It’s no secret here on CleanTechnica, I love smaller cars. I am not a fan of large vehicles. Unfortunately (for me), I’m in the minority on this topic, especially here in the United States. But we still get to see some great, fun, small electric cars. (The 2018 BMW i3 I drive daily is one such example!) Fiat, of course, is one of the brands known for its small vehicles. A famous designer has now gone in and modified a common Fiat model to make it extra cool and fun with two custom designs. Let’s have a look. Admittedly, the Topolino is not a fully adequate car for the family and road trips on the interstate, it’s not even street legal for use on public roads, it’s not at all a top seller, and it really doesn’t warrant a couple of fancy, custom designs. Nonetheless, these are super cool looking and I guess may attract enough extra buyers to be worth it? Maybe? How can you not love that?! In the United States, Fiat has had a shocking drop in sales in recent years. The brand sold 43,772 vehicles in the country back in 2012. That’s not a huge amount, but compare it to what the brand sold in 2025 — 1,321! Fiat has been all but dead in the United States in the past few years, and I expected it to just leave the US market even two or three years ago. But, hey, as long as it’s here, we get fun news like this. The Topolino takes “glorified golf cart” to a new level, but that’s what some buyers want. For $13,995, it’s a lot compared to a used EV with much more capability and range, but that’s perhaps what you would expect for a high-spec, fancy golf cart, right? Anyway, these specially designed Topolino vehicles were designed by Fabrizio Giugiaro and Lapo Elkann. The models are the Top L and Top J. (L = Love, J = Joy.) The Top L “draws inspiration from the spirit of actor James Dean’s Porsche 550 – dubbed ‘Little Bastard’ – and features a matte aquamarine finish with matching leather upholstery and Alcantara cabin inserts,” Autoblog shares. “Giugiaro is a car designer and son of Giorgetto Giugiaro, who penned iconic models like the DeLorean DMC-12, BMW M1, and Hyundai Pony – which inspired the Ioniq 5. Meanwhile, Elkann is an Italian entrepreneur and brother of Stellantis Chairman John Elkann.” Will these designs lead to anything significant? Probably not, but who knows?
