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Car · Partial restoration: wooden body
Fiat 500 C Giardiniera
A Topolino Giardiniera with a rotten wooden frame: a partial restoration, limited to stripping down to the chassis, panel work on the metal and a complete rebuild of the wooden body.
- Model
- Fiat 500 C Giardiniera (Topolino)
- Era
- Late 1940s – early 1950s
- Engine
- 4 cylinders, 569 cc
- Body
- Estate with wooden frame and panels
- Work
- Strip-down to the chassis, metal panel work, wooden frame, panels and sides
- Restoration
- Partial: wooden body and panel work
The story
The Giardiniera is the estate version of the Topolino 500 C: more room in the back for people and luggage, and a body with a wooden frame and framed panels, like the woodies of the period. Today it is one of the most sought-after Topolinos.
This one arrived with rotten, loose and partly split wood and oxidised metal. The work began by stripping everything down to the chassis; then the frame was made new, piece by piece, following the shapes of the old one, and closed with new panels. This is not a full restoration: the workshop's job covered the wooden body and the metal panel work. Paint, interior and final assembly were not part of this job, which is why the car is not yet finished in the photos.
The restoration step by step
From rotten wood to a new frame
- Step 1 of 5
How it arrived
Complete but tired: wooden frame loose and rotten, panels darkened with age, metal dull and oxidised. Before taking it apart, every detail is photographed.
as it arrived at the workshop 
the rear, with the wood to be remade 
the original side, dark and worn - Step 2 of 5
The wood to replace
Up close the damage is clear: split pillars, open joints, door frames worn around the hinges and the roof bows.
pillars and roof bows, rotten and split 
a worn door frame 
the hinges on the old wooden frame 
the rear bows before dismantling - Step 3 of 5
Down to the chassis
Off comes the wood, then the front panels: what remains is the chassis with engine and wheels, to be checked and treated before rebuilding on top.
the body with its wood removed 
the front dismantled, metal to be treated 
the chassis with engine and wheels, no body - Step 4 of 5
The new frame
The new frame in pale wood takes shape on the car itself: curved pillars, cross-members and roof bows, jointed as original.
the new frame fitted to the car 
the first new pillars on the floor pan - Step 5 of 5
Panels and sides
The panels go into the frames, closing the sides and the load area; around the wheel arches and inside, the wood is carefully finished.
the side with its new panels 
the wooden side during assembly 
the panels around the wheel arch 
the inside of the sides, finished in wood
As it is today
Some photos have been digitally cleaned up (light, colour, grain), without changing their content.
Do you have a Giardiniera or a car with a wooden body?
Frames, panels, joints and clear varnish: wood takes time and a skilled hand. Mimmo follows the work from start to finish, including for clients in Switzerland.
More restorations
This is only a small selection: over the years Mimmo has restored many more cars and trucks, and we'll keep adding them from the workshop's photo books.
