Fiat 126 Cavalletta
Car of the Day #307: 1976 Fiat 126 Cavalletta – Grasshopper gang
The old saying, “You learn something new every day” definitely applies today, as I learned there’s an Italian word for the type of open air, Fiat Jolly-type vehicles that all of you love so much.
So the next time you see a DAF Kini by Michelotti or a Daihatsu Fellow Buggy, you can use the word Spiaggina, Italian for ‘beach’.
In fact, there’s an entire Italian Wikipedia page devoted to vehicles of this type that includes many of the more well-known examples, including today’s pick, the Fiat 126 Cavalletta, which was first shown at the 1976 Turin Motor Show.
michael banovsky
“Spiaggina” is more fun to say than “beach”, though this small concept car workhorse is more of a small, go-anywhere utility vehicle than many other spiaggina.
Reminds me of the DKW-based VEMAG from Brazil.
1976 Fiat 126 Cavalletta at work and play. Hashtag marketing • Stellantis Heritage
Cavalletta is the Italian word for grasshopper, and this small work/leisure concept was designed, largely, around a Fiat 126 chassis and Fiat 500 Giardiniera (wagon) mechanicals. With a tiny, rear-mounted 594-cc ‘pancake’ engine from the aforementioned 500 wagon, rear drive, and top speed of 100 km/h (62 mph), the Grasshopper is easily one of the smallest and most simple Italian concept trucks conceived of in the ‘70s.
For inclement weather, Fiat saw fit to design a removable hard top, which definitely makes the car a more attractive proposition for everyday use, especially if you‘re planning on taking your beige-draped date to the movies.
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