Fiat's Tiny Topolino Has Been Reworked as a Racing Barchetta

• The Fiat Topolino is a limited-speed EV that's built for city-center trips.
• GFG Style, founded by design legend Giorgio Giugiaro, has come up with something that asks the question, “What if that city was Monaco?”
• Called the Top. L, this roofless and racy Topolino is also joined by the Top. J, a four-seater beach car concept.

For an ultra-basic electric runabout that's appropriate only for low-speed applications, Fiat's chirrupy Topolino sure is getting plenty of attention. On this side of the Atlantic, it's doing well as a more stylish alternative to the golf carts that service various gated communities and beach towns. Back in Italy, people want to take it racing.

Well, sort of. While the roofless Top. L barchetta concept was shown in press photos with a blue-clad, helmeted racing driver at the wheel (Top Gear's the Stig's Mediterranean cousin?), it's no faster than the regular car. With the aptly named Low Speed Vehicle kit headed for U.S.-spec Topolinos soon, that's a max of 25 mph.

Still, in terms of fun, a tiny two-seater that's entirely open to the elements has got to be an absolute hoot, and it's got some heavy hitter names behind it. The Top. L concept was designed by GFG Style, a company founded by Giorgetto Giugiaro and his son Fabrizio. Also involved is Lapo Elkann, the brother of current Stellantis chairman John Elkann.

Starting with the already-doorless Dolcevita version of the Topolino, GFG Style removed the roof entirely and cut back the windshield to a tiny sliver. The interior was then reworked with aquamarine leather and Alcantara. Is it as fast as a Ferrari Monza SP1? Yes! At least when parked or in Rome-level traffic jams.

Second up is GFG's Top. J concept, which embodies the spirit of the 1960s Fiat Jolly. Back in the heyday of the Italian Riviera, well-to-do types might keep a canvas-roofed Fiat 500 stowed onboard their yachts and have it lifted onto the dock for running around town in the golden Mediterranean sunshine.

The Top. J gets a canvas roof and terry cloth seats, a nod to the original Jolly's wicker seats—ideal for sitting comfortably after a dip in the sea. It also does away with the trunk for a bench seat out back, so everyone gets a lift back to the yacht.

From a production standpoint, these two concepts are just flights of fancy, particularly the racing-inspired Top. L. A rented example of the closely related Citroën Ami was actually flung in anger around the hairpin turn on the Monaco road course a few years ago, where it promptly rolled. More topple than Top. L.

However, a four-seat variant would be useful, and these concepts do work in getting the Topolino more attention. They're both fun and irreverent, ideal for a low-speed city car. Just remember, if you're going to rent a little Fiat to buzz around Monaco on your next Italian vacation, don’t forget to wear your helmet.

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Brendan McAleer is a freelance writer and photographer based in North Vancouver, B.C., Canada. He grew up splitting his knuckles on British automobiles, came of age in the golden era of Japanese sport-compact performance, and began writing about cars and people in 2008. His particular interest is the intersection between humanity and machinery, whether it is the racing career of Walter Cronkite or Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki's half-century obsession with the Citroën 2CV. He has taught both of his young daughters how to shift a manual transmission and is grateful for the excuse they provide to be perpetually buying Hot Wheels.