Fiat 1400 and 1900

The Fiat 1400 was introduced at the 1950 Geneva Motor Show. It was the first unibody Fiat automobile. In 1953, the introduction of a diesel version with a 1900 cc engine marked another Fiat first, although the diesel version was known as the 1400 Diesel. Also in 1953, the 1400 entered production in Spain as the SEAT 1400, the first model produced by SEAT. The following year it also became the first passenger car produced by Crvena Zastava in FNRY, the Zastava 1400 BJ. Equipped with a 2.0 litre Steyr engine, it was produced as "Steyr 2000" by Steyr-Daimler-Puch AG in Austria from 1953. The Fiat 1900, introduced in 1952, was an upmarket model that used the same body as the 1400, but came with a 1.9 litre engine and more standard features. The petrol-engined Fiat 1900 A, introduced in 1954, now offered a claimed 70 bhp. Unusually for that time, it featured a 5-speed column shifted manual transmission. The engine and transmission of the Fiat 1400/1900 were used in the Fiat 615 truck and Fiat Campagnola SUV. ==Features==

• The engine had a 1.4 L capacity and a power output of at 4400 rpm. About 179,000 1400s and 19,000 1900s were built. A 1400 cc model tested by the British magazine The Motor in 1950 had a top speed of and could accelerate from 0- in 35.7 seconds. A fuel consumption of was recorded. The car was never sold in the UK, but the Italian market price would have equated to approximately £750 including taxes. Having eulogised the performance and "quite exceptional...top gear flexibility", British journalists went on to praise the "astonishing silence, smoothness and comfort provided by the vehicle", highlighting various "unique features designed to prevent the transmission of noise and vibration to the passengers". Great use was made of rubber and of "a sound-proofing compound...liberally coated...[on the car's]...integral structure". ==Models==

A Fiat 1400 Cabriolet was designed by Giovanni Michelotti and bodied by Carrozzeria Vignale specifically for the 1952 Turin Motor Show. The Fiat was later driven by actor Kirk Douglas in the 1955 movie The Racers. The car was later registered in 1964 and was not seen for many years. Its current owner acquired the car in 2015, and it was returned to Italy for a complete restoration. File:Fiat 1400B(1900B).jpg|Fiat 1400 Berlina (1956) File:Capri Taxi.jpg|Fiat 1400 Cabriolet File:Fiat 1900 A 02.jpg|Fiat 1900 A Berlina File:Fiat 1900 B Granluce - Legend Cars 2015 - front.JPG|Fiat 1900 B Gran Luce File:1951 Fiat 1400 Vignale Cabriolet (44010938454).jpg|1951 Fiat 1400 Vignale Cabriolet ==References==