1958 Fiat 1200 TV

Fiat resumed its post-WWII automobile production with its 500 'Topolino', 1100, and 1500. The 1500 was a streamlined automobile with six-cylinder power and saloon and convertible body styles. While the 1500 was considered a 'large family car,' the 1100 was a 'small family car,' with the 500 being even smaller, classified as a 'city car.'

The first all-new post-war Fiat automobiles were the 1400 and 1900, sharing body and platform, with the 1400 relying on a 1.4-liter engine while the 1900 received a 1.9-liter four-cylinder unit and a more luxurious interior. The Fiat 8V was an eight-cylinder sports car introduced in 1952 at the Geneva Motor Show.

In 1953, Fiat introduced the all-new 1100 for its core market. The 508 and 1100 models had mobilized Italian families since the 1930s, renowned for their practicality, favorable handling characteristics, and reasonable performance. An all-new 1100 model was introduced in 1953, with a fresh and modern body design and unit-body construction similar to the senior Fiat 1400 first offered in 1950. Known as the Nuovo 1100 and internally designated the 1100/103, it was introduced at the 1953 Geneva Motor Show and was powered by Fiat's yeoman, 1,089cc four-cylinder engine dating to the 508 C Balilla 1100 of 1937. Initially offered as a sedan with rear-hinged front doors, a five-door station wagon and a sporty two-seat cabriolet soon followed. A higher specification version, known as the 'TV' for Turismo Veloce, had higher compression and a two-barrel carburetor boosting output from 36 to 50 horsepower. The little 'Trasformabile' roadster was designed by Fabio Luigi Rapi, the department head of Fiat's in-house special bodies division known as Dipartimento Carrozzerie Derivate e Speciali. Approximately one thousand examples of the 1100cc Trasformabile were constructed before the updated 1200 model was introduced.

Throughout its lengthy production lifespan, lasting to 1969 in Europe and 1999 in India, the 1100/103 received numerous styling and mechanical upgrades, with body styles that would grow to include the 1100 Familiare (a 5-door estate), the 1100 TV Trasformabile (a two-seater roadster), and a 1100 TV Coupe by Pinin Farina.

The Fiat 1200
By 1958, a larger 1,221cc engine had been developed offering 55 horsepower in standard tune, and replaced the TV (Turismo Veloce) variants at the top of the Fiat 1100 range. The overhead valve, push-rod, single-carbureted engine was paired with a four-speed manual transmission, sending power to the rear wheels. The suspension was independent at the front with a live rear axle. Drum brakes at all four corners provided the stopping power. The wheelbase measured 92.1 inches (2,340 mm), the same as the 1100.

At the Turin Motor Show in November 1957, Fiat introduced the 'Granluce' and 'Trasformabile' body styles. The Granluce was a four-door saloon family car with an all-new, modern design with a wider windshield than the previous 1100 saloon, and a rear panoramic window. The name 'Granluce' translates as 'full-light' in Fiat's own English-language sales materials, representing the ample 'greenhouse' provided by the large windows. By the time production of the Granluce ceased in September 1961, approximately 400,000 examples had been produced.

The Fiat 1200 TV
The Fiat 1200 TV (Turismo Veloce) Trasformabile (Spider / Roadster) was produced through 1959 with approximately 2,350 examples built. A Rapi-designed body was used in 1957 and 1958, with a new design by Pininfarina arriving in 1959.

The Fiat 1200 TV Trasformabile had boulevard styling, with bright wheel covers, a curved windshield, and rounded bodysides. The interior housed a strip speedometer, a wood-rimmed, aluminum-spoked steering wheel, and swiveling seats.

The Pininfarina-designed cabriolet body (Tipo 118G) would remain in production through the mid-1960s and produced in much higher quantities, with over 34,000 examples built. It was built across two generations (1959 to 1963, and 1964 to 1966) before being superseded by the Fiat 124 Sport Spider in 1966. Power was initially sourced from the same 1221 cc OHV engine as used in the earlier 200 TV Trasformabile/Spider, with a slight boost in power to 59 hp. The 'second generation' of the Pininfarina Cabriolet received even larger engines of the 1300/1500.

by Daniel Vaughan | Jul 2023