The Neckar Europa was the German licence-built Fiat 1100, the middle model of the Heilbronn range. It was produced from 1953 to 1968, first as an NSU-Fiat and from 1957 as a Neckar, and 159,731 cars were built.
Neckar Europa at a glance
| Maker | NSU Automobil AG, later Neckar Automobilwerke AG, Heilbronn |
|---|---|
| Model | Neckar Europa, the Heilbronn-built Fiat 1100-103 |
| Production | 1953–1968 |
| Built | 159,731 |
| Badge until 1957 | NSU-Fiat |
| Badge from 1957 | Neckar |
| Basis | Fiat 1100-103 |
| Place in range | the 1100, above the Jagst (Fiat 600) and the Weinsberg (Fiat 500) |
| Character | more luxurious and sporty than the Fiat built in Turin |
| Range companions | Neckar Weinsberg 500 and Neckar Jagst 600 |
Wikipedia has no article on the Neckar Europa; this page is based on the sections on the model in the English article on the Neckar marque and the German article on NSU-Fiat.
History of the Neckar Europa
An NSU-Fiat 1100
Fiat had bought the Heilbronn car factory from NSU in 1929 and built Fiat models there under licence, badged NSU-Fiat. The Fiat 1100-103 was added to that programme in 1953. In 1955 the motorbike maker NSU Werke announced a small car of its own, to be sold simply as an NSU, which threatened to create yet more confusion between the two businesses barely seven kilometres apart.
The name changes
The Heilbronn-built Fiat 600 was duly launched in 1956, but because of the dispute it was badged not as an NSU-Fiat but as the Jagst, while one class up the new Heilbronn-built Fiat 1100 introduced in 1956 was advertised as the Neckar. The judge decided that the informal 1929 letter could not bind the parties over the use of the NSU name, and the Fiat licensee therefore rebranded all its Heilbronn cars as Neckars in 1957. By the late 1950s the range consisted of the Fiat 500 as the Neckar Weinsberg, the 600 as the Neckar Jagst and the 1100 as the Neckar Europa.
The longest-running model
All three were slightly modified and typically more luxurious and sporty than the Fiats produced in Turin. The 1100 stayed in production until 1968, longer than the other models of the original range, and 159,731 were built over fifteen years. By then Neckar’s output had peaked: the company built 50,000 cars in 1962 and production slowed from 1963 after Fiat refused to license its new 124, 125 and 128 models to Heilbronn.
Design and features
- Licence-built Fiat 1100: the Heilbronn plant assembled the Fiat 1100-103 from 1953.
- Long production run: fifteen years and 159,731 cars, from 1953 to 1968.
- Two badges: sold as an NSU-Fiat until the 1957 rebranding and as the Neckar Europa afterwards.
- Upmarket trim: like the other Heilbronn cars it was typically more luxurious and sportier than the Turin-built Fiat.
Neckar Europa versions
- NSU-Fiat 1100 (1953–1957): the original licence-built car.
- “Neckar” (1956): when the 1100 was introduced in 1956 it was advertised simply as the Neckar, before the Europa name.
- Neckar Europa (1957–1968): the model under the brand name that replaced NSU-Fiat.
The Europa sat above the Jagst in the Heilbronn range, and the Neckar 1500 later joined it at the top. More cars of the marque are in the Neckar collection.
Video: Neckar Europa Spezial 1100
Video on YouTube.
Sources
- Neckar (car), English Wikipedia: brand history, the 1100 as the Europa, position in the range
- NSU-Fiat, German Wikipedia: production years and total of the 1100-103
