Fiat 1300

Fiat
Fiat 1300 (1961-1966)
1300
Production period:	1961-1966
Class :	Middle class
Body versions :	Limousine , station wagon
Engines:	Otto engine : 1.3 liters (45 kW): 1.5 liters (49 kW)
Length:	4030 mm
Width:	1545 mm
Height:	1440 mm
Wheelbase :	2425 mm
Empty weight :	960-1010 kg
Previous model	Fiat 1200
successor	124 , 125

The Fiat 1300 (ital .: Milletrecento) was a model of the automobile manufacturer Fiat , which was produced from 1961 to 1966. He was innovative in many ways and very successful in the market. The sister model with slightly more displacement was the Fiat 1500 . In Yugoslavia it was produced by Zastava under a Fiat license until 1979 .

Rear view

The development

Shortly after the presentation of the Fiat 1200 Gran Luce in 1957, preparations began to design the successor model. Target for inclusion in future model range was that it was located between the 1100 and the 1800 / 2100 was to position. With the 1300, Fiat developed a vehicle that was supposed to combine the economy of the small car with the comfort of the large car. The models 116C.000 and 115C.000 were created, which were sold under the name Fiat 1300/1500. Both were identical except for the engine.

The development provided for a test phase that was unusual for Italian conditions at the time. 19 prototypes completed 1.5 million test kilometers before they were launched. The vehicle was presented in April 1961 and proved to be technically robust well beyond its production time.

The design features

The body

The car was designed in the then modern trapezoidal shape and stylistically based on that of the Chevrolet Corvair , which was highly regarded at the time . In particular, three features were found here: the roof overhanging the rear window by approx. 5 cm, the round double headlights enclosed in an oval metal panel and the body edge running around waist height. Despite this high-sided shape, the car didn't look chubby. There was only a four-door version. The most popular color was white. The self-supporting body had the dimensions 4030 mm × 1545 mm × 1420 mm.

The interior

The mid-range Fiat was 20 cm shorter than the contemporary notchback VW Type 3, but the interior was longer. It was easily accessible through the four standard doors and there was room for five people. The interior was available in fabric or optionally - for a surcharge of DM 100.00 - in artificial leather (Skai). However, contemporary car testers complained about the lack of wear resistance of the upholstery fabric variants. Reclining seats were standard.

The dashboard was fully equipped as standard: tape speedometer, the usual indicator lights for the indicators (in the first series still separate for the right and left sides), choke, oil pressure, handbrake, parking / dipped beam and high beam. In addition to the fuel gauge, there was a supplementary red warning lamp that lit up as soon as the reserve limit was undershot. With a hand lever, which was connected to the linkage between the accelerator pedal and the carburetor, the idling speed could be increased after a cold start in order to prevent the engine from stalling. Warning: Using this idle speed as cruise control was extremely dangerous because it did not reset itself. There was a horn ring on the steering wheel, and the gears were selected using a steering wheel gearshift. In the middle of the dashboard was a removable lid with a large Fiat emblem that covered the radio slot. A gold-colored type lettering was found on the flap of the glove compartment.

The technology

The engine made 61 hp (45 kW) with a displacement of 1295 cm³. The cylinder bore was 72 mm in the 1300 and 77 mm in the 1500, the stroke was 79.5 mm in both engine versions. The top speed of the 1300 was 140 km / h. The sporty performance was bought at the price of compromising elasticity , the maximum torque of 97 Nm was only available at 3200 revolutions per minute. All gears of the 4-speed gearbox were synchronized. The gear lever was placed on the steering column; there was also no center shift for a surcharge, but a semi-automatic or automatic clutch (“Saxomat” from Fichtel & Sachs ) was available on request . The front wheels were individually suspended on double wishbones, a rigid axle with semi-elliptical leaf springs was installed at the rear. There were hydraulic telescopic shock absorbers at both the front and rear. What was remarkable at the time was the front disc brake, with which deceleration values ​​were achieved with safe lane keeping that no other comparable car offered.

The 1300 and the German market

At the premiere in Germany at the IAA in 1961, both versions (1300 and 1500) were considered competing models, for example the new class from BMW. The Fiat 1300 cost 7,100 DM and in terms of equipment and interior dimensions, for example, significantly exceeded a VW Type 3. In the following time it was the most popular import car in Germany and in several other countries.

In contemporary tests by the trade press, it did generally well above average. Even in April 1966, it took second place in a trade press test, not least because of its high level of safety and its favorable price-performance ratio.

How many vehicles of the type 1300 were sold in Germany is difficult to estimate, as the numbers were usually recorded together with its sister model - the Fiat 1500 . It is known that between the two of them together between 800 and 1800 imports per month and that a total of 86,945 115/116 vehicles were registered between 1961 and 1968.

Facelift

Fiat 1300 Familiare (1961-1966)

Fiat Vignale 1300 Coupé (1962)

Shortly after the presentation at the Salon in Turin, a five-door station wagon version called Familiare was offered, which was aimed primarily at craftsmen. The tailgate of this model was so narrow below the "belt line" that it fit between the tail lights of the sedan.

In 1964, the 1500 was followed by the luxury model customary in Italy at the time, recognizable by a C in the model name. Contrary to popular belief, the 1300 did not receive this upgrade.

The popularity of the 1300/1500 meant that many coachbuilders in Italy were concerned with special models, which usually had little in common with the standard model except for the engine and the platform.

The end

The taste of the times overtook the Fiat 1300. The " New Objectivity " demanded straight, cubic forms. After five years of construction, production of the 1300s was stopped in 1966, and the Fiat 124 was its successor . The engine and parts of the chassis were built in Poland and used in the Polski Fiat 125p . A total of over 600,000 units of the 1300/1500 series were built.

Today the car has become rare in Germany. An author of the magazine "Der Spiegel" believes that there are two main reasons for this. On the one hand, he leads the sober model designation based on the displacement, on the other hand, the cars disappeared relatively quickly from the streets due to severe rust. In 1988, only 519 registered cars of both variants were known to the Federal Motor Transport Authority.

This is different in other countries: In Arab countries, the car is still very popular because of its robustness and the “rust (in) favorable” climate; it can often be seen as a taxi in Cairo, for example. Some of these vehicles are also still on the road in former Yugoslavia, but these are the vehicles that Zastava produced under license until 1979.

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  Interior of the 1300

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  Fiat 1300 C (1964-1966)

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  Interior of the 1500 C

literature

• Heiko Haupt: Shrunken Street Cruisers, in: Der Spiegel, June 5, 2003
• Automobil Revue , catalog number 1965, p. 246ff. (technical data and prices)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Chevrolet Convair. in: Automobilia, issue October / November 2006, Histoire & Collections, Paris, p. 30 f.
2. ↑ New Fiat models . In: Motor vehicle technology 06/1961, pp. 250-251.
3. ↑ See also AutoBild hit list 1945–2004

Web links

Commons : Fiat 1300  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Le Fiat 1300 della Polizia: The Fiat 1300 at the Italian police station (Italian)
• Pictures of a restoration