Fiat Campagnola Jeep – Local Legend and Conqueror of Africa

Although this project was lobbied by the military, it found its significant application in the civilian economy. After all, from the very beginning the task was to create a universal car, suitable for the widest possible range of uses.


This approach allowed the company to satisfy the needs of rural customers as well. Gradually expanding its circle of fans, this legendary model of the early 50s became one of the personifications of that time. Especially for Italians, whose youth coincided with the aforementioned difficult period of history.


It all started when, after peace had been established on the continent, the Americans left many of their transport vehicles for Italian use. This included not only powerful trucks, but also the Willys utility jeeps. These vehicles were something between a workhorse and a compact design and were very popular with users from the Apennine Peninsula.

The Italian Alternative to American Jeeps

American equipment could easily overcome impassable roads and withstand intensive use in the most difficult conditions. The key to success was often its effective all-wheel drive. Over time, the question arose about the need to create something similar at Italian facilities.

The initial initiative came from the military, but everyone understood perfectly well that the future technology would be in demand among farmers and other users. When the tender was announced, two local flagships entered the fray: Fiat and Alfa Romeo. They presented their projects in the form of the AR51 and 1900 M models, respectively. The victory went to the former, due to its lower maintenance costs.



Already at the design stage, Fiat's vision was to create an efficient vehicle. This concept included, among other things:

✅ the ability to easily overcome bumpy sections
✅ confident movement on Italian dirt roads
✅ meets the requirements of both military and rural users

The Fiat Campagnola AR51, developed by Giacosa's team, has a traditional architecture. The creators have made every effort to make their creation more robust and reliable, using a chassis with:

✅ longitudinal and transverse elements
✅ leaf springs at the rear
✅ modern independent front suspension

Its complex and balanced transmission consisted of a 4-speed gearbox with a reduction gear. The basis was the rear-wheel drive, with the ability to transfer part of the torque to the front wheels (when switching to low). And here are the characteristics of the power unit used:

✅ petrol engine
✅ four-row overhead valve
✅ working volume - 1901 cubic meters. cm
✅ power – 53 l. s at 3700 rpm

It was the same engine as used in the 1400/1900 series sedans. But, given the specifics of using a jeep, the classic engine power was artificially reduced, giving preference to increased traction. The maximum speed of the car did not exceed 100 km/h.


Since 1953, the engine lineup was expanded with a diesel unit. Although it was less powerful, its advantage was very low fuel consumption. The first technical updates of the Fiat Campagnola led to the appearance of a modification under the AR59 index.

Successful African Derby

To promote the recently released model and prove its superior qualities in practice, the creators dared to take a heroic step. In the autumn of 1951, the management of Fiat decided to break the driving record from Cape Town to Algeria.

To do this, it was necessary to travel across the entire hot continent, famous for its brutal off-road conditions, from south to north in the shortest possible time. To successfully implement the plan, a team of experienced employees was needed:

✅ driver Paolo Butti
✅ Fiat test driver Domenico Racca
✅ technical support group

The first was very well suited to the chosen role, as he had vast experience of participating in previous African rallies. The second had the advantage of an excellent knowledge of Campagnola from the inside, as he had previously worked on the creation of an army prototype. The two cars received special equipment for the upcoming journey:

✅ Long wheelbase versions selected
✅ with a special closed body and a strong roof rack
✅ with two auxiliary headlights on the wings

The rally versions also had a folding bunk, mesh pockets for documents and additional thermometers for water and oil. Gasoline canisters were firmly attached to the body, next to a shovel, pickaxe and various mechanical parts. This included an internal leaf spring fixed to the front bumper.


The lead vehicle was adorned with the words "Algiers - Cape Town and back" on its sides. Along the way, the team was joined by the driver's wife and film director Aldo Pennelli. He had been tasked with filming the epochal event, so the car had a trailer filled with filming equipment.

Already crossing the Sahara, the Campagnola jeep set a record in this area for a vehicle with a trailer – 3800 km of desert in less than 7 days. And all this despite insurmountable problems and terrible route conditions: snow on the peaks of the Little Atlas Mountains and heavy rains that turned streams and dry depressions into turbulent rivers.

Although everything seemed to be working against them (even the ban on night driving), the courageous travelers managed to achieve their goal. The trip lasted from January 21 to February 1, 1952. The new record of covering 14 km in 193 days, 11 hours, 4 minutes and 54 seconds was recorded by the official timekeeper of the French Automobile Club. It improved the previous record by two and a half days, and remains unbeaten to this day.


And the Fiat Campagnola model that became famous in Africa is proudly displayed at the Heritage HUB in Turin (section "Epic Journeys"). It still serves as living proof of the reliability and durability of the Italian jeep, whose feat has forever entered the world history of automobile manufacturing.

Completely redesigned Nuova Campagnola and the modern Iveco Campagnola

The car's production continued successfully for over 22 years. During this time, its design was regularly improved and refined. This not only improved the indicators, but also allowed demand to remain at a fairly high level. However, nothing lasts forever, and by the mid-70s, after more than 40 thousand units had been produced, the question of radical changes arose.



The design was significantly modernized by abandoning the traditional chassis with longitudinal and transverse elements. It was replaced by a new analogue, reinforced with two longitudinal components welded to the monocoque.

The customer also had a choice of two powertrains. The first was a 2-litre petrol engine based on the Fiat 131. The second was a diesel alternative in the 2500 version, which was only available from 1979. Both options had a number of advantages over the previous Campagnola powertrains.

One of the Nuova Campagnola cars was donated to the Vatican in 1980. This "Popemobile", painted in the traditional white color, was used for almost 30 years, serving John Paul II and Benedict XVI.


Another modern continuation of the model's history was the appearance of the Iveco Campagnola SUV. At first, two versions of light jeeps were offered. Later, they were supplemented by a version for transporting passengers, which, however, did not sacrifice the authentic characteristics inherited from the legendary car.