order, dated 5th April 1944, provided for the delivery of 100 trucks with the Einheits (English: Unity) cabs.
Lancia 3Ro with Einheits cab. It was probably powered by a Lancia Tipo 102B petrol engine. Source: italie1935-45.com
This cab, designed by the Germans, was made of hardboard planks on a parallelepiped wooden frame. It was very easy to mass produce, cheap, and adaptable to many Italian trucks, such as the FIAT 626, the SPA TM40, and the Lancia 3Ro.
Standard Lancia 3Ro heavy duty truck and a FIAT 666NM in German Service, probably in Eastern Europe. Source: pinterest.com
According to German sources, the German Army Luftwaffe, Wehrmacht, and Kriegsmarine branches, but also the Todt Organization and Polizei units put back into service a total of 772 Lancia 3Ro between January 1944 and February 1945. These numbers are far more than the production declared by Lancia in the same period, 52 were produced between 1944 and 1945.
Lancia 3Ro P used by a Luftwaffe unit after the Italian Armistice. Somewhere on the Eastern Front, 1944. Source: italie1935-45.com
It can be assumed that the German sources were in error, and 772 did not represent the vehicles that were newly delivered by Lancia Veicoli Industriali, but trucks that had previously belonged to the Italian Regio Esercito or private companies and were requisitioned or captured by the Germans. All Lancia 3Ros were assigned to units under the command of the Oberkommando Sud-Est, commanding the Balkans, and Oberkommando Sud-Ouest, commanding Italy.
A Lancia 3Ro Serie 564 captured from the Germans and reused by the Partisans in April 1945 to liberate the city of Turin. A 7.7 mm Breda-SAFAT medium machine gun was placed on the cab’s roof. The car near the truck was a FIAT 1100 armed with a Breda Modello 1930 light machine gun. Some Turin citizens that have risen against the Nazi-Fascist forces in the city are also present. Source: Archivio della Città di TorinoLancia 3Ro previously in service with the German Kriegsmarine (shown on the license plate WM -7881), probably during the partisan parade after the Great Partisan Uprising of 25th to 28th April 1945 in Piazza del Duomo in Milan. It has the name of the Partisan brigade that captured it, the Brigata ‘Remo Servadei’, created from a battalion of the 81ª Brigata Garibaldi volante ‘Silvio Loss’. One of the Partisans sitting on the roof, on the left, is armed with a Villar Perosa light machine gun, a relic of the First World War. Source: affariitaliani.it
During the German occupation, 10 gas-powered Lancia 3Ro GT (GT for Gassificatore Tedesco – German Gasifier), factory code Serie 564 GT, were also produced. These trucks were like the ones produced with the Lancia Tipo 102G engine, but were instead equipped with a German-built gasifier and the Einheits cab.
Some were retained by Lancia Veicoli Industriali, which used them to connect its plants of Turin, Bolzano, Cismon del Grappa, and Padova. The drivers transported men, materials, and information to supply the various Italian Partisan units from Piemonte to Trentino Alto Adige regions and vice versa.
One of the Lancia 3Ro GT used by Lancia Veicoli Industriali, used to transport materials from its plants. It had an Einheits cab. On the side, the writing ‘LANCIA & C. TORINO’ and the number 26. Source: Camion Lancia
Some units of the Repubblica Sociale Italiana or RSI (English: Italian Social Republic), the Italian Fascist Republic created in late September 1943, and some Partisan brigades also used the Lancia 3Ro during the bloody civil war that broke out in northern Italy between 1943 and 1945. The Repubblica Sociale Italiana had its regular army, called Esercito Nazionale Repubblicano or ENR (English: National Republican Army), and its military police, the Guardia Nazionale Repubblicana or GNR (English: National Republican Guard).
In Turin, in April 1944, not only the workers but the managers of the Turin plants made a deal with the Partisans to supply the fighters with lubricants, fuel, spare parts, financial assistance and, in some cases, also some entire vehicles. The numbers of vehicles delivered are not known. There were no new Lancia 3Ros supplied because they were being produced in Bolzano, but spare parts for such vehicles may have been delivered to the Partisans from the Turin plant.
A Lancia 3Ro of the 1ª Brigata Nera ‘Ather Capelli’ exits the Caserma Luigi Riva in Via Cernaia, Turin. On board are the coffins of some of the militiamen who died in the previous days, during a firefight with the Partisans. Source: spazioinwind.libero.it
The Gruppo Corazzato ‘Leonessa’ (English: Armored Group), one of the better-equipped units of the RSI, had a total of 60 Lancia 3Ros in its ranks during its operational life. All were produced before the Armistice. Some other units were equipped with Lancia 3Ros, such as the 1ª Brigata Nera ‘Ather Capelli’ (English: 1st Black Brigade) of Turin, the 36ª Brigata Nera ‘Natale Piacentini’ (English: 36th Black Brigade) of Lucca, and the Comando Provinciale GNR (English: Provincial Command of GNR) of Piacenza. The vehicles of these units were also produced before the Armistice.
Armed and Armored Versions
Autocannone da 100/17 su Lancia 3Ro
The Lancia 3Ro heavy duty truck was also extensively used for truck-mounted artillery vehicles, such as the Autocannone da 100/17 su Lancia 3Ro (English: 100 mm L.17 truck-mounted artillery on Lancia 3Ro chassis). This was a standard Lancia truck modified by the workshops of the 12° Autoraggruppamento Africa Settentrionale (English: 12th North African Motorized Grouping). The cab was modified, removing the roof and windshield and adding a support in the center of the cargo bay, on which a Obice da 100/17 Modello 1914 gun was mounted. It was also equipped with two 50-round racks behind the cab and optionally a 8 mm Breda machine gun for anti-aircraft defense. In total, only 16 were converted. The first four were assigned to the 14ª Batteria Autonoma (English: 14th Autonomous Battery) that supported the 132ª Divisione corazzata ‘Ariete’ (English: 132nd Armored Division), but they were destroyed by friendly fire on 1st December 1941.
An Autocannone da 100/17 su Lancia 3Ro in firing position in the Libyan desert. Source: o5m6.de
The last 12 produced, assigned to another three batteries, were assigned to the Raggruppamento Celere Africa Settentrionale (English: North Africa Fast Regroupment) in early 1942. In January 1943, the surviving vehicles were assigned to the 136ª Divisione Corazzata ‘Giovani Fascisti’ (English: 136th Armored Division) until their total destruction.
Autocannoni da 47/32 su Lancia 3Ro and Lancia 3Ro armed with Cannone-Mitragliera Breda da 20/65 Modello 1935
A Lancia 3Ro of the 4ª Divisione fanteria ‘Livorno’ armed with a 20 mm Cannone-Mitragliera Breda da 20/65 Modello 1935. On the truck’s right, a FIAT 634N is armed with a machine gun and, in the background, are another two Lancia 3Ros, one armed with a machine gun. Source: Archivio Centrale dello Stato
Another two guns mounted in North Africa on the Lancia 3Ros were the Cannone da 47/32 Modello 1935 support gun and the Cannone-Mitragliera Breda da 20/65 Modello 1935 anti-aircraft gun. Usually, the Lancias were left unmodified and these guns were loaded in their cargo bays thanks to the 11 m² area, which could accommodate the gun, the gun crew and some ammunition. The Autocannoni da 47/32 su Lancia 3Ro used by the IV° Battaglione Controcarro Autocarrato ‘Granatieri di Sardegna’ (English: 4th Motorized Anti-Tank Battalion) were modified, removing the cargo bay’s sides and mounting the guns on a 360° traverse support.
An Autocannone da 47/32 su Lancia 3Ro in North Africa. The cannon, seven soldiers, and some wooden crates are loaded into the huge cargo bay. Source: Istituto Luce
Autocannone da 90/53 Lancia 3Ro
The only officially produced autocannoni on Lancia 3Ro chassis were the ones armed with the powerful 90 mm Cannone da 90/53 Modello 1939. They were modified by the Ansaldo-Fossati Plant in Genoa to mount the powerful 90 mm anti-aircraft gun.
These autocannoni were developed for anti-aircraft and anti-tank purposes and 120 were converted, 30 on the Lancia 3Ro chassis and 90 on the Breda 52 chassis.
A Lancia 3Ro Serie 564 with ‘Regio Esercito 112939’ registration plate ready to be converted in an Autocannone da 90/53, probably outside the Ansaldo-Fossati plant. Source: army1914-1945.pl
These vehicles were assigned to 12 Groups with 2 batteries each, used in North Africa and Southern Italy. These vehicles had some problems caused by the heaviness of the gun and the recoil stress. In order to deal with these, the chassis was reinforced and manual jacks were adopted to lift the vehicle off the ground.
Autocannone da 90/53 Lancia 3Ro in North Africa in 1942. Source: Gli Autoveicoli Tattici E Logistici dell’Esercito Italiano fino al 1943 Tomo II
The increase in weight of the vehicle decreased the already moderate speed of these heavy trucks and the manual jacks forced the crew to exert a high physical effort and increased the times to get ready to fire and to leave the fire position, especially in dangerous situations.
GNR Armored Vehicles
The armored variants were improvised vehicles. All of the known ones were produced in workshops by Guardia Nazionale Repubblicana units.
The most famous one was the Lancia 3Ro Blindato of the 36ª Brigata Nera ‘Natale Piacentini’, modified by Arsenale di Piacenza (English: Arsenal of Piacenza). This was an armored truck equipped with a Cannone-Mitragliera Scotti-Isotta-Fraschini da 20/70 Modello 1939 on a 360° rotating turret, an 8 mm Breda Modello 1937 medium machine gun in a spherical support in the cab and two 8 mm Breda Modello 1938 medium machine guns in spherical supports on the sides.
The Lancia 3Ro Blindato of the 36ª Brigata Nera ‘Natale Piacentini’. Source: pinterest.com
It was only used in anti-partisan operations, first in Piacenza and then in Turin’s countryside. This armored truck became more known after the events of 25th April 1945, when there was a great Partisan insurrection. All the Italian Partisans of Northern Italy entered the main cities, such as Milan, Turin, and Genoa, occupying the main buildings and principal infrastructure, preventing German sabotage and waiting for the Allied arrival. The Lancia 3Ro Blindato, together with other vehicles full of Fascist militias, tried to reach Valtellina to surrender to Allied forces.
On 26th April, the 36ª Brigata Nera joined a convoy of Republican forces (178 trucks, 4,636 soldiers, and 346 female auxiliaries) that was moving to Como. From Como, the brigade and the Lancia 3Ro Blindato moved to Menaggio to escort Benito Mussolini to Merano. During the night of 26th to 27th April, a column of German Luftwaffe FlaK units arrived in Menaggio, which, along with the Italian vehicles, resumed the march to Merano, with the Lancia at the head of the column.
Inside of the armored behemoth, together with the crew, were transported Benito Mussolini, his lover Clara Petacci, and some military and political Fascist leaders.
On the same day, the column was stopped on the highway that runs along Lake Como at a checkpoint of the 52ª Brigata Garibaldi ‘Luigi Clerici’ (English: 52nd Partisan Brigade). The partisans only allowed the German trucks and FlaK cannons to continue, so Mussolini, dressed as a German soldier, got into a German Opel Blitz, which turned onto the road to Merano. The armored truck was then involved in a firefight between the Fascist and Partisan forces. During the skirmish, it was damaged and abandoned.
Other armored vehicles on the Lancia chassis are less known and only few details are known. The first one was used by the Gruppo Corazzato ‘Leonessa’ in Turin. It was armed with a Cannone-Mitragliera Breda da 20/65 Modello 1935 on the cargo bay and had armored plates on the sides. The second one was used by the 630ª Compagnia Ordine Pubblico (English: 630th Public Order Company) of Piacenza. The only thing that is known about this vehicle is that it was armored. Nothing is known about the service or fate of these two vehicles.
Post-War Lancia 3Ros
In late 1945, the Bolzano plant and probably also the Turin one resumed the production of the Lancia 3Ro, both for the civilian market and for the army.
A Lancia 3Ro NT produced starting from an incomplete military model in 1945. It had Pirelli Tipo ‘Raiflex’ tires and civilian Officine Viberti short cab, but with a military engine compartment and a civilian cargo bay with metal sheets. The side windshields were substituted with waterproof tarpaulins. Source: italie1935-45.com
Initially, very different models grouped under the factory code Serie 564 NT and commercial name Lancia 3Ro NT. They first came off the assembly line in early 1946. These vehicles were hybrids between Serie 464 and old German production Serie 564. This was because, after the war, the warehouses of Bolzano contained dozens of incomplete trucks or parts for the military versions. In order to not waste time, they restarted production of trucks with these parts diverted for the production of civilian versions. These odd vehicles had military chassis, gasoline engines replacing the diesels, and elongated axle shafts, since the civilian version was wider than the military version (2.5 m instead of 2.35 m). In these vehicles, even for the civilian trucks, only the windshield was mounted. The side and rear windows were rarely mounted, substituted by waterproof tarpaulins or transparent materials. This was done because little glass produced at the time was delivered with priority to the construction companies that were rebuilding buildings in Italian cities.
Lancia 3Ro NT just rolled off the production line in July 1945. It has a Officine Viberti long cab without lateral windows and the second type radiator grille. The rear tank was produced by Viberti-SAIV for non-flammable liquids. The coating is opaque because, at that time, the only coatings available were military ones. Source: Camion Lancia
In 1946, a new model came out, the Lancia 3Ro C (C for Conformità – Conformity), factory code Serie 564C. It had an electric starter, a new servo-braking system of more modern conception and a ‘full floating’ rear axle instead of the load-bearing axle shafts. It was followed after a year by the Lancia 3Ro C2 (factory code Serie 564C/2) with reinforced tires.
Lancia 3Ro C produced in 1948, coachwork by Carrozzeria Orlandi of Modena and used by the private transport company Borgondo Autotrasporti of Vercelli. Source: italie1935-45.com
The Lancia 3RO C2 with Officine Viberti’s long cab and with new tires. The cargo bay was modified for sheep transport. It had only one tire on the rear axle due to the light payload. Behind it is a medium unified trailer also modified for sheep transport and with single tires. The truck had two headlights under the bumper, probably a particular request of the customer. Sources: Camion Lancia and italie1935-45.com
In the table below are the total production numbers of Lancia 3Ro trucks in all variants. These numbers come from the Lancia Archives, in which it was not specified which company bodyworked the vehicle. In the Serie 564, the Lancia 3Ro converted into ammunition carriers and Autocannoni are also counted.
Lancia 3Ro
Model
Lancia 3Ro Serie 464
Lancia 3Ro Serie 564
Lancia 3Ro MB
Lancia 3Ro GT Serie 564 GT
Lancia 3Ro Serie 564 NT
Lancia 3Ro Serie 564 C
Lancia 3Ro Serie 564 C/2
Production Years
1937 – 1945
1938 – 1948
1943 – 1944
1943 – 1944
1945 – 1946
1946 -1947
1947 – 1948
Number of vehicles produced
1,307
9,491
398
10
1,302
1,884 in total
Engine
Lancia Tipo 102, 5-cylinder, diesel, 93 hp
Lancia Tipo 102, 5-cylinder, diesel, 93 hp
Lancia Tipo 102B, 5-cylinder, petrol, 91 hp
German-built Gasifier
Lancia Tipo 102, 5-cylinder, diesel, 93 hp
Lancia Tipo 102, 5-cylinder, diesel, 93 hp
Maximum speed
45 km/h
45 km/h
44.8 km/h
40 km/h
45 km/h
45 km/h
Lenght
7.40 m
7.25 m
6.50 m
6.50 m
7.255 m
7.255 m
7.52 m
Empty weight
5,500 kg
5,545 kg
5,300 kg
5,300 kg
5,450 kg
5,450 kg
Payload capacity
6,500 kg
7,365 kg
6,700 kg
6,700 kg
6,600 kg
6,600 kg
Max trailer weight
10,000 kg
over 10,000 kg
10,000 kg
10,000 kg
12,000 kg
12,000 kg
The Lancia 3Ro C versions remained in production until 1948, bodied mainly by Officine Viberti along with Orlandi and Caproni. The military versions were only bodied by Officine Viberti. In mid-1947, the Lancia Esatau, factory code Serie 846, came into production. This new powerful vehicle developed on the basis of the Lancia 3Ro entered production to replace it. It was equipped with a 122 hp Lancia engine and had a top speed of 58 km/h.
The Lancia Esatau with long cab and iron cargo bay produced by Officine Viberti in 1949. Source: Ufficio Storico FIAT
This vehicle did not receive the attention that was hoped for due to poor power, range, and overall costs.
In Italy, after the war, the Azienda Recupero Alienazione Residuati or ARAR (English: Company of Recovery and Alienation Survey) was entrusted with the task of reconditioning and selling military vehicles confiscated from the enemy or abandoned by the Allied armies on Italian territory after the Second World War. This led many truckers at the time to prefer to buy cheaper second-hand military trucks (of any nationality) at lower prices than a new expensive vehicle.
Lancia 3Ro Serie 464 in van configuration produced for the Gondrand Traslochi moving company of Rome. Source: Camion Lancia
Some of the reconditioned vehicles sold by the Azienda Recupero Alienazione Residuati were Lancia 3Ro Serie 564 which were sold to companies, the Italian Police Corps, and private customers that used them, in some cases, until the early 1970s.
Lancia 3Ro used by private individuals in the 1950s. It had a Officine Viberti-style civil long cab produced probably by another workshop. The engine compartment was of the first type, so it was probably converted from a Serie 564 into a civil truck by the ARAR. Source: Italian Trucks
The father of the author of the article, who became a mechanic specializing in repairing truck brakes in 1975, recounted he had the opportunity to repair Lancia 3Ros in his early years of work in the city of Turin. Obviously, the 3Ro was totally obsolete after more than 30 years of service, but it was still adequate for carrying out secondary jobs, such as working as a snow plow vehicle or service truck for the Municipality of Turin, which used it to transport food in case of natural disasters, to transport the gigantic Christmas tree that was put in the center of the main square of Turin every year, and to transport the masons of the municipality to construction sites.
Surprisingly, when the Esatau was presented, many truckers preferred the old Lancia 3Ro to the Esatau, and Lancia was forced to produce them for another year and a half, until 1948. The early Esatau models were then upgraded with more powerful engines and other small modifications that lowered the overall costs. The first variant of Lancia Esatau and its military version, called Lancia 6Ro, were quickly replaced by other heavy-duty truck models with more powerful engines and overall better characteristics.
Lancia 6Ro with short cab and wooden plank cargo bay produced by Officine Viberti after the war. Source: pinterest.com
The last 3P and 3PL buses based on the Lancia 3Ro came off the assembly line of the Lancia plant in Bolzano in 1950. That year, the Lancia 3Ro definitively disappeared from the sales catalog of Lancia Veicoli Industriali. The Lancia 3Ro remained in service with the new Esercito Italiano (English: Italian Army) until 1964 as a medium truck, maintaining a high mobility and load capacity, outclassing even modern US-built vehicles produced in the 1950s.
Lancia 3Ro towing Cannoni da 90/53 Modello 1939 and carrying troops in the Via dei Fori Imperiali during a parade in Rome after the war. Source: italie1935-45.com
Lancia 3Ro compared to other Lancia Veicoli Industriali vehicles produced post-war
Model
Lancia 3Ro Serie 464 C and C/2
Lancia 3Ro Serie 564
Lancia Esatau Serie 864
Lancia 6Ro Serie 864 M
Lancia Esatau Serie 864 A
Production Years
1946 – 1948
1938 – 1948
1947 – 1953
1949 – 1958
1955 – 1957
Number of vehicles produced
1,884
9,491
3,894 (all variants)
1,527
1,252
Engine
Lancia Tipo 102, 5-cylinder, diesel, 93 hp
Lancia Tipo 102, 5-cylinder, diesel, 93 hp
Lancia Tipo 864, 6-cylinder, diesel, 122 hp
Lancia Tipo 864, 6-cylinder, diesel, 122 hp
Lancia Tipo 864, 6-cylinder, diesel, 132 hp
Maximum speed
45 km/h
45 km/h
53 km/h
53.8 km/h
51.9 – 58.9 km/h
Lenght
7.255 – 7.52 m
7.25 m
8.3 m
7.76 m
7.35 m
Empty weight
5,450 kg
5,545 kg
6,580 kg
6,300 kg
7,400 kg
Payload capacity
6,550 kg
7,365 kg
7,420 kg
5,700 kg
6,600 kg
Max trailer weight
12,000 kg
over 10,000 kg
14,000 kg
14,000 kg
18,000 kg
Conclusion
The Lancia 3Ro was one of the best heavy-duty trucks produced in the Kingdom of Italy between the late 1930s and late 1940s. Although there were vehicles with superior features, the Lancia was the perfect combination of power, cargo capacity, and, most importantly, cost. It was one of the trucks preferred by Italian truckers for its ease of driving and low fuel consumption. It continued to be produced after the war and saw service for many years after.
With its military variants, it proved to be almost unstoppable, being used on all fronts with very few complaints from the military truck drivers, who used it for every task. Even opposing armies appreciated it, and when they managed to capture one in good condition, they immediately put it back into service with a new coat of arms.
Lancia 3Ro Serie 564 in green camouflage.
Lancia 3Ro Serie 564 in standard desert camouflage.Lancia 3Ro Serie 564 in service with the Italian Army in the Balkans.Lancia 3Ro Serie 564 in North African desert, 1940.Lancia 3Ro Serie 564 in Lybia in 1941.Lancia 3Ro Serie 564 in North Africa in 1942.Lancia 3Ro Serie 564 loaded.Lancia 3Ro Serie 564 in German Service.Lancia 3Ro Serie 564 with Einheits cab in German service.Lancia 3Ro Serie 564 with Einheits cab in three tone camouflage.Lancia 3Ro Serie 564 converted in mobile workshop.Autocannone da 90/53 su Lancia 3Ro in firing position.
Lancia 3Ro Blindato.
Lancia 3Ro Serie 564 specifications
Dimensions (L-W-H)
7.25 x 2.35 x 3 m
Weight, empty
5.61 tonnes
Payload capability
6.39 tonnes
Crew
3 in the cab
Propulsion
Engine: Lancia Tipo 102 diesel, 5-cylinder, 6,875 cm³, 93 hp at 1,860 rpm with 135 liter fuel tank
Autocarro Pesante Unificato Lancia 3Ro, Le Poids Lourd Italien – Nicolas Anderbegani,
Trucks & Tanks Magazine n°38, 2013 I ‘Musoni’ Lancia 3Ro, Esaro, 6Ro ed Esatau 864 – Marco Batazzi
Autocarro Militare 3Ro, Istruzioni per l’Uso e la Manutenzione, V edizione, Lancia & C. 1942
Autocarro 3 Ro NT, Istruzioni per l’Uso e la Manutenzione con Supplemento per Autocarro 3 RO MB, Lancia e C. November 1945
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
Kingdom of Italy (1939-1948)
