Fiat 3 1/2 HP 1899, Itália

Fiat 3 1/2 HP 1899, Itália
Fotografia

Owned by FCA UK Ltd, and on permanent display at the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu, this Fiat 3½ hp can seat two adults in comfort, plus two children facing the driver, in a vis-à-vis layout. With a horizontal two-cylinder engine producing 697cc and a three-speed (no reverse) gearbox, it can reach a top speed of 21mph while returning a very respectable 35mpg.

Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino (FIAT) was founded by a group of Turin investors in July 1899 and began assembling cars in a temporary factory. The new founded company absorbed two smaller businesses, including a bicycle manufacturer which had a prototype car, called the ‘Welleyes’. The first dozen or so cars manufactured by Fiat in 1899 were derived from this prototype. A new purpose built factory started producing cars from March 1900 and from this Fiat grew to be an industrial giant and one of the world’s largest motor manufacturers.