Fiat 1100

The Fiat 1100 is a small family car produced from 1953 until 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.

Background

Like other manufacturers, after World War II Fiat continued producing and updating pre-war types. The first clean-sheet design was the 1950 1400, the first Fiat with unibody construction, which replaced 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 was codenamed Tipo 103; like the 1400 was to use unibody construction, with the 1100 E's 1.1-litre engine carried over unaltered.

1100

1953: 1100/103

wheelbase	2342 mm

length	103 E: 3775 mm‡R1R‡ 103 E Familiare: 3745 mm

width	103 E: 1458 mm 103 E Familiare: 1436 mm

height	103 E: 1480 mm

weight	103 E: 828 –

The Fiat Nuova 1100, or Fiat 1100/103 as it was called after its internal project number, was introduced at the April 1953 Geneva Motor Show.[2][3] 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.[3][4]

If the 103's body was all-new, its engine was well-tested; the car's engine debuted in 1937 on the predecessor of the outgoing 1100 E, the 508 C Balilla 1100. Updated as type 103.000, the 1089 cc overhead valve four-cylinder was fed by a single Solex or Weber downdraught carburettor, and put out 36 PS at 4,400 rpm—just one horsepower more than on the 1100 E.[3] 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.[3] 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.[3][5] The Type A right hand drive export models were only available in black. They were also equipped with a heater and ventilation system as well. The Type A cars also came with slightly broader body trim strips compared to the Type B. On left hand drive versions of both the Type A and Type B cars, the dashboard contained a large plastic badge (on the right hand side) stating "Millecento" covering the orifice where a radio could be installed. However on the right hand drive cars, this badge which was located on the left hand side contained the wording Fiat 1100 on the Type A cars and Millecento on the Type B cars. 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;[3] this would only change in 1960, when the 1100 started to adopt the more modern bodyshell of the Fiat 1200 Granluce saloon. Unlike the earlier, body-on-frame 1100 series, there was no NSU-developed two-door sedan model.

1100 TV

At the October 1953 Paris Motor Show, Fiat launched a sporting version of the 103, the 1100 TV—standing for Turismo Veloce, "Fast Touring".[6][7] The TV was fitted with an improved engine (type 103.006), which developed 48 PS at 5,400 rpm rather than the 36 PS of the regular versions, mainly thanks to a twin-choke Weber carburettor and a higher 7.4:1 (instead of 6.7:1) compression ratio.[5] Later in 1954, compression ratio was raised further to 7.6:1 and power reached 50 PS CUNA.[5] Top speed was 135 km/h.[7] Another notable mechanical difference was the propeller shaft, two-piece instead of one-piece in order to dampen torsional vibrations, intensified by the increased engine output.[7]

1960: 1100/103 H Export and Special

Late in 1960 the 1958 1100/103 D and the 1110/103 H Lusso were replaced by three models, first shown at the November 1960 Turin Motor Show: the 1100 Export, the pricier 1100 Special, and the 1100 Familiare station wagon.[16]

The Special changed its name depending on the market—e.g. it was named Speciale in Italy and Spezial in Germany. The main difference between Special and Export saloons was the sheetmetal: the Export used a 103 H Lusso bodyshell, while the Special became the first 1100 with four front-hinged doors, as it adopted the more modern 1200 Granluce's bodyshell. Otherwise the two saloons had nearly identical interior trim and equipment. Both had been stripped of the Granluce and Lusso's glitzy trim and their complex paint schemes—though a contrast colour roof remained optional on the Special.[16] Sole concessions to ornamentation were a chrome spear down the side and factory-fitted whitewall tyres, with a thicker band on the Special.[5] Export, Special and Familiare all used the same front end, as fitted to the Lusso and the 1959 restyled Granluce; front and rear the bumpers had less bulky over-riders, without rubber inserts.[5] The Familiare did not change much externally, receiving the new grille but keeping the rear-hinged doors. It also received the 103 H engine and chassis code.

The engine was the twin-carburettor tipo 103 H (50 PS CUNA) carried over from the outgoing Lusso, for a 130 km/h top speed.[16] Thanks to new flexible rubber mounts it was possible to replace the two-piece propshaft with a simpler one-piece one, even with the more powerful engine. A Saxomat automatic clutch was available as on option on the Special only. At some point during the Special's production run the tooling was modified, eliminating the decorative ridges extending from the front wheel opening to the front door, present since 1953.[5] 1100 Export and Special remained on sale until 1962, when they were both replaced by the Fiat 1100 D.

Also, the 103 D Export was made in Argentina between 1960 and 1963 by Fiat Someca Concord S.A.C.I. in Ferreyra, Córdoba province. 23,152 units was made.[17] These were nicknamed "millecento" and are specially loved by Italian descendants.

1100 R

The very last 1100 model, born in February 1966, was the 1100 R ("R" stood for Rinnovata; "refreshed"). It had a longer, straighter and slimmer line, with a square back and a front-end look not very different from its bigger sister the Fiat 124. In terms of styling cues, the vestigial fins were further suppressed and the simple round rear light cluster from the Fiat 850 replaced the vertical form seen on the 1100 D. At the same time, the larger engine was withdrawn in order to avoid undue overlap with the 124. The 1100 R was offered only with the older 1,089 cc engine,[21] now with a compression ratio of 8:1 and a claimed output of 48 bhp. This engine (with a somewhat narrower bore) had been first introduced in the 1937 508 C Balilla 1100.[22]

Clutch and gearbox were little changed, but the return of a floor mounted gear lever positioned between the front seats and connected to the gearbox with a rod linkage system was welcomed by the motoring press. The absence of synchromesh on the bottom forward speed nevertheless offered a reminder that under the surface this was becoming a somewhat aging design. Between the gearbox and the differential, the propeller shaft had now been separated into two parts with three couplings. The interior was simplified somewhat, in part by using certain parts from the 850, such as the steering wheel.

The boot was usefully expanded, helped by a slight increase in the car's overall length, and with more careful packaging of the spare wheel (under the floor) and the fuel tank (in the rear wing on the right).[23] As configured for UK sales, reclining front seats were available as an optional extra for £8.[24] The Familiare's rear end remained mostly unchanged, keeping the old taillights.

The 1100 R finally gave way in October 1969 to the new, middle-class Fiat 128 which had gone on sale five months earlier. It was also assembled by the Neckar-Automobilwerke in Heilbronn, Germany. Called the Neckar 1100 Millecento it only differed lightly in trim.[25]

transmission
aka	NSU-Fiat Europa NSU-Fiat Neckar Zastava 1100B
manufacturer	Fiat
production	1953–1962
assembly	Italy: Mirafiori, Turin Argentina: Córdoba Australia Egypt: Cairo (El Nasr) India: Mumbai Yugoslavia: Kragujevac West Germany: Heilbronn (NSU Automobil AG)
body style	4-door saloon 4-door estate 2-door spider
related	Fiat 1200 Neckar Europa
layout	Front-engine, rear-wheel-drive
engine	1,089 cc I4 (petrol) 1,221 cc I4 (petrol)

Background

1100

1953: 1100/103

1100 TV

1100 TV

1100 Familiare

1100 TV Trasformabile

1100 TV coupé Pinin Farina

1956: 1100/103 E

1958: 1100/103 D

1959: 1100/103 H Lusso

1960: 1100/103 H Export and Special

Indian production by PAL

1100 D

1100 R

1100 T

External links

References

1100 Familiare

1100 TV Trasformabile

1100 TV coupé Pinin Farina