il topolino - Fiat club South Africa

“IL TOPOLINO”
THE FIAT CLUB AFRICA NEWSLETTER
December 2012
From The Chairman:Chairman’s End of Year Message
As voice from the wild, my first report in a good few months, as they say in the classics, It has been one of THOSE years”
where I have struggled to touch sides, spanners or my cars.
Hopefully 2013 will be a bit smoother from that respect, and I will be able to give our hard working editor a bit more copy,
Rob, I guess that would be handy.
Actually we can all help Rob by contributing articles.
We have had the club’s last event for 2012, the 500 Run to Stan’s at the Vaal, and a very good event it was too.
The weather Gods played along well, and did none of the things we had last year, pleasantly cool, no rain, no wind….
We had 2 Nuova 500’s leading the pack, followed by new member Deidre (husband Roland) with her shiny black 500
Abarth SS, sounding and looking very good, plus a mix of other Fiats and Alfa’s.
We bigger kids just chilled out, Stan, Charles and Phillip taking members for rides up and down the Vaal, had a braai or 2,
and watched the kids really enjoying the swimming pools.
Thanks again to Stan, Sharon and Charles for the hospitality and organisation.
Some early warning on some events for 2013, the wall calendar should be published very soon and be available for
collection at Arnold Chatz, CMH Fiat Hatfield and Roodepoort, Mario Ciarrocchi or myself, we will let you know when it is
available. In the mean-time here follows notice of 3 special events.
AGM January 20th
We will have our club AGM at the new Fiat HQ at 270 George’s St, Noordwyk, just North of Vodaworld, on the 20th of
January.
A latish start 12:00 for 12:30, so that those that need to work in the morning have a chance to join in, followed by a late
lunch / early dinner at La Trinita at Kyalami.
For those who know La Trinita, I do not need to explain anymore, I know you will just book.
For those have never been there, La Trinita (The Trinity of the 3 women, mom, aunt (sadly passed on) and daughter, Lula),
is one of Johannesburg’s most characterfull restaurants.
I would not describe it as quiet or discrete, I sure Lula, does not even know that those words even exist. Expect Lula to ask
you to take a photo of her and your car, 500’s especially.
Passionate about all things Italian, life, cars, bikes, food ….this promises to be a fun start to the New Year.
Please RSVP for this to Caroline as usual.
Valentine’s Run 10th February
Pin the date, Simon is keeping the detail secret for the moment, but it will be great.
Fiat Dealer Rally 2013 – Arnold Chatz March 10th
Organisation for this has started, so expect to see the detail in the near future.
Plan is to start and stop at Silver Star Casino, have a class X so that every novice can really enjoy it, and line up for prizes
amongst the seasoned veterans.
The new rules we are planning will make it easier for the slower / older cars to stay on time too.
Leaves me to thank you all for supporting the club in 2012, hoping you have a wonderful Christmas / New Year / holiday
break and PLEASE travel safely so we can continue the fun in 2013.
Ian
Calendar of Events 2013
Gauteng
Date
January
12th
20th
February
3rd
10th
March
10th
April
7th
14th
May
19th
June
9th
15 - 17th
July
7th ??
14th
August
4th
9 - 11th
September
1st
October
6th
27th
Event
Location
SAMCA Run to Vaal
Club AGM & Dinner
Museum
Fiat Training Centre Midrand &
La Trinita
Ian
Training Rally
Valentine's Run
tba
tba
Gary
Simon Levin
Fiat Dealer Rally / Arnold Chatz
tba
Gary / Ian / Ed
Angela's Picnic
Alfa Club Rally ??
tba
tba
Ian
Fiat Treasure Hunt
Edenvale Fiat ??
Charles / Mario
Fiat & ?? Alfa & Lancia ?? Skid Pan
Vodacom Polana Rally & Tour
tba
Maputo
Chandor
Rene
??? Alfa & Fiat Track Day??
Fiat Winter Lunch
tba
Cullinan / Sammy Marks ??
??
Jeffery Willets
Cars In the Park Pretoria
Italian Connection Diamond Giro
Zwartkops
Kimberley
Ian
Edy, Melanie, Ian
Nick's Memorial Picnic
VVC
Ian
tba
VVC
Miguel
Ian / Mario
Travelling Lunch / Iutalian Beer Fest
Fiat & Lancia Concours
Membership Renewals Due
Organiser / Liaison
Ian
November
17th
500 Lunch
??
Stan Levin
December
1st
Fiat Pizza Braai
Ian & Erika Farm
Ian / ???
From The Editor:-
Hi All
Well as far as my planning went to at least get the last Il Topolino of 2012 out before the end of the year also seems to
have gone wrong as many or most of my intentions in the last couple of months. Let me at least try to do this before
the year is also just a memory.
On looking back on the year that has just been, it is amazing that when you think back to last year this time it was like
looking back to yesterday. A day earlier and just as uneventful as the preceding year. I cannot come up with any
thoughts on anything truly outstanding about our beloved brand “Fiat” in the year gone by other than the “arrival” of
Chrysler. The dreaded takeover by the Americans never happened except here and there where there was shared
signage on some installations which previously would have been an either or dealership which is now shared. And
nobody seems to be the worse for it. We can all feel quite proud that Fiat stood the test and has actually grown since
then. It is not known whether in fact it was due to the amalgamation of the two brands or whether Fiat just came up
with exactly what their faithful followers wanted. Seeing as I do quite a bit of driving, it is noticeable to see how many
Fiat 500’s there are out there in suburbia. There are all sorts to be seen. The regular plain Jane 500’s to the Abarths
with their mouth-watering selection. Let us all hope that this is the early stages of a recovery that will place new Fiats
in the driveways of all Fiat fans, old and new.
As always it is also a time to take a look back at the state of the Fiat Club Africa. Over the past year there has been a
virtual month on month increase in membership throughout the year. Judging by the number of new Fiats on the
roads, there is very definite scope to increase the numbers even more. The much talked about drive to reach out to all
the potential new Club Members haven’t happened yet. With all those new models we have to remember that today’s
new cars are tomorrows classics. I am sure that increasing membership will be one of the points on the agenda of the
Annual General Meeting which is just about upon us.
This brings me to the AGM as mentioned by our Chairman Ian Huntly in his End of Year Message. To those of you that
had been to the previous two meetings and all of you who would like to join in this year, we have a new venue. It will
NOT be held at the Fiat Training centre as before but the Fiat HQ at 270 George’s St, Noordwyk. We would love to
see as many people as possible to have as much input as to the way forward for the Club in general.
With it being a slow month as far as news goes, I have taken the liberty to include some articles that came through
towards the end of the year. Many of you would in all likelihood already seen them, but for those who might not have,
here it is then. I also have a selection of articles that had been compiled by a long time Fiat fan, in particular the
Topolino, and his escapades of restoring one. The first 3 chapters are included herewith and the rest will follow
during the course of the year as they become available. For this I have to thank Ron van Nijkerk of the Harbour Master
B & B in Hout Bay, Cape. (www.harbourmaster.co.za ) As can be seen by the first instalments, Ron is an enthusiast of note
and we all will be keeping an eye on his endeavours in what seems to be a major mountain to climb with the
restoration project.
On that note I am closing off this editorial with the hopes and wishes that 2013 will be a blessed, healthy and
prosperous year. I wish each and everyone the best and even better year than they could wish for themselves. I hope
that we all will participate in the functions planned for this year and that there will be record numbers of attendees to
all our get-togethers. Hoping to see very many of you at our first function, namely the AGM.
Best wishes and kindest regards
Rob
robchidrawi@gmail.com
Cell number: - 082 583 0050
General Interest :-
Abarth presents the ultimate expression of the Punto range.
Midrand, South Africa – Fiat Group Automobiles South Africa (Pty) Ltd has bolstered the already successful Abarth vehicle range
locally with the introduction of the Limited Edition Abarth Punto Scorpione.
Created as the ultimate expression of the Abarth Punto's sporting characteristics, the Limited Edition Abarth Punto Scorpione is
dedicated to those performance junkies out there who savour pitting themselves against varying challenges and continuously seek
the thrill of higher performance. The Abarth Punto Scorpione is intended for a more mature audience that wishes to express their
sporting spirit more discreetly and elegantly, but with no intention to settle for less.
This new Limited Edition, with only 99 vehicles produced World-wide, is distinguished by a ton-sur-ton livery where the Scorpione
Black of the body becomes matt on the bonnet and roof. The glossy black "passband" element stands out on the latter, with a handpolishing treatment carried out at Abarth & Co. itself, with a view to ensuring customisation with genuine craftsmanship. South Africa
will receive a limited run of 10 Scorpione units, boosting the car’s exclusive status.
Karl Abarth didn't offer only increased performance on his cars, but also embellished them with specific style features, lending them
technical craftsmanship which makes every car a masterpiece.
The Abarth Punto Scorpione is equipped with a 1.4 MultiAir engine boosted, with the help of a Garrett turbo, to 132 kW at 5,750
r/min and a maximum torque of 270 Nm at 2,500 r/min. Acceleration to 100 km/h takes just 7.5 seconds and reaches a top speed of
more than 216 km/h whilst still returning CO2 emissions of 142 g/km. Drive to the front wheels is through a 6-speed close ratio
manual transmission.
Further performance enhancements come from the modified ride and safety. Floating, perforated and self-ventilating front disc
brakes with oversized four-piston yellow brake callipers, perforated rear disc brakes and high-performance front brake pads are
combined with glossy black 18" alloy wheels and front and rear Koni shock absorbers with FSD (Frequency Selective Dumping)
valve and specially lowered springs. The exhaust pipe, oversized in the central and rear sections, is taken from the now famous
"Esseesse" kit.
Inside, the Abarth Punto Scorpione features "Abarth Corsa by Sabelt" black technical fabric and partially Alcantara trimmed seats,
with red and yellow stitching and matt black backrest, type-approved and lightened in keeping with the car's sporting spirit. Enriching
the interiors are the aluminium kick plate, the stainless steel pedal unit with Abarth shield, and the leather steering wheel with
double red and yellow stitching, mirroring the seats. Feedback is provided to the driver by way of the sporty Jaeger driving
instruments.
The Abarth Punto Scorpione is available exclusively from Arnold Chatz cars in Johannesburg and retails for R365, 000 including
VAT.
Fiat 500 hits milestone moment
The one millionth Fiat 500 – marketed in over 100 countries – has rolled off the production line at Fiat Auto Poland.
The special 500 was a Lounge version finished in Funk White and fitted with Fiat’s 51kW 1.2-litre engine.
CELEB STATUS
The award-winning minicar has, since its launch in 2007, won more than 40 awards, including the coveted international engine of
the year award for its TwinAir engine. Since 2011, Fiat’s Mexican plant in Toluca has also been producing 500s.
The 500 also introduced a number of innovative features, Fiat said, including: it was the first to offer seven airbags as standard, the
first car measuring only 3.55m long to receive a five-star Euro NCAP crash safety rating, and the first Fiat Group car to be powered
by the two-cylinder TwinAir.
The 500 platform has also spawned a number of derivatives including the sportier Abarth, 500C convertible, Diesel and Gucci
collaborations, and Pink and Matt Black editions.
In South Africa, the Fiat 500 and 500C are offered with 51kW 1.2-litre and 74kW 1.4-litre in Pop, Lounge and Matt Black trim levels.
Five- and six-speed manual and automatic transmissions are available.
Meanwhile, in the UK, a 1971 Fiat 500 L once owned by Prime Minister David Cameron was recently sold for more than twice its
guide price at an auction. The car, bought by Cameron in 1998 as a surprise birthday present for his wife Samantha was sold for the
Rand equivalent of R260 000. The pre-auction estimate was R112 720.
Nick Whale, managing director of Silverstone Auction, said: “Of course, David Cameron’s old car was always going to generate a
great deal of interest because of its fascinating history but it was almost out performed by another 1971 Fiat 500 L, rebuilt to
concours standard, which made £17 000 (R239 500). It surely proves that these stylish little cars are very desirable in their own
right.”
History of the restoration of my 1953 Fiat 500 Topolino which
started in January 2012
Background - 1963
My love affair with Fiat 500 C also known as a Topolino started about fifty years ago when I had completed my
army training and needed wheels which would not cost the earth. Our neighbour’s son who was not called up to
do any army training had already worked a full year to help him save a deposit for a new car. His Topolino was
ten years old and needed much work to be done. It took all of my army savings of R45 to buy this car.
Ron repairing front suspension in 1963/4
Repairs
The wheel brake cylinders needed attention and I had to re bush these with cast iron sleeves This took me two
days on the lathe at work. Not like today where it is sleeved with stainless steel sleeves and given back with new
rubber cups and seals as well as new dust covers. All this recently cost me ninety rand per cylinder. The king
pins and lower suspension arms needed rebushing as well aa set of new shock absorbers. This took ages and a
few more weeks’ further savings.
The cylinder bore was still fine with only a small ridge at the top of the cylinders and after honing all four
cylinders, managed to fit a set of cord rings which did the job perfectly. Many Saturdays were spent under the car
cleaning and rubberising the chassis as Durban always had a rust problem. There was no money to spray paint
so the car was hand painted a royal blue brushing duco with a 25 mm brush. The tank was filled with one litre of
petrol to start it up.
The COR at Rossburgh testing grounds was passed with flying colours and the license disc was collected at the
licensing office in Old Fort Road next to the Kingsmead cricket grounds. After picking up my then girlfriend,
(later to become my wife) from res at the teachers training college on Queen Mary Avenue in Umbilo we motored
to friends on the Bluff to show our new prize possession.
First day of motoring in 1964
At the top of Bluff road, right at its highest point, there is a large water tower right next to the road. This is as far
as the one litre of petrol was going to take us. As this was my first car that I owned, and in the excitement of
being on the road after a year of work, filling the tank was the furthest from my mind.
To get out of the home bound traffic we managed to push it down a side road onto one of the steepest inclines
into a small road next to the water tower.
Once stationary, an inspection under the bonnet revealed that a normally brown flexible hose from the tank to the
petrol pump suddenly appeared very pale.
The push back up the steepest incline to the main road used up a lot of good will with the girlfriend and I was
reminded of my folly for many years after that. Sweating like farm animals, we free wheeled further down Bluff
road towards a garage at the bottom of the hill and had just enough momentum to coast onto the forecourt of the
garage and to calmly ask the attendant to “ fill it up please” The Topolino served us well and was our only car for
many a year . When the family grew, there was no room for the carry cot on the back seat with the seat pushed
far back to fit my six foot six frame. Reluctantly we had to sell it.
PRESENT 2012
Now nearly fifty years later, pensioned and running a B & B, there is a lot of spare time between the guests
checking out at ten and the new guests arriving in the afternoon. All the alterations and repairs to the guest
house have been done and many spare hours in the day are available to engage in something new. Googling a
Topolino site by chance, the article gave details of the Fiat 500 C body specs. Measuring a small existing
courtyard directly behind our garage, it was clear that the Fiat would fit in and there was even enough room to
open the doors for me to get out of the car. The courtyard was quickly added to the garage.
Buying the first Topolino in the Eastern Cape
Managing to get a copy of a members list of the Crankhandle Club in Cape Town, I e-mailed every member to
ask for information on where to start looking for a Topolino. Surprisingly nearly every member e-mailed me back
with further advice or who to contact. One member even offered me a Topolino Fiat factory handbook for the
1937 Topolino. This was worth pure gold.
This mail request resulted in me finding one on a farm near the Kei River Mouth just past East London, on the
R349. The owner of the farm, Billy Nel is a fierce collector of motorbikes and has more than three hundred fully
restored in warehouses on his farm. Each one is in pristine condition and he can rattle off details of each bike’s
history.
Next to the entrance of his farm at the side of the road, he has a full size white Boeing 707 on display. It is huge
with its four large engines still intact This Boeing was bought by Lennox Cebe the then president of the Ciskei. It
never flew again. Billy used it as a restaurant for many years before he was forced to take it back to his farm. It
has a large sign which says EISH AIRWAYS painted on the side. Right next to it there are two red London
double-decker buses parked, also ready to be driven.
Nearly twenty years ago he bought a job lot of five Topolinos from a retiring mechanic in Reddersburg in the Free
State and hauled them to his farm with the idea to do restoration. He never got down to it as he already had two
fully restored Topolinos on show with the motorbikes on the farm. He needed the space of the Topolinos to
house more bikes.
Three Topolinos in a shed
Front end of the Fiat I bought
Interior of the one I bought.
Spare engine and body parts in the boot
Topolino arriving in Hout Bay
The transportation from the farm to Hout Bay on a flat bed was done by Peter Benn Motors in Uitenhage for
R1500. They do the route between Durban and Cape Town both ways every second day.
The second Topolino was found in Polokwane and had been abandoned for about ten years. Peter Benn Motors
fetched this one from Pretoria as this is as far north as they go. The previous owner was kind enough to transport
the Topolino to the outskirts of Pretoria for me, to family .This Topolino was far more complete and only had the
motor in pieces. With both cars, I managed to buy an additional motor and gearbox.
Fiat arriving on flat-bed from East London. Helpers commiserating on the work ahead
Stripping the body from the chassis
In 1963 when I was 19 it was very easy to slide under the car when it was on jacks. Now fifty years later, it was
easier to build two triangular frames on castors as seen in the BBC Knowledge “An MG is born “
Bolted to the front and back of the chassis it allows the whole car to be cantilevered from 45 degrees up to 90
degrees while it is possible to wheel the whole car around the garage on the frame’s castors at that angle and to
return it to the covered carport each night to make room for our cars.
Side view of the car on the stands. View of car on stands looking from outside in.
Car in garage-extension where it sleeps at night
It is amazing how much dirt and mud a vehicle can collect in sixty years but it was surprisingly easy to loosen
bolts and nuts after all this time. The person who invented penetrating liquid should qualify for a medal.
Remembering a good tip a restorer once told me, I bought a cheap digital camera and took many pictures from
all angles before removing a part. He also advised that I keep a bunch of zip lock bags handy. After wire brushing
the part with every nut, bolt and washer, these would be put into the zip lock bag and with a felt pen the content
would be written on the outside recording where they came from.
(Thank you very much Ron, for these extremely interesting photographs and articles. I am sure all our readers will
follow the continuing saga of the restoration of the Topolino in Hout Bay. I will look forward in sharing this with all
the members of the Club and I know there are quite a few experts who could help in answering many of the questions
you are sure to have during the course of your mammoth project.)
IL Topolino Marketplace:You are invited to contact me with advertisements of cars and tools etc for sale or swap. I will place ads for a period of 3 months unless
the advertised goods are sold before the said period and the seller advises me accordingly. Ads for longer periods will be by arrangement.
IL Topolino Humour:-
Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year!!!
I wanted to send some sort of holiday greeting to my friends and colleagues,
but it is difficult in today's world to know exactly what to say without
offending someone. So I met with my lawyer yesterday, and on advice I wish
to say the following:
Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit, my best wishes for an environmentally
conscious, socially responsible, low stress, non addictive, gender neutral celebration of the
summer solstice holiday practiced with the most enjoyable traditions of religious persuasion or
secular practices of your choice with respect for the religious / secular persuasions and / or
traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all .
I also wish you a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling and medically uncomplicated recognition of
the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2013 , but not without due respect for the
calendar of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make our country
great ( not to imply that South-Africa is necessarily greater than any other country ) and without
regard to the race, creed, colour, age, physical ability, religious faith or sexual preference of the
wishee .
By accepting this greeting, you are accepting these terms:
This greeting is subject to clarification or withdrawal. It is freely transferable with no alteration to
the original greeting. It implies no promise by the wisher to actually implement any of the wishes
for her / him or others and is void where prohibited by law, and is revocable at the sole discretion
of the wisher. The wish is warranted to perform as expected within the usual application of good
tidings for a period of one year or until the issuance of a new wish at the sole discretion of the
wisher .
Best Regards (without prejudice)
Name withheld (Privacy Act).
*
Published by the Fiat Club South Africa.
Distributed free of charge.
“Disclaimer: The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those
of the Fiat Club South Africa, the Editor or Committee, in which event the Fiat Club South Africa
accepts no responsibility or liability whatsoever and also accepts no responsibility for any loss or damages arising in
any way from the use of this newsletter as a means of communication."