Fiat 1100 (1937)

Fiat 1100
A Fiat 508 C
Overview
Manufacturer	Fiat
Also called	Fiat 508 C "Balilla 1100"
Production	1937–1953
Body and chassis
Class	Small family car (C)
Body style	4-door 4-window saloon 4-door 4-window convertible saloon 4-door 6-window LWB saloon 4-door torpedo 2-door cabriolet 2-door spider 2-door berlinetta (Mille Miglia)
Layout	Front-engine, rear-wheel-drive
Related	Simca 8
Powertrain
Engine	1,089 cc I4 (petrol)
Transmission	4-speed manual
Dimensions
Wheelbase	Standard: 2,420 mm (95.3 in) Long: 2,700 mm (106.3 in)
Chronology
Predecessor	Fiat 508 Balilla
Successor	Fiat 1100/103

Fiat 508 C Mille Miglia
508 C MM, 1939 version
Overview
Production	1938–1939
Body and chassis
Body style	2-door berlinetta
Powertrain
Engine	1,089 cc I4 (petrol)
Transmission	4-speed manual
Dimensions
Wheelbase	2,420 mm (95.3 in)
Length	4,185 mm (164.8 in)
Width	1,480 mm (58.3 in)
Height	1,340 mm (52.8 in)
Kerb weight	820 kg (1,808 lb)

The Fiat 1100 is a small family car produced from 1937 to 1953 by the Italian car manufacturer Fiat. It was introduced in 1937 as Fiat 508 C or Balilla 1100, as a replacement for the Fiat 508 Balilla. Under the new body the 508 C had more modern and refined mechanicals compared to the 508, including independent front suspension and an enlarged overhead valve engine. In 1939 it was updated and renamed simply Fiat 1100. The 1100 was produced in three consecutive series—1100, 1100 B and 1100 E—until 1953, when it was replaced by the all-new, unibody Fiat 1100/103.

The Fiat 508 C was first introduced in 1937. It was powered by a 1,089 cc four-cylinder overhead-valve engine rather than the earlier Balilla's 1-litre unit. Power was up by a third, to 32 PS (24 kW) at 4,000 rpm. Drive was to the rear wheels through a 4-speed gearbox, and for the period, its comfort, handling, and performance were prodigious, making it "the only people's car that was also a driver's car". Unusual for a modestly priced car of the time was the independent front suspension, while the rear had a leaf sprung live axle. According to the manufacturer top speed was 110 km/h (68 mph).

Exterior styling recalled the 1935 Fiat 1500 and the 1936 Fiat 500 "Topolino", with the typical mid-thirties heart-shaped front grille. The main body style for the Fiat 508 C was a 4-door pillarless saloon with 4 side windows (two windows on each side without the rear quarter window), and suicide doors at the rear. Other body styles listed by Fiat were a 4-door convertible saloon (saloon with folding roof, based on the standard 4-door model), a 4-door torpedo, a 2-door 4-seat cabriolet, and, for a brief period, a sporty 2-door 2-seat spider built by Carrozzeria Viotti.