Jay Leno's Garage

Before the age of electric-hybrid engines and other fuel-efficient cars, there was Fiat's 1937 engineering marvel, the Fiat 500.

Better known as "Topolino," which translates to "little mouse" but was also the Italian name for a certain cartoon scamp named Mickey, the Fiat 500 was Italy's answer to the Volkswagen. It remained in production all the way to 1955 when it was superceded by the Fiat 600, otherwise known as "Bambino."

Though the Topolino was one of the world's smallest cars, its tiny five-gallon tank could still cover a lot of ground. Since it got almost 40 miles to the gallon, you could traverse 200 miles before you had to pull over and fuel up - that's about the drive from Florence to Rome!

On the downside, it would take you awhile to get there, since the car's top speed was only 53 miles an hour. But on the upside, you'd have a comfortable ride since there's a surprisingly large amount of legroom built into the car's sleek design.

The Topolini was truly a great car. With terrific mileage, a comfortable interior, and incredible fuel-efficiency, it was the perfect vehicle for buzzing around narrow Italian streets in both style and comfort.