Turin, the industrial history

Giovanni Agnelli, Turin and FIAT

Giovanni Agnelli, the founder of FIAT, was born in Villar Perosa in 1866, and died in Turin in 1945. FIAT was born in the last year of the past century, in 1899.
In only three years since its birth, FIAT designed four different models of cars. In 1934 in the streets you could see Balilla and Topolino, "easy" cars with popular names. In 1937 Giovanni Agnelli started the construction of the most extraordinary factory of Italy, and built it in Mirafiori, a district of Turin.

Not only cars

Fridges, washing machines, cookers, bicycles, agricultural machinery, machineguns. And again chocolates, cachet for headache, dishes, razor blades. In its long story FIAT did not produce only cars, but also things that have nothing to do with this field. The reason is on one side to advertise its name, but above all to help the factories in times of recession.
In the '30s and '40s many companies wanted to use the brand FIAT to market their products, but FIAT hardly never left permission.

Dishes

For summer and winter holiday camps FIAT produced thousands of tableware that remained indelible memory for thousands of children. Today they are unobtainable.

Chocolates

In 1911 FIAT announced a competition for the invention of a chocolate with promotional purpose. Still today the soft chocolate cube with four layers of cream has big success.

Tanks

During the period of the first world war FIAT produced tanks for the army, and since 1915 also machineguns.