Fiat 1100
| Fiat 1100 | |
|---|---|
Various versions of the 1100/103 (spring 1955). From right to left: Berlina (sedan), Familiare (estate), TV (Turismo Veloce).
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| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Fiat |
| Production | 1953–1969 |
| Assembly | |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Small family car (C) |
| Body style | |
| Layout | Front-engine, rear-wheel-drive |
| Related |
Neckar Europa Premier Padmini (1100 D) |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | |
| Transmission | 4-speed manual |
| Chronology | |
| Predecessor | Fiat 1100 E |
| Successor | Fiat 128 |
The Fiat 1100 is a small family car produced from 1953 to 1969 by the Italian manufacturer Fiat. It was an all-new unibody replacement for the Fiat 1100 E, which descended from the pre-war, body-on-frame Fiat 508 C Balilla 1100. The 1100 was changed steadily and gradually until being replaced by the new Fiat 128 in 1969. There were also a series of light commercial versions of the 1100 built, with later models called the Fiat 1100T, which remained in production until 1971. The Fiat 1100 D also found a long life in India, where Premier Automobiles continued to build the car until the end of 2000.
Like other manufacturers, after World War II Fiat continued producing and updating pre-war types. The first blank sheet design was the 1950 1400, the first with unibody Fiat, which took place of the 1935 1500. Fiat's intermediate offering between the 1500 and the diminutive 500 was the 1100 E, the last evolution of the 508C Nuova Balilla 1100 first launched in 1937. Its replacement it was codenamed Tipo 103; like the 1400 was to use unit construction, while the 1100 E's 1.1-litre engine was carried over unaltered.
The Fiat Nuova 1100, or Fiat 1100/103 as it was called the after its internal project number, was introduced at the April 1953 Geneva Motor Show. Unlike the 1100 E it replaced, the 103 had a modern four-door saloon pontoon body topping new unibody construction, both pioneered in Fiat's range by the 1950 1400.
If the 103's body was all-new, its engine was well-tested, having debuted in 1937 on the predecessor of the outgoing 1100, the 508 C Balilla 1100. Updated as type 103.000, the 1,089 cc (66 cu in) overhead valve four-cylinder was fed by a single Solex or Weber downdraught carburettor, and put out 36 PS CUNA (26 kW) at 4,400 rpm–one horsepower more than on the 1100 E. The 4-speed manual transmission had synchromesh on the top three speeds and a column-mounted shifter, fashionable at the time. The car could reach a top speed of 116 km/h (72 mph). The new model was offered in two different versions: the spartan Tipo A and richer Tipo B. The former was only available in a grey-brown paint colour, had separate front seats instead of a bench, reduced, non-chromed exterior trim, and lacked a heater and ventilation. The type B came in a choice of paint hues and interior fabrics, and could be ordered with factory-fitted whitewall tyres and radio. A distinguishing feature of 103s throughout the 1950s were the doors, both hinged on the centre pillar; this would only change in 1960, when 1100 started to adopt the more modern bodyshell of the Fiat 1200 saloon.
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