Tamiya 37014 Italian/German 508CM "Coloniale" Staff Car

The Fiat 508CM is an Italian light military commercial vehicle from the interwar period and World War II. The weight of the vehicle was 890 kg, the length was 3.615 m, and the width was not more than 1.5 meters. In turn, the height was 1.9 m with the roof unfolded. The drive was provided by a single, 4-cylinder Fiat 108 engine with a power of up to 30 HP. The maximum speed was up to 95 km / h. The presented vehicle was developed on the basis of a civilian car of the Fiat group designated as "Fiat 508". Its military versions - initially C and later also CM - were developed in 1937-1939. The CM version differed from the civilian version mainly with the changed shape of the body and the reinforced suspension. The drive was also provided by an engine with greater maximum power. The CM version was introduced in 1938 and entered mass production shortly after, which continued until the end of the war. It is assumed that it was one of the most widely used vehicles of its class in the Italian Regio Esercito during World War II. It is worth adding that a special version of the 508 CM Coloniale was also produced, which was intended for use in East and North Africa. The car in this version had a larger fuel tank capacity, had factory-fitted tires adapted to driving on sand, but it was also longer (by about 40 cm) and significantly heavier than the standard version.