The Fiat 1300 and Fiat 1500 are a series of front-engine, rear-drive automobiles manufactured and marketed by Fiat from 1961 to 1967, replacing the Fiat 1400 and Fiat 1200 coupé, spyder and cabriolet. The 1300 and 1500 were essentially identical to each other except for their engine displacement, as indicated by their model names, and were offered in sedan/saloon, station wagon, convertible and coupé body styles which shared little mechanically with the other body styles except the 1500 engine.
The 1500 offered a 75 hp engine, lightweight construction, front disc brakes and rear alloy drum brakes.
The 1300/1500 and their derivatives were also assembled by Yugoslavia's Zastava and Fiat's German subsidiary, Neckar Automobil AG, as well as in South Africa. The floorpan of the 1500 C was used as a basis for the 1500s replacement, the Fiat 125, while another model, the Polski Fiat 125p, made by the Polish FSO, was created by mating the body of 125 and mechanicals (engines, gearbox, transmission, suspension) of 1300/1500. In the Italian range, the 1300 was replaced by the Fiat 124 in 1966, and the 1500 by the Fiat 125 a year later.
In total, 1,900,000 units were produced worldwide.
Drivetrain
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: Fiat 1300 – 1295 cc (bore 72 x stroke 79.5 mm) OHV 4-cyl inline at 5000 rpm Fiat 1500 – 1481 cc (bore 77 x stroke 79.5 mm) OHV 4-cyl inline at 5400 rpm Both engines had alloy cylinder heads with twin rocker shafts and inlet valves angled at 45 degrees
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.
Fiat 1500 L / 1500 Taxi
These models were essentially Fiat 1800s fitted with the 1500 engine, and therefore referred to as "1500" in Fiat nomenclature. 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.
Other manufacturers' versions
Seat 1500
The Seat 1500 was a car unrelated to the Fiat 1500. It was instead, as the Italian Fiat 1500 L, an underengined version of the Fiat 1800/2100. It was built in Barcelona, where 183,652 were produced between 1963 and 1975.
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).