Hot Rods Let's See Some Fiat Topolino's

From left to right: Brent Pilkington, Ray Harper and Brian Hutchesson's second generation topolinos at Brooksfield Dragway, South Australia. Photo by me from around 1967/8.

Roo

 

John "Crazyman" Taylor, Castlereagh International Dragway, Sydney, Australia circa 1970/71.

Roo

 

Pete Lodge's Baloo from New Zealand. Photo originally posted here: http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/baloo-pete-lodges-fiat-altered.541201/ by Kiwi Kev and most likely originally from New Zealand Hot Rod Magazine.

Roo

 

Mondello and Matsubara Version 1.2 (early big block days)

Roo

 

The Fiat is out of Nampa, Idaho. Owners wife drives this fine Sedan Delivery.

 

Hot Rod Jan,'59

 

Doug, If I didn't have all of the fenders and hood, I might entertain building something like Carl Grimes car from the 50's, one of my favorites.

 

Calvert Automotive Fiat.

 

My Rod & Race fiberglass Fiat. I filled the roof and cut doors in it. Don't look at the wheels if you are easily offended.

 

A friend of mine took these shots at Woodburn, Oregon in the mid -60s. As he remembers, the car was brand new, what a loss !

 

Sent from my SM-G900V using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

Bluegrass dragway late 60s

 

In process.

 

For the guys that were there, were any of these (as racecars) run hardtail? I passed on a decent roller in the 70s that was set up that way, for pretty cheap. I always wondered if it was just a throw-together deal for swapmeet fodder.

 

Wow that is a keeper for sure never saw any photos of the tow car with matching paint job.

 

If by hard tail you mean the rear end mounted solid to the frame, yes, most were. The Ronnie Scrima chassis in the Mondello-Matsubara Fiat was built with coil overs. Sush tried hard to make it work, but it would not go straight. He removed the coil overs, and bolded in solid struts and the car ran about as straight as any fuel altered can.

 

Thanks Dean. I kinda figured as much. They were just a hair before my time so I never really got to see 'em run when they were aplenty.

 

Here are a few !

 

Runs with us, fastest street car last year, in the 9's if I remember right. [/ATTACH]

 

Before he began his long association with Joe Pisano in the Funny Car ranks, Sush Matsubara was well-known for his wheelwork on the Mondello & Matsubara Fiat Fuel Altered with car owner Joe Mondello.



Funny Car legend “Big Jim” Dunn rose to national prominence in the early 1960s with the Dunn-Merritt-Velasco Fiat Topolino. The car originally ran blown on gas but switched to nitro in mid-1963.

 

Crazy Man Taylor again, Australia mid 70's