One Orlando Giovannone opened a machine tool shop in his native Arpino after being discharged as mechanic to the Corpo Aeronautico Militare in 1923. Orlando quickly gained an interest and a passion for the automobile and next to servicing, started working on body work as well. A interest turned into a full time job and the Compagnia Carrozzeria Orlando, CCO, was born.
A small factory for production under licence was built and started production in 1931. By 1936 a first fully designed and built CCO car was produced. This first car, and the post-war “Arpino” model, were soon considered as a car for the “new man”, the first in his family to be able to afford moderate luxury products.
Anecdote tells that the rebranding to the name Cicero happened after a misunderstanding of the CCO name by the wife of a brother of a friend of Orlando back in 1953. The sound association between CCO and Cicero, as well as Marcus Tullius being the historical archetype of the homo novus charmed the old Orlando to such extent that he renamed the company thus just before his retirement. The badging of the Cicero cars up to this day still indicates “CCO”.
Line-up
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Cicero as a modern Italian company with strong export presence has a varied line-up, from mini-compact city cars, over the omnipresent crossovers and SUVs to the occasional sports or premium car.
SE pictured in Cicero Purple
TF pictured in Latium Marble White
Viribus in Electric Green
1000 SE
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The “Standard Export” engine trim is the base Cicero model. Although mainly aimed at export to North-Africa and Asia, the SE is still a nippy city car with basic but comfortable interior, and an economical but extremely sturdy little engine. This 1 litre unit is designed for easy maintenance and cost-free service. Coupled to a manual 5-speed gearbox, the 1000SE will get you around and between towns starting from 10,250 EUR.
Technical Datasheet
Cicero Arpino 1000 SE
Cylinders
Inline-3
Valvetrain
DOHC-12
NA Gasoline 91RON
Displacement
1000cc
Power
52 hp at 6200 rpm
Torque
83 Nm at 2800 rpm
Weight
917 kg
Top Speed
142 km/h
Acceleration 0-100
16 sec
Braking 80-0
29,14 m
Fuel Consumption City (l/100km / US MPG)
4,3 / 54,7
Fuel Consumption Highway (l/100km / US MPG)
5,5 / 42,8
1000 TF
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The “Turbo Factory” engine trim is our 1 litre unit enhanced with a modern turbo-charger for increased power and efficiency. New for the 2019 Arpino is the standard six-speed automatic gearbox, allowing an improved city driving experience, fine-tuned to ensure optimal fuel economy. Prices start at 12,950 EUR.
Technical Datasheet
Cicero Arpino 1000 TF
Cylinders
Inline-3
Valvetrain
DOHC-12
Turbo Gasoline 91RON
Displacement
1000cc
Power
80 hp at 6000 rpm
Torque
122 Nm at 3200 rpm
Weight
950 kg
Top Speed
155 km/h
Acceleration 0-100
10,8 sec
Braking 80-0
29,95 m
Fuel Consumption City
2,8 / 84
Fuel Consumption Highway
4,7 / 50
Viribus
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Finally, the Viribus, the city car of the futuren today. Immediately recognizable with its subtly differently styled front and rear, and by the specially designed Tyrelli e-tires, the Viribus is powered by an electric motor between the front wheels and a battery under the passenger compartment and boot. With a guaranteed 160km radius in city traffic, the Viribus is the wallet-friendly green car of choice for the new man. Available from 19,425 EUR.
The Arpino is definitely one of the better-looking modern city cars I’ve seen on this forum. A baby hot hatch version, with stickier tyres, a sharper suspension tune, and (preferably) a manual gearbox, would definitely be a legitimate rival to the Up GTI - but if it were ever to be made, it should share most (all?) of the brighter color options with lesser trims. As it is, though, I would be happy to settle for a TF auto with 10-spoke wheels and colour-coded mirrors in a bright color such as Cicero Purple Metallic, Orangino or Lime Green. And since we can’t make a pure EV in Automation, what engine did you put in the Viribus to simulate an EV?
Generally I would make a boxer engine, as torquey and heavy as I can. However, this did not fit, so I just used the NA 1000cc, and the rest is notepad magic. This includes running lights, adapted head lights, visible difference between brake lights and tail lights, and a third brake light that only lights up on braking.
Diesel engines (fully made in Beam, but modded sound) and Hybrids are next on my to do list.
Is there still really a market for mini city car "GTi"s though?
The Cato, the sub-compact, is almost ready and will feature a proper hot hatch version. But PMI and CLR, the holding and in-house sports brand respectively, could envision a very limited batch of Cicero Arpino CLR, with a bored our version of that three cylinder and a bigger turbo.
No, let the Arpino be the boring city car trim. It’s got a proper electronic version, that suffices in common day marketing cool
Yes, there’s a market for the extremely small and light performance toy
0voters
The market has spoken, and a limit number of the Cicero Arpino CLR 3T are in production.
Edit:
Limited Edition Cicero Arpino CLR 3T
The CLR 3T is a limited edition version of the Arpino with the standard three cylinder engine bored out and tuned by PMI Racing&Tuning, and with car and suspension tuned by CLR, the in-house performance division. The little Arpino has received more aggressive front and rear bumpers, stands on sports suspension, has improved brakes and runs on gripper tires with 16" rims (compared to the 14" base version). The CLR 3T is only available on special order, and can be outfitted with a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed DCT automatic. We took the factory manual six-speed around our test track in 02:29.392.
The Cato is a five-door sub-compact class of Cicero and is available with a selection of 3 gasoline engines, 2 diesel engines, and a CLR performance version. Prices start at 18160 EUR for the base models (Cicero Cato 1500 SE and 1600 TDi).
Road testing by independent, regular people showed high appreciation for the quietness of the engines, including the diesel engines, and the high drivability of the Cicero 7-speed automatic gearbox. Our reviewers were also impressed by the extremely economic engines, including up to 2,8l/100km / 84mpg(US) during city cruising speeds by the Cato 1600 TDi, and 3,9l/100km / 60,3mpg(US) on the highway by a Cato 1500 TFS (with the S indicating the sports package).
Powered by the 265 horsepower CLR-tuned 2 litre inline-5 engine, the Cato CLR 5T has received looks, brakes and suspension to match. The CLR 5T can be driven comfortably and economically on a daily basis, but if one wants to push the throttle, this Cato proves to be heaps of fun, all while being accompanied by the orchestra that is a high-revving 5-cylinder turbo-charged engine.
Technical Datasheet
Cicero Cato CLR 5T
Cylinders
Inline-5
Valvetrain
DOHC-25
Turbo Gasoline 95RON
Displacement
1998cc
Power
265 hp at 7600 rpm
Torque
337 Nm at 4700 rpm
Weight
1380 kg
Top Speed
235 km/h
Acceleration 0-100
6,0 sec
Fuel Consumption City
3,6 / 65,3
Fuel Consumption Highway
5,3 / 44,4
[CLR 5T at a recent hillclimb event](https://streamable.com/07g7p)
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One of the very first surviving cars that Compagnia Carrozzeria Orlando, CCO (known after 1953 as Cicero) produced, was a 1928 Eleganza Straight Eight Gran Torino. The car assembled on request of a local noble and served for the estate until the mid-30s when it was put in a barn and amazingly survived well-enough for full restoration.
The Eleganza Straight Eight did feature a few elements that were CCO-designed and produced, such as the mirrors, grill, mechanics step-ups and lights. The chassis, engine, interior and body panels were provided by Eleganza. The straight eight engine was a 5 litre powerplant producing almost 105 horsepower. It was enough to allow this 2 ton Eleganza to travel constantly at 90 km/h for relatively large distance with reasonable fuel economy.
The Tiro is a five-door crossover SUB of Cicero and is available with a selection of 3 gasoline engines, 2 diesel engines, and a CLR performance version. Prices start at 21099 EUR for the base models (Cicero Tiro TF).
Engine Options
Engine Options
1500 TF
1700 TF
2000 TF
CLR-5TR
1800 Tdi
2400 Tdi
Cylinders
Inline-4
Inline-4
Inline-4
Inline-5
Inline-4
Inline-4
Valvetrain
DOHC-16
DOHC-16
DOHC-16
DOHC-25
DOHC-8
DOHC-16
Turbo Gasoline 91RON
Turbo Gasoline 91RON
Turbo Gasoline 91RON
Turbo Gasoline 95RON
Diesel
Diesel
Displacement
1498cc
1699cc
1997cc
2155cc
1802cc
2413cc
Power
140 hp at 6800 rpm
162 hp at 6600 rpm
190 hp at 6400 rpm
335 hp at 7500 rpm
108 hp at 4300 rpm
177 hp at 4500 rpm
Torque
178 Nm at 3800 Nm
204 Nm at 4300 rpm
256 Nm at 4300 rpm
394 Nm at 5000 rpm
218 Nm at 2300 rpm
305 Nm at 2300 rpm
Common exterior options:
Sun roof (+200 EUR)
Rims
Standard Cover (+0 EUR)
2x5 Sports (+150 EUR)
2x5 Sports Plus Alloys (+450 EUR)
Fan Blade Black Performance Alloys (+550 EUR)
Gearbox
Six-Speed Manual (+0 EUR)
Seven-Speed Automatic (+250 EUR)
Packages
All-wheel drive (+4000 EUR).
Luxury Pack: Leather sears, upgraded infotainment, a choice between 205 or 225 tires and 18" to 20" rims. (up to +3000 EUR)
CLR Pack (SEC, TFC, TDiC): CLR 5TR body kit, sports seats, LSD, sport suspension, 20" Fan Blade Black Performance Alloy wheels, upgraded brakes. (+ 5500 EUR)
Spacious, economical and with high safety ratings, the Tiro is your preferred family crossover, offering you extra ground-clearance and a choice between economic two-wheel drive or highly-rugged and safe all-wheel drive models. The Tiro is perfect for your city or highway commute during the week, and the getaway to the countryside in the weekend.
CLR 5T
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Powered an impressive 2155cc inline-5 producing 335 horsepower, the Tiro CLR 5TR is the top of the line performance model. The CLR 5TR can be driven comfortably and economically on a daily basis, but if one wants to push the throttle, this Tiro is ready for the track. The body style is available with the other engine as well, the suspension, brakes, tuning and sounds is not - and those are frankly priceless.
