This interesting Fiat 500C Castagna Milano model was spotted recently on the streets of Milan, sporting a curious striped canvas top and completely open-air side panels. Showing off what we’d describe as a nautical inspiration, the summery Fiat 500C is more an example of something we’d expect to see cruising the Amalfi Coast, or down at Portofino, but it adds a nice touch to a Milan street scene.

Fiat 500C Castagna Milano summer cabrio

....

0 comments

After the French were seen playing in the sand, the Germans got in on the beach cars act, too, producing the Volkswagen 181. It was presented at the 1969 Frankfurt Motor Show and hit the market with various names, depending on its location. In Germany and Austria it was called the Kurierwagen, in the UK it was the above Trekker, in South America it was the Safari and in the US it was simply called Thing.

The Volkswagen 181 was the heir to the Kubelwagen offroad vehicle that was used by the German army during WWII. The car was based on the Volkswagen Type 3, also known as the 1500, which itself was developed from the VW Beetle. The 181 had rear wheel drive and was equipped with a 1.5, four-cylinder boxer engine with 44 hp and a top speed of 110 km/hr.

It was more of a heavy duty vehicle that its French counterparts, weighing about 900 kg. It was designed specifically for offroad use and sat a full 20 cm off the ground. It was a versatile car, had space for five people and four doors. The 181 or Trekker was originally produced in Germany, but in 1973 production was transferred to Mexico. Assembly lines finished all production in 1980. In just over ten years, 90,000 units of the 181 wer made.

....

1 comment

After taking a look at the Renault Rodeo last week, here is the next instalment in our beach cars posts with the Citroen Méhari. It appeared the year before the Renault, debuting in 1968, and met with plenty of success on the beach despite its name bringing desert safaris to mind. It was based on the same platform as the Citroen 2CV and had the same twin-cylinder 602 cc engine with 33 hp and a top speed of 100 km/hr.

The Méhari weighed just over 500 kg and went 16 km on a litre of fuel. It was about 350 cm and was made from ABS plastic bodywork. The ABS panelling is what gave the Méhari its distinctive colour, available only in beige, green or orange. It was a car that was also water resistant and had a bouncy windshield.

The Méhari remained a two-seater car until 1971, when a four-seater version was released and doors replaced the little chains that previously ran along the side of the car. In 1979 the 4×4 Méhari was released which could be recognised by its front rollbar, increased height off the ground and spare wheel on the bonnet. It had four disc brakes and rear differential, taking the car into more rugged off-road territory (metaphorically speaking).

Continue reading: Cars for the beach: 1968 Citroen Méhari

....

1 comment

As we hit the height of summer here in Europe, we wanted to take a look at some of the past summer lovin’ cars from the continent in a mix of vehicles that represent everything from dune buggy style to safari offroad. The Renault Rodeo was first presented back in 1969 as a competitor to the Citroen Méhari (more on it later) and appeared on the market the year after.

The first model to be introduced was the Rodeo 4, based on the R4 Fourgonette platform and equipped with an 845 cc engine with 26 hp. The Rodeo was a small car 366 cm long and weighing 650 kg. It had a top speed of 100 km/hr and could manage about 17 km on one litre of fuel.

The Rodeo 4 had a restyling in 1974 and the range was expanded to the Rodeo 6, developed off the base of the Renault 6. It became a larger car, 406 cm long, and had a 1.3-litre engine with 45 hp. Top speed increased to 135 km/hr. In the meantime the Rodeo 4’s engine got more power and went to 34 hp.

In 1981 both the Rodeo 4 and 5 models were replaced by the Rodeo 5 at 356 cm long. Despite its name it used the R4 sedan as a basis and had a 1.1-litre engine with 34 hp. Top speed then dropped back from the Rodeo 6’s 135 km/hr to 115 km/hr. In 1984 the ‘Hoggar’ 4×4 version debuted. It was the last in the range until production was stopped in 1986. About 60,000 Renault Rodeos in total were produced and while we’ve never seen one, we think there’s probably a few still out there enjoying salty air.

....

1 comment