On the Motor Show IAA
1989 in Frankfurt, the company Michalak Design presented the
Michalak Topino, a weatherproofed four seater without doors,
developed on the basis of the Opel Corsa. (Topino means in Italian
"swallow")
The equipment was
designed for the employment in the open air and contained:
The side skirts were
elevated up to the seat level and served for the reinforcement of
the body.
Yellow steel tubes
were the optical characteristic of the leisure car. In the interior
the round instruments were fastened with red clips to the pipes.
2 flexible hoses
served to lead warm air into the interior.
The 4 seats had
covers made of Amaretta (a suede similar plastic) that were fastened
with Velcro and were machine-washable.
For the tyres (195/55
R 15V) and the suspension of the seats, Bernd Michalak used of
products of the mark Pirelli. The seats were cushioned in the front
by 2 tennis balls.
The highlight was a
trailer in modified Corsa form, in which up to 3 bicycles could be
fixed on special mounting plates .
Furthermore the tail
gate could be swivelled downward in perpendicular position, so that
also the transport of bulky sport devices e.g. surfboards was
possible.
The Topino was
equipped with a 1.4l-engine with 60HP.
The development of
the Topino cost approximately 100,000€. A small series was
unfortunately not manufactured, only this unique piece was made.
