FIAT-AutoVAZ accord 1966: Turin-Togliatti exhibition at Centro Storico Fiat
From May 22 to October 4, 2026, the Centro Storico Fiat in Turin hosts "Torino-Togliatti 1966-2026. Uno stabilimento grande e subito," an exhibition marking 60 years since the historic agreement between FIAT and the Soviet Union to build the AutoVAZ plant in Togliatti. Curated by Claudio Giunta and Giovanna Silva with Maurizio Torchio, the show features original documents, photographs, and contemporary reinterpretations. On May 4, 1966, FIAT president Vittorio Valletta signed the protocol in Turin, with key figures including Gianni Agnelli, Piero Savoretti, Riccardo Chivino, and Soviet premier Aleksei Kosygin, as well as Cold War leaders Nikita Khrushchev, John F. Kennedy, and US Defense Secretary Robert McNamara. The plant produced the Lada, derived from the FIAT 124, becoming an icon of Eastern European mobility. Silva's 2019 journey to Togliatti with Giunta provides contemporary photographs and interviews with former workers.
Key facts
- Exhibition runs May 22 to October 4, 2026 at Centro Storico Fiat, Turin.
- Curated by Claudio Giunta, Giovanna Silva, with Maurizio Torchio.
- Commemorates 60th anniversary of FIAT-Soviet Union agreement signed May 4, 1966.
- Agreement led to construction of AutoVAZ plant in Togliatti, USSR.
- Key signatories: Vittorio Valletta (FIAT), Aleksei Kosygin (USSR).
- Involved Cold War figures: Nikita Khrushchev, John F. Kennedy, Robert McNamara.
- AutoVAZ produced the Lada, based on FIAT 124.
- Giovanna Silva traveled to Togliatti in 2019 with Claudio Giunta for contemporary documentation.
Entities
Artists
- Claudio Giunta
- Giovanna Silva
- Maurizio Torchio
Institutions
- FIAT
- Centro Storico Fiat
- AutoVAZ
- Collezione da Tiffany
Locations
- Turin
- Italy
- Togliatti
- Russia
- Moscow
- Soviet Union
- Volga