Fiat 1300 and 1500

The 1300/1500 were conventional cars, with longitudinally, front-mounted engines powering the rear axle via a four-speed manual transmission with a column gearchange. The engines employed were two versions of the same design, differing mainly in bore: The 1300 and 1500 engines were a variant of the six-cylinder engines of the Fiat 1800 and 2100, with two less cylinders. Because of the shared design and components, Fiat saved a lot of money and development time. An innovative feature at the time was the fitting of disc brakes on the front. Both variants started with a wheelbase of , but from 1964 the wheelbase of Fiat 1500 was increased to . This longer version was called the 1500 C and also received three more horsepower (for a total of 75) and various other detail differences, including power brakes and bigger taillights with built-in reverse lamps. The Pininfarina-designed Coupé and Cabriolet models of the preceding 1200 continued with largely unchanged bodywork, although they were now equipped with the larger 1.5 litre engine. The O.S.C.A. engined 1600 S Coupé and Cabriolet also continued to be available. All of the coupés and convertibles were replaced by the new 124 coupés and spiders in 1966. The New Zealand importer, Torino Motors, marketed the 1500 as the "Crusader", with corresponding badging. In South Africa, dealers could also supply the "1500 OTS", a conversion for more power available in two different stages. The OTS was developed by CMI (Cartoria Motor Industries) specifically to suit local production car competition regulations. Rather than the standard car's SAE, the OTS developed SAE in the respective Stage I and Stage II variants. A variety of extras were also offered, including lowered suspension and a conversion to a floor-mounted shifter. File:Fiat1300a.jpg|Fiat 1300 - front fascia File:Fiat 1500.jpg|Fiat 1500 C - front fascia File:Heckansicht.jpg|1965 Fiat 1300 rear File:1966 Fiat 1500 rear view.jpg|1966 Fiat 1500 C rear File:Innenraum Fiat 1300.jpg|1965 Fiat 1300 interior File:1966 Fiat 1500 interior.jpg|1966 Fiat 1500 C interior File:Fiat 1500 Cabriolet.jpg|Fiat 1500 Cabriolet File:Fiat 1300 gr vr.jpg|Fiat 1300 Familiare File:Fiat 1500 Wagon.JPG|Fiat 1500 Wagon File:FIAT 1500 Coupe Vignale (01).jpg|Fiat 1500 Coupé Vignale ==Fiat 1500 L / 1500 Taxi==

The 1500 L is essentially a Fiat 1800 fitted with the 1500 engine, with the "L" added to distinguish it from the more compact, unrelated model. The Taxi version debuted in 1962 and had the engine detuned to . The 1500 L (for "Lunga" – Italian for "long") originally had the same engine as the regular 1500, and in 1964 was upgraded to along with the Fiat 1500 C. The 1500 L was also built in Barcelona as the SEAT 1500, where 183,652 were produced between 1963 and 1975. SEAT simply called it the 1500 without a disambiguator as the 1300/1500 was not available from them. ==Other versions==

Siata 1500 TS Siata, the Italian tuning accessories and special vehicles manufacturer, devised a model called TS or 1500 TS that differed from the regular Fiat saloon in styling details, including two-tone paint, but mainly in the fact that the engine was tuned to deliver as much as . Moreover, there was a 1500 TS Coupé version with a unique body designed by Giovanni Michelotti. Both the saloon and the coupé were also manufactured by Fiat's German subsidiary, Neckar Automobil AG, formerly known as NSU-Fiat, located in Heilbronn (unlike regular Fiat 1300/1500). Zastava 1300 and 1500 The Yugoslav automaker Zastava, which was extensively cooperating with Fiat, also assembled the 1300 and 1500, branding them as Zastava 1300 and Zastava 1500, respectively. Zastava went on to produce the 1300 by itself when Fiat in 1967 stopped production. During the seventies better equipment was added and models named DeLuxe and 1300E. The production finished in December 1979. 201,160 copies were made since 1961. The car was nicknamed Tristać (trista means 300 in Serbian language.). The saloon model in the Zastava's version is the same as in the Fiat's version, but the estate model is different. This model is used as the foundation of the Fiat 1300/1500's successor, Fiat 124. With all-around disc brakes, rear-wheel drive, up to 72 horsepower (the engine could propel the car to a top speed of 155 km/h), the elegant Tristać was Yugoslavia's favorite upmarket car. The Zastava 1300 was also assembled by Leonidas Lara (C.C.A.) in Bogotá, Colombia. Assembly of Zastavas in Colombia began as early as 1969. Argentinian Fiat 1500 For South American market Fiat Concord in Buenos Aires from 1963 produced a 1500 version. This was Seat of Spain which made available as "Berlina", "Familiar," and in a pick-up version with three seats in the front row named "Multicarga". A total of 123,059 examples were produced. A Vignale-bodied coupé version, very rare in Europe, was more common in Argentina where 5,228 units were built between 1966 and 1970. These four-seater coupés differed in minor ways from the Vignale coupés built in Italy and provided the basis for the 1969 1600 Sport, a fastback coupé that eventually developed into the Argentina-only 125 Sport. These later versions no longer required Fiat Concord to pay (steep) royalties to Vignale. The 1600 received an enlarged version of the 1500s engine, displacing 1625 cc. Polski Fiat 125p Although considered a variant of Fiat 125, the Polski Fiat 125p was actually a combination of bodywork of Fiat 125 and engines and mechanicals of Fiat 1300/1500. ==References==