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It may come as a shock to some of you that Mickey Mouse turns 90 on Sunday, November 18. Whilst the iconic 'toon has remained virtually unchanged, his mode of transport has morphed. Starting from a boat in his first appearance on Steamboat Willie, to a classic American hot rod today.
"Our hero’s wheels have certainly kept up with the times," comments Angelique Lynch, Marketing Director for AutoTrader.
Some cool rides
His small scarlet ‘Toonstown’ mouse-mobile appeared in hundreds of Disney and Mickey Mouse shows, and while initially it was seen as just a cute little red runaround, in later years, motoring fans swore it was a 1938 Chevrolet Master Roadster.
This was the more expensive model in the Chevrolet range in those days, with the Mercury and Standard offering a cheaper and smaller range between 1933 and 1937.
Yet in the same era, the world's tiniest car with a four-cylinder engine went into mass production. The dinky Fiat 500 was better known as the Topolino, or the Mickey Mouse-mobile. Topolino in Italian translates into ‘little mouse’ but is also the Italian name for Mickey Mouse.
Not your average mouse
Launched in 1936, the Topolino sported a 569cc four-cylinder, side-valve, water-cooled engine mounted in front of the front axle.
Image: Disney
He has also been spotted in a Volkswagen Beetle, a Cadillac, Lamborghini and a Mini Convertible, in diecast models, illustrations and toys.
Last year, Mickey and friends raced into some brand new escapades in the animated series Mickey and the Roadster Racers, with impressive creativity going into the planning of our mouse’s wheels.
Image: Disney
He now drives a classic American hot rod, made from a Model T: the Hot Dog Hot Rod. Minnie’s elegant car was said to be inspired by a French automobile from the 1930s, the Delahaye (one of the most beautiful cars in the world).
And while some swear Mickey drives a 'Minnie' Cooper and others, a ‘Mouserati’ - it remains to be seen whether the motor-loving mouse will continue to move with the times.
Image: Disney
"We look forward to the day when Mickey boards an autonomous flying drone. That will be one for the history books! Here’s to another 90 years of Mickey Mouse and his famous rides," Lynch concludes.
