The Fiat 1200 was the name of three distinct models, all based on Fiat 1100 mechanicals. The first two appeared in 1957 and replaced the 1100 TV at the top of the small-car range: the Granluce four-door saloon and the TV Spider roadster. A third car, the Pininfarina-designed Cabriolet, took over from the Spider in 1959.
Fiat 1200 at a glance
| Production | 1957–1961 (Granluce), 1957–1959 (Spider) |
|---|---|
| Based on | Fiat 1100 |
| Replaced | Fiat 1100 TV |
| Replaced by | Fiat 1300 (saloon), 1200 Cabriolet |
| Body | four-door saloon, two-seat roadster, cabriolet |
| Engine | 1,221 cc four-cylinder |
| Power | 55 PS (40 kW) |
| Granluce built | approximately 400,000 |
| Launched at | Turin Motor Show, November 1957 |
| Cabriolet design | Pininfarina, 1959 |
| Final variants built until | 1966 |
History of the Fiat 1200
Fiat 1200 Granluce
The Granluce saloon appeared at the Turin Motor Show in November 1957, intended to replace the 1100/103 TV, the sportiest and best-trimmed model of the 1100 range. Under the bonnet was a 1,221 cc engine, a bored-out version of the old 1100 unit, rated at 55 PS. That engine had already been used by Simca in France since late 1948.
Although derived from the 1100, the Granluce had an entirely new greenhouse with a wider windscreen, larger side windows and a panoramic rear window, which gave the model its name — Fiat’s own English sales material rendered it as “full-light”. At the rear the car took the fins and the longer boot of the 1958 1100. As a luxury model it was heavily decorated: a contrasting roof colour, a ribbed chrome panel on the C-pillar, and bright trim on the bonnet, sides and boot lid. Early publicity photographs show suicide doors, hinged at the rear, but the production car did not have them.
About 400,000 Granluce saloons were built before production ended in September 1961, when the larger Fiat 1300 arrived. The bodyshell lived on in the upmarket 1100 Special, and in 1963 the mainstream 1100 D adopted both the body and the engine of the 1200. The same shell was used in India by Premier Automobiles for the Fiat 1100 Delight, the Premier President and finally the Padmini Premier, whose production ended only in 2001.
Fiat 1200 TV Spider
Alongside the saloon, Fiat showed the 1200 TV Trasformabile at Turin in 1957. It was an updated 1100 TV Trasformabile with the 1200 engine, sold abroad as the 1200 Spider. The exterior changes from the earlier car were small: new bumpers with taller over-riders set further inboard. Inside there was a strip speedometer and the saloon’s steering wheel in place of the wood-rimmed, aluminium-spoked item. The novelty was a pair of swivelling seats that turned outwards to make getting in and out easier.
Fiat 1200 Cabriolet
In 1959 the Spider gave way to the Pininfarina-designed 1200 Cabriolet. Fiat then fitted it with considerably more powerful 1,500 and 1,600 cc engines and offered a coupé as well, and the last variants stayed in production until 1966.
Design and features
- Granluce glasshouse: a wide windscreen and a panoramic rear window on an 1100 floorpan.
- Luxury trim: two-tone paint, a ribbed chrome C-pillar panel and brightwork on the bonnet and boot.
- Shared engine: the 1,221 cc four had already been used by Simca in France since 1948.
- Swivelling seats: the TV Spider’s seats turned outwards for easier access.
- Long afterlife: the bodyshell was still being built in India as the Premier Padmini in 2001.
Fiat 1200 versions
- 1200 Granluce: four-door luxury saloon, 55 PS, built 1957–1961.
- 1200 TV Spider: two-seat roadster with swivelling seats, 1957–1959.
- 1200 Cabriolet: Pininfarina body of 1959, later sold with 1,500 and 1,600 cc engines.
- 1100 Special and 1100 D: later 1100 models that inherited the Granluce shell.
The 1200 grew out of the Fiat 1100 and was replaced in the range by the Fiat 1300 and 1500. More cars are in the Fiat collection.
Sources
- Fiat 1200, English Wikipedia: dates, Granluce engine and trim, Spider details, Cabriolet and Indian production
