Fiat · 1953–2000

Fiat 1100

The Fiat 1100 is a small family car produced from 1953 until 1969 by the Italian manufacturer Fiat. It was an all-new unibody replacement for the Fiat 1100 E, which descended from the pre-war, body-on-frame Fiat 508 C Balilla 1100. The 1100 was changed steadily and gradually until being replaced by the new Fiat 128 in 1969. There were also a series of light commercial versions of the 1100 built, with later models called the Fiat 1100T, which remained in production until 1971. The Fiat 1100 D also found a long life in India, where Premier Automobiles continued to build the car until the end of 2000.

Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Predecessor: Fiat 508 · Successor: Fiat 1100-103|Fiat 238|Fiat 1200|Fiat 124

All Fiat 1100 data: UK builds, safety, recalls, model years →

Background

Like other manufacturers, after World War II Fiat continued producing and updating pre-war types. The first clean-sheet design was the 1950 1400, the first Fiat with unibody construction, which replaced the 1935 1500. Fiat's intermediate offering between the 1500 and the diminutive 500 was the 1100 E, the last evolution of the 508C Nuova Balilla 1100, first launched in 1937. Its replacement was codenamed Tipo 103; like the 1400 was to use unibody construction, with the 1100 E's 1.1-litre engine carried over unaltered.

1100

=== 1953: 1100/103 === The Fiat Nuova 1100, or Fiat 1100/103 as it was called after its internal project number, was introduced at the April 1953 Geneva Motor Show. Unlike the 1100 E it replaced, the 103 had a modern four-door saloon pontoon body topping new unibody construction, both pioneered in Fiat's range by the 1950 1400. If the 103's body was all-new, its engine was well-tested; the car's engine debuted in 1937 on the predecessor of the outgoing 1100 E, the 508 C Balilla 1100. Updated as type 103.000, the 1,089 cc (66 cu in) overhead valve four-cylinder was fed by a single Solex or Weber downdraught carburettor, and put out 36 PS CUNA (26 kW) at 4,400 rpm—just one horsepower more than on the 1100 E. The 4-speed manual transmission had synchromesh on the top three speeds and a column-mounted shifter, fashionable at the time. The car could reach a top speed of 116 km/h (72 mph). The new model was offered in two different versions: the spartan Tipo A and richer Tipo B. The former was only available in a grey-brown paint colour, had separate front seats instead of a bench, reduced, non-chromed exterior trim, and lacked a heater and ventilation. The Type A right hand drive export models were only available in black. They were also equipped with a heater and ventilation system as well. The Type A cars also came with slightly broader body trim strips compared to the Type B. On left hand drive versions of both the Type A and Type B cars, the dashboard contained a large plastic badge (on the right hand side) stating "Millecento" covering the orifice where a radio could be installed. However on the right hand drive cars, this badge which was located on the left hand side contained the wording Fiat 1100 on the Type A cars and Millecento on the Type B cars. The type B came

1100 D

Retaining the exterior changes of this model, in 1962 Fiat introduced the third generation 1100, called the 1100 D. It was a four-door sedan, very similar to the Granluce but with simpler sides and a new simpler rectangular front end. The 1100 D was a successful Italian family car in the early sixties and was accompanied by a Familiare (estate version) and a Deluxe model that offered a higher performance of 50 PS (37 kW), extra side moldings, front bench seat with two reclining backs and carpet floor mats. The rear seatback could be folded down, allowing for longer cargo to be carried. These survived without any substantial alteration until 1966, when the introduction of the groundbreaking 124 model imposed a further change in styling. Power was 40 PS (29 kW) at the time of introduction, which was soon increased to 43 PS (32 kW). The Fiat 1100 D was manufactured under licence in India by the Premier Automobiles Limited beginning in 1964. The vehicle was initially marketed as the Fiat 1100 D, as the Premier President for model year 1972, and as the Premier Padmini since 1974 until its discontinuation in 2000. By 1993, a diesel version with a 1366 cc diesel engine made in collaboration with FNM from Italy and was badged as the Premier Padmini 137D.The car manufacturing plant was closed down by 2000.

1100 R

The very last 1100 model, born in February 1966, was the 1100 R ("R" stood for Rinnovata; "refreshed"). It had a longer, straighter and slimmer line, with a square back and a front-end look not very different from its bigger sister the Fiat 124. In terms of styling cues, the vestigial fins were further suppressed and the simple round rear light cluster from the Fiat 850 replaced the vertical form seen on the 1100 D. At the same time, the larger engine was withdrawn in order to avoid undue overlap with the 124. The 1100 R was offered only with the older 1,089 cc engine, now with a compression ratio of 8:1 and a claimed output of 48 bhp (36 kW). This engine (with a somewhat narrower bore) had been first introduced in the 1937 508 C Balilla 1100. Clutch and gearbox were little changed, but the return of a floor mounted gear lever positioned between the front seats and connected to the gearbox with a rod linkage system was welcomed by the motoring press. The absence of synchromesh on the bottom forward speed nevertheless offered a reminder that under the surface this was becoming a somewhat aging design. Between the gearbox and the differential, the propeller shaft had now been separated into two parts with three couplings. The interior was simplified somewhat, in part by using certain parts from the 850, such as the steering wheel. The boot was usefully expanded, helped by a slight increase in the car's overall length, and with more careful packaging of the spare wheel (under the floor) and the fuel tank (in the rear wing on the right). As configured for UK sales, reclining front seats were available as an optional extra for £8. The Familiare's rear end remained mostly unchanged, keeping the old taillights. The 1100 R finally gave way in October 1969 to the new, middle-cl

1100 T

The Fiat 1100 T was made from 1957 as a panel van, pickup and minibus. The car was equipped with a in-line engine with 1,089 cc (type 103 D.007) with 38 PS (28 kW) at 4800 rpm and it had a top speed of 90 km/h (56 mph). In 1959, its successor was unveiled, the Fiat 1100 T2, that had a 45 PS (33 kW) 1,222 cc engine. Production continued with a steady stream of updated engines, until production of the 1100 T4 finally came to an end in 1971.

Sections adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0); text is shortened. Read the full article for the complete history and citations.

Specifications

name: Fiat 1100
Manufacturer: Fiat
Production: 1953–1969 (Europe), until 2000 (India)
Class: Small family car (C)
Body style: 4-door saloon, 4-door estate, 2-door spider
Related: Neckar Europa, Premier Padmini (1100 D)
Layout: Front-engine, rear-wheel-drive
Predecessor: Fiat 1100 E
Successor: Fiat 128
sp: uk

Specification summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Measured facts from Wikidata (CC0). Check the linked sources for citations.

More photos

Sources

Wikidata — https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1410426CC0 1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-01
Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiat_1100CC BY-SA 4.0 · Text © Wikipedia contributors; revision 1361618182 · retrieved 2026-10-01
Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fiat_1100_(6670783949).jpgCC BY 2.0 · Photo: nakhon100 · retrieved 2026-10-01
Car Model Index — https://models.autoculturesociety.com/Compiled record. Sources that do not permit reuse are not copied; this index is credited instead.