1935 FIATA /B 1.5L 4MT (47 HP)

Vehicle Overview

The Fiat 1500 was the first European production vehicle designed in a wind-tunnel, one year after Chrysler made the Airflow.

The Italian engineers understood that if they wanted to produce a car with good fuel efficiency and sporty, the bodywork had to be aerodynamic. It was built to be an affordable vehicle, but with good performance for those times.

Its shape, with a curved and raked grille, made the car look longer. The headlights were incorporated into the front fenders. Even the windshield was slightly raked, and the cabin featured four doors without a B-pillar. The carmaker’s unusual decision was to incorporate the trunk behind the rear seats, but without offering a trunk-lid.

Fiat 1500/1500 B offered a cabin fit for five adult passengers, with easy access for those in the back due to the lack of a B-pillar and the rear-hinged rear doors. At the front, a flat dashboard with center-mounted dials provided the minimum information for the driver. Since the engine and gearbox were installed far, the gear-stick poked through the floor, and it was angled toward the driver.

Fiat developed the inline-six engine with just 1.5-liter displacement and two overhead valves. It was paired to a four-speed gearbox that sent its power to the rear wheels. Another improvement for Fiat was the front independent suspension, which made the car handles better while cornering.