Fiat Topolino - Saab V4 Powered?

The earliest version of the Topo was powered by a Saab V4. Since Jack has built a couple hundred of these little engines, it made perfect sense. It is an extremely compact design, and when it isn't hiding under the hood of a Sonett, it can house some respectable cross-ram Webers.

Cross-ram intake manifold featuring twin Weber DCOE carbs:


Saab V4 mated to Fiat 124 5-spd trans:


More details showing the cross-ram Weber setup:


And along came a twin cam. About this time, Jack took possession of a low-mileage Fiat 2000 Spider that had been smacked in the butt. So after a bit of measuring, deep introspection, Jack decided the little Topo should be powered by a hot rod 2L Twin Cam:


Ultimately, this setup has proven less costly, far easier to make work, and possibly even more powerful given similar carb setups.

Fiat Topolino Mechanical Details

These are a few of the various mechanical sketches Jack did for the Topolino project in Sketchbook #4.

Fiat 124 Spider front suspension and Saab 99 steering rack. This basic setup actually made it to the final product:


Jack ended up building a simple roll cage following much of this early design:


More cage details, including doors beams:


Window winding mechanism and handle/lock details:


Brake master cylinder mounting details:


The Topo came equipped with a 124 rear diff, setup with leaf springs, per this sketch. The final product uses coils and modified Saab 99 rear trailing arms:


Jack had grand visions of driving the Topo in 100-degree heat, so some of his earliest sketches included details for mounting air conditioning:


Highly detailed HVAC setup:

Fiat Topolino Introduction

Starting in 1996, Jack began a series of sketch's on his new Fiat Topolino project. Unlike most of his skethbook pages, this project is real. In fact, Jack is likely sketching up new ideas as he works to complete this little car.

For a better idea on where this little project currently sits, I've posted some info on my blog, here.

Because this project is spread out over multiple sketchbooks, it will be hard to organize. So I've decided to break it out into some common themes, such as exterior design, dashboards, or mechanical items. This initial post features the earliest exterior design sketches from book #4.

Very first sketch of the Topo:


Rear view showing folding fabric top, covered spare, and luggage rack:


Early grille designs featuring driving lights and faired in headlights:


Squatty look with fuller fenders and fat wheels/tires:


More side and rear details:


Note "V4" logo, as this car was originally intended to use Saab V4 engine:


Much rounder fender profiles in this side view:


More rear details:


Larger, fuller fenders tied together with a running board:


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