text by Fedor Eliseev
When we think about white metal models, we usually remember first of all the British manufacturers, such as Brooklin, Western Models, Somerville, etc. But, in fact, other countries were also involved in the white metal industry. Sadly, there is not much information available about many workshops from Italy, Russia, Australia, and other countries. I think that attentive readers of MAR Online know that I try to fill this gap in my articles. I cannot always cover all the forgotten names, but honestly, I make every effort to do so.
This little article tells the story of a small Italian company, ARO, which was among the pioneers of the white metal model industry of the 1970s.
Giovanni Botta started collecting models in the early 1970s. He was attracted to such well-known brands as Solido, Mercury, Dugu, JRD, Dinky Toys, Tekno, Quiralu, etc. At the same time, he paid attention to less famous and rare brands such as ICIS, Edil Toys, Rivarossi, Omicron, Pinotti, P.M., Zax, Eria, Invicta, Lenyko, etc. Today, his collection, the Botta Museum, consists of about 5,000 obsolete models. Most of them are in mint condition and come in their original boxes.
Giovanni still collects models and publishes wishlists on his official page.
Being a young collector in the mid-1970s, Giovanni decided to create his own range of models reproducing small Italian cars. In 1975, he established a small company called ARO, based in his native town of Rovereto. ARO stands for Automodelli Rovereto.
For his models, Giovanni chose Fiat cars. He turned his attention to the 1936 Fiat 500 A Topolino, which is without any doubt an important car not only in Italy but also in many other countries. ARO reproduced the early versions, equipped with a 0.5-litre, 13-h.p. engine, in two body variants: open-top and closed-top. They were white metal models produced for Giovanni Botta by F.D.S. (Francesco de Stasio) from Naples. The miniatures were available both as handbuilts and as kits. A total of 300 units of each variant, open and closed, were issued.
The next model in ARO’s plans was the post-war 1949 Fiat 500C, but at the same time that subject was released by Brumm. Therefore, Giovanni had to abandon the idea of including it in his range. Giovanni made some variants in very small quantities based on the ARO model: Simca 5, Fiat Zero A 1st prototype, and Fiat 500 A in Mille Miglia trim. However, Giovanni decided to stop his model production business and closed ARO in 1976. Since that time, he has concentrated solely on collecting.
PITLANEITALIA 