Turin, Fiat Historical Center reopens to the public as an exhibition center operated by the Automobile Museum

The Centro Storico Fiat on Via Chiabrera in Turin, which once housed Fiat’s first workshops, has reopened its doors to the public as of Dec. 12, 2024. Managing the reopening, events, and activities of this key place in the history of motoring and the City of Turin is the Museo Nazionale dell’Automobile (MAUTO). With the reopening, the intention is to relaunch the Centro Storico Fiat as an exhibition center of excellence for the Piedmontese capital through a strategy of cultural enhancement of the historic Fiat headquarters, the archive and the collection it preserves, which will involve exhibitions, events, study and research activities. The aim is to involve a wide and varied audience, promoting a narrative that interweaves the history of the automobile with the future challenges of the sector.
Until Jan. 6, there will be special promotions related to the purchase of guided tours and family activities to encourage the rediscovery of this place.

A journey through automotive history

The Fiat Historical Center, housed in an Art Nouveau building, is a unique testimony to Turin’s industrial past. Built in 1907 as an extension of the Corso Dante workshops, the building preserves memorabilia, models, advertising posters and a collection of the most significant automobiles that tell the entire history of Fiat.
Among the most significant pieces are the 3½ HP, the first automobile produced by the Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino, and the 1923 Eldridge Mefistofele, an emblem of record-breaking cars. Alongside these are the 1919 Fiat 702 tractor, the 18BL truck, the Littorina of the 1930s, and the G91 fighter jet designed by Giuseppe Gabrielli and adopted by NATO.

The building also houses the company’s historical archives, which can be consulted by appointment. With more than 9,000 linear meters of documents, 400,000 technical drawings, more than 6 million images and 200 hours of historical films, the archive represents a unique treasure for scholars and enthusiasts; there is also the fund of the famous designer Dante Giacosa, creator of the Topolino, the 600 and the 500, the small cars that motorized Italy.

An exhibition to tell the story of the past

From Dec. 12, 2024, to May 4, 2025, the Center will host the exhibition Memory and Conflict, an in-depth study born out of the exhibition project 125 times FIAT. Modernity through Fiat Imagery. This initiative focuses on the moments of tension that marked the history of the factory during the 20th century: strikes, demonstrations, disputes and leaflets. Prominent among the materials are photographs taken from inside office windows during the protests and a unique collection of leaflets, collected by overseers at the time. Sometimes they specify exact place and time: which Mirafiori door; which workers’ or employees’ bathroom; which banner, in which workshop.

Turin, Fiat Historical Center reopens to the public as an exhibition center operated by the Automobile Museum

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