1961-1967
Overview
Manufacturer	Fiat Auto
Also called	Zastava 1300
Production	1961–1967
Body and chassis
Class	Large family car
Body style	4-door sedan 5-door estate 2-door cabrio 2-door coupé
Related	SEAT 1500 Fiat 125 Polski Fiat 125p Zastava 1300
Powertrain
Engine	1295 cc OHV I4 1481 cc OHV I4
Transmission	4-speed manual all-synchromesh
Dimensions
Wheelbase	2,425 mm (95.5 in) (1300/1500) 2,505 mm (98.6 in) (1500C)
Length	4,030 mm (159 in) (1300/1500) 4,130 mm (163 in) (1500C)
Width	1,545 mm (60.8 in)
Height	1,365 mm (53.7 in)
Curb weight	960 kg (2116 lb)

The Fiat 1300 and Fiat 1500 are large family cars manufactured by the Italian automaker Fiat Auto from 1961 to 1967, which replaced the Fiat 1200. The 1300 and 1500 were essentially identical except for engine displacement, as indicated by model names. They were available as a saloon and estate, and spawned a convertible version, which shared little mechanically with the other body styles except the 1500 engine.

The 1300/1500 and their derivatives were also assembled by the Yugoslavian Zastava and Fiat's German subsidiary, Neckar Automobil AG. The floorpan of the 1500C was used as a basis for its replacement, the Fiat 125, while another model, the Polski Fiat 125p, made by the Polish FSO, was created by mating the body of 125 and mechanicals (engines, gearbox, transmission, suspension) of 1300/1500. In the Italian range, the 1300 was replaced by the Fiat 124 in 1966, and the 1500 by the Fiat 125 a year later. 

Drivetrain

The 1300/1500 were conventional cars, with longitudinally, front-mounted engines powering the rear axle via a four-speed manual transmission. The engines employed were two versions of the same design, differing in bore:

• Fiat 1300 - 1,295 cc (bore 72 x stroke 79.5 mm) OHV 4-cyl inline 60 hp (45 kW; 61 PS) at 5,000 rpm
• Fiat 1500 - 1,481 cc (bore 77 x stroke 79.5 mm) OHV 4-cyl inline 73 hp (54 kW; 74 PS) at 5,400 rpm

An innovative feature at the time was the fitting of disc brakes on the front and rear wheels.

Both variants started with a wheelbase of 2,425 mm (95.5 in), but from 1964 the wheelbase of Fiat 1500 was increased to 2,505 mm (98.6 in). This longer version was called the 1500C and also received three more horsepower (for a total of 75) and various other detail differences, including power brakes and bigger taillights with built-in reverse lamps.

The Pininfarina-designed Coupé and Cabriolet models of the preceding 1200 continued with largely unchanged bodywork, although they were now equipped with the larger 1.5 litre engine. The grille, previously in two segments, was now a wider single-piece unit of a more trapezoidal design. The O.S.C.A. engined 1600 S, with a twin cam 1,568 cc engine developing 90 PS (66 kW) continued to be available albeit with the same new front end treatment as that of the 1500 Cabriolet. This was called the Fiat 1600 S Coupé/Cabriolet and can easily be recognized by its additional lamps at the outer corners of the grille. All of the coupés and convertibles were replaced by the new 124 coupés and spiders in 1966.

The New Zealand importer, Torino Motors, marketed the 1500 as the "Crusader", with corresponding badging.

Fiat-1500GT-Ghia

Other manufacturers’ versions

Seat 1500

The Seat 1500 was a car unrelated to the Fiat 1500. It was, instead, an underengined version the Fiat 1800/2100 built in Barcelona, Spain by SEAT. 183,652 SEAT 1500 were produced between 1960 and 1972. SEAT later produced the Fiat 131 & 132 series under the name SEAT 131 and SEAT 132 until 1982.

Siata 1500TS

Siata, the Italian tuning accessories and special vehicles manufacturer, devised a model called TS or 1500 TS that differed from the regular Fiat saloon in styling details, including two-tone paint, but mainly in the fact that the engine was tuned to deliver as much as 94 bhp (70 kW). Moreover, there was a 1500TS Coupé version with a unique body designed by Giovanni Michelotti. Both the saloon and the coupé were also manufactured by Fiat's German subsidiary, Neckar Automobil AG, formerly known as NSU-Fiat, located in Heilbronn (unlike regular Fiat 1300/1500).

Zastava 1300/1500

The Yugoslavian automaker Zastava, which was extensively cooperating with Fiat, also assembled the 1300 and 1500, branding them as Zastava 1300 and Zastava 1500, respectively. Zastava went on to produce the 1300 by itself when Fiat in 1967 stopped production. During seventies better equipment was added and models named DeLuxe and 1300E. The production finished in December 1979. 201.160 copies were made since 1961. The car was nicknamed Tristać in Serbo-Croatian.

With all-around disc brakes; rear-wheel-drive, up to 72 horsepower (the engine could propel the car to a top speed of 155 km/h), the elegant Tristać was Yugoslavia's favorite upmarket car. The Zastava 1300 was also assembled by Leonidas Lara (C.C.A.) in Bogotá, Colombia. Assembly of Zastavas in Colombia began as early as 1969.

Polski Fiat 125p

Although considered a variant of Fiat 125, the Polski Fiat 125p was actually a combination of bodywork of Fiat 125 and engines and mechanicals of Fiat 1300/1500.

Fiat 1500 Taxi

These models were essentially Fiat 1800s fitted with the 1500 engine, and therefore referred to as "1500" in Fiat nomenclature. The Taxi version debuted in 1962 and had the engine derated to 60 hp (45 kW). The 1500 L (for "Lunga" - Italian for "long") originally had the same 72 hp (54 kW) engine as the regular 1500, and in 1964 was upgraded to 75 hp (56 kW) along with the Fiat 1500 C.

In Film and TV

1961 Fiat 1500 in The Italian Job Movie from 1969