Fiat 1100 (1937)

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This article is about the Fiat 1100 of 1937 to 1953. For the Fiat 1100 of 1953 to 1969, see Fiat 1100.
Fiat 1100
cabriolet
  • 2-door spider
  • 2-door berlinetta (Mille Miglia)
  • 2-door pickup truck[1]
  • 2-door van[1]
    • LayoutFront-engine, rear-wheel-drive
    RelatedSimca 8
    Powertrain
    Engine1,089 cc I4
    Transmission4-speed manual
    Dimensions
    WheelbaseStandard: 2,420 mm (95.3 in)
    Long: 2,700 mm (106.3 in)[2]
    Chronology
    PredecessorFiat 508 Balilla
    SuccessorFiat 1100/103

    The Fiat 1100 is a

    overhead valve
    engine. In 1939 it was updated and renamed simply Fiat 1100.
    unibody Fiat 1100/103
    .

    History

    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.[4]
     Drive was to the
    live axle.[4] According to the manufacturer top speed was 110 km/h (68 mph).[2]

    The saloon (here a 1100) was pillarless and had rear doors opening backwards.
    A 508 C convertible saloon

    Exterior styling recalled the 1935 Fiat 1500 and the 1936 Fiat 500 "Topolino", with the typical mid-thirties heart-shaped front grille.[7] The main body style for the Fiat 508 C was a 4-door

    cabriolet, and, for a brief period, a sporty 2-door 2-seat spider built by Carrozzeria Viotti
    .

    In 1938 Fiat put on sale a long-

    lorry
    (508 L Camioncino).

    1946 Fiat 1100 van
    1948 Fiat 1100 BL Tassì

    Again in 1938 a sports model was introduced, the 42 PS (31 kW) 508 C Mille Miglia.

    In 1939 the car underwent a restyling of the front end and became the Fiat 1100, also inappropriately known as 1100 A to distinguish from the later variants. The car had gained a taller, pointed grille—which earned it the popular nickname of 1100 musone,[8] i. e. "big muzzle"—with horizontal chrome bars, the top three extending back over window-shaped louvres on each side of the redesigned engine bonnet. Available body styles were six, all carried over from the previous model: saloon, convertible saloon, cabriolet, sports berlinetta, long-wheelbase saloon and taxi.[8] No significant changes were made to the car's mechanicals.

    After World War II, in 1948, the 1100 received some mechanical and interior upgrades, and was renamed 1100 B. The revised type 1100 B engine produced 35 PS (26 kW) at 4,400 rpm[9][4] thanks to improved inlet and exhaust manifolds and a larger 32 mm diameter choke carburettor.[10] Inside the cabin there was a two-spoke steering wheel instead of the previous three-spoke one, new instrumentation and new trim. The 1100 B was available as saloon, long-wheelbase saloon and taxi. In total 25,000 were made between 1948 and 1949.[9]

    The 1100 B lasted only one year as in 1949 the car was re-introduced with a curvy

    boot
    and new name, the 1100 E.

    Derivatives

    508 C Mille Miglia

    Fiat 508 C Mille Miglia
    Kerb weight
    		820 kg (1,808 lb)[11]

    The Fiat 508 C Mille Miglia was a 2-door, 2-seat berlinetta sports car based on the 508 C chassis and engine, produced in 1938 and 1939. At the 1938 Mille Miglia race the debuting 508 C MM won its class, recording an average speed of 112 km/h (70 mph)[11] and placing 16th overall.

    The novel coupé body had a peculiar but highly aerodynamic shape, characterised by a flat, elongated roofline, an abruptly cut off tail, and some very modern traits like an uninterrupted fender line and smooth sides—a first on a Fiat.[11] As the Mille Miglia model was developed mainly to help promote the new 508 C by competing in

    frontal area. Therefore in order to up the car's top speed Fiat's Ufficio tecnico vetture (motor car engineering and design department, headed by Dante Giacosa) had to optimise the body shape to lower its drag coefficient—even at the cost of sacrificing interior room and rear visibility.[12]
    According to Giacosa inspiration for the sports coupé's body came from observing that during test runs a prototype 500 Topolino-based van could reach a higher top speed than the saloon it was based on. The shape of the body was then perfected using a number of 1:5 scale models and the wind tunnel of the Politecnico di Torino university.[13]

    Rear view of a 508 C MM, 1939 version

    The 1,089 cc engine had a larger Zenith 32 VIMB carburettor, a 7:1 compression ratio and other improvements; now coded 108 C M.M., it produced 42 PS (31 kW) at 4,400 rpm—up from 32 PS of the standard 508 C. Thanks to the aerodynamic, lightweight body and more powerful engine, top speed was 140 km/h (87 mph), remarkable for a 1.1-litre car of that size and weight.[11]

    For 1939 the body shape was further developed, changing the front end (now with a trilobate instead of hearth-shaped grille) and exaggerating the teardrop shape of the rear.

    References

    Notes

    1. ^ a b Fiat 1100 brochure, pictures.abebooks.com, as archived at web.archive.org
    2. ^ a b c Fiat—Tutti i modelli del Novecento I, p. 228–233.
    3. ASIN B00ZLN91ZG
      .
    4. ^ a b c Becker, Clauspeter (1971). Logoz, Arthur (ed.). "Fiat 128". Auto-Universum 1971 (in German). XIV. Zürich, Switzerland: Verlag Internationale Automobil-Parade AG: 80.
    5. ^ Setright, p. 659.
    6. ^ Setright, p. 660.
    7. ^ Setright, L. J. K. (1974), Northey, Tom (ed.), "FIAT: The Godfather of the Italian Motor Industry", World of Automobiles, 6, London: Orbis Publishing Ltd: 660
    8. ^ a b Fiat—Tutti i modelli del Novecento I, p. 240–243.
    9. ^ a b Fiat—Tutti i modelli del Novecento I, p. 250–251.
    10. ^ Giacosa, p. 119.
    11. ^ a b c d e f g h Fiat—Tutti i modelli del Novecento I, p. 243–235.
    12. ^ Giacosa, p. 58.
    13. ^ Giacosa, p. 57.

    Bibliography

    • Fiat—Tutti i modelli del Novecento. Vol. I. Editoriale Domus. 2010.
    • Giacosa, Dante (2014) [1st pub. Automobilia, 1979]. I miei 40 anni di progettazione alla Fiat (PDF) (in Italian). Centro Storico Fiat.

    External links

    Wikimedia Commons has media related to Fiat 508 C and Fiat 1100 A, B and E.
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