The Polski Fiat 518 carries the name of the Fiat 518, also called the Ardita, which Fiat produced from 1933 to 1938. In Poland the car was built from 1937 to 1939 by Państwowe Zakłady Inżynierii in Warsaw as the Polski Fiat 518 Mazur, with the two-litre engine and a four-door body.
Polski Fiat 518 at a glance
| Maker | Fiat, Turin |
|---|---|
| Polish version | Polski Fiat 518 Mazur, PZInż, Warsaw, 1937–1939 |
| Production | 1933–1938 in Italy |
| Chassis | 518 C, short, 2,700 mm; 518 L, long, 3,000 mm |
| Engine | 1,758 cc side-valve four, 40 PS |
| Larger engine | 1,944 cc, 45 PS at 3,600 rpm |
| Polish engine | Fiat 118 / PZInż 157, 1,944 cc, 45 hp |
| Polish body | four doors, five or seven seats |
| Polish gearbox | four speeds |
| Polish weight | 1,070 kg |
| Polish top speed | 100–110 km/h |
| Built in Italy | 8,794 |
based on one source: the English Wikipedia article on the Fiat 518, which includes a section on Polish production.
History of the Polski Fiat 518
The Ardita
The 518 was offered on two chassis of different wheelbase. The short one, of 2,700 mm, was coded 518 C for corta, and the long one of 3,000 mm was the 518 L for lunga. Suspension and brakes were conventional: solid axles front and rear, hydraulic dampers, hydraulic drum brakes on all four wheels and a band handbrake on the transmission. The long chassis had wider tyres, 5.50×17 instead of 5.25×17, and a different final drive. Both were supplied from the factory with four-door saloon or four-door torpedo bodies, the saloon in seven-seat form on the long chassis and five-seat form on the short one.
The type 118 inline-four side-valve engine had a bore and stroke of 78 by 92 mm and displaced 1,758 cc. With a compression ratio of 6.2:1 and a single Zenith 36 VIF carburettor it gave 40 PS, for a top speed of 100 km/h in the short saloon and 98 km/h in the long one. The Ardita 2000 used a type 118 A engine with the bore enlarged to 82 mm for 1,944 cc and 45 PS at 3,600 rpm, reaching about 105 km/h.
Two other versions were made. The Ardita Coloniale was intended for the Italian colonies and the military, with larger wheels and tyres and a shorter final drive for rough ground, which cut top speed to 85 km/h; it came on both chassis and with both bodies. The Ardita Sport used the short chassis with the 1,944 cc engine tuned to 54 PS at 3,800 rpm, giving 115 km/h; it was sold only as a four-door, four-window pillarless saloon with four seats and a luggage compartment built into the body, on wire wheels.
Outside Italy
About 2,200 cars were built in France as the Simca-Fiat 11 CV, all with the 1,944 cc engine of 45 PS; it was Simca’s last executive car until the Vedette of 1954.
The Mazur
In Poland the car was produced as the Polski Fiat 518 Mazur between 1937 and 1939 by PZInż in Warsaw under Fiat licence. It had four doors and five or seven seats, the two-litre Fiat 118 engine built as the PZInż 157 with 45 hp at 3,600 rpm and a compression ratio of 6.1:1, and a four-speed gearbox. The car weighed 1,070 kg, reached 100 to 110 km/h and used 11.5 litres of fuel per 100 km. The 518 also served as the basis of the PZInż 302, which the Polish army used as an artillery tractor.
The Polish car appeared in the same years as the reorganisation of Polish production. A licence agreement signed in 1931 had allowed PZInż to assemble the 508 and the 621; when that agreement was widened, the new models of 1937 were the 518 Mazur and the light truck 618 Grom, which used the engine of the 518.
Design and features
- Two chassis: a short 2,700 mm and a long 3,000 mm version, with different tyres and final drive.
- Side-valve engines: 1,758 cc with 40 PS, and 1,944 cc with 45 PS.
- Colonial version: larger wheels and a shorter final drive for rough ground.
- Polish assembly: the Mazur was built by PZInż in Warsaw from 1937 to 1939.
- Military use: the 518 chassis became the PZInż 302 artillery tractor.
Polski Fiat 518 versions
- 518 C and 518 L: the short and long chassis, each with saloon and torpedo bodies.
- Ardita 2000: the two-litre version with 45 PS.
- Ardita Coloniale: the colonial and military version with larger wheels.
- Ardita Sport: the 54 PS pillarless saloon on the short chassis.
- Simca-Fiat 11 CV: the French version, about 2,200 built.
- Polski Fiat 518 Mazur: the Polish car of 1937–1939.
The smaller Polish-assembled car of the same years was the Polski Fiat 508, and the truck that used this engine was the Polski Fiat 618 Grom. More cars are in the Polski Fiat collection.
Video: Fiat 518 Mazur with A. Marciniak lamps
Video on YouTube.
Sources
- Fiat 518, English Wikipedia: chassis, engines, versions, French production, Polish Mazur, PZInż 302
