On June 5, 1947, the US Secretary of State, George Marshall, delivered his historic speech at Harvard University in which he stated “that the vicious circle must be broken and Europeans’ confidence restored in the economic future of their own countries.” countries and Europe as a whole. Manufacturers and farmers must be willing, and also able, to be able to exchange their products for currencies whose value is not in continuous doubt. Officially known as ERP (European Recovery Program), the Marshall Plan, with 12 billion dollars was going to get Europe out of the ruin generated by World War II.
Spain was left out of that fantastic financing for political reasons, since the European democracies considered it unacceptable that the Franco regime, initially a friend of Mussolini and Hitler, should benefit from the help of the American friend. And yet, let’s go to our history, the first car of the Spanish Tourism Automobile Society, which curiously owes a lot to the Marshall Plan.
At the 1950 Geneva Motor Show, Fiat presented the 1400, a very modern saloon for the time.
A story that begins in Switzerland, at the 1950 Geneva Motor Show. There Fiat presents a saloon, the 1400. It was the first one hundred percent new model from the Turin house launched after the Second World War. Studied from a blank sheet, it offers many novelties. This is the first Fiat with a self-supporting body (not a separate chassis), with fenders integrated into the body in the “pontoon” style, with a curved windshield and rear window, with a standard heating and ventilation system, a modern rear suspension combining leaf springs and coil springs, with a Panhard bar, and a super square engine.
When it arrived in March 1950, it replaced the old 1500 E, which was one step higher thanks to its six cylinders and larger size (4.50 m long compared to 4.31 m). But in a country that is recovering after the war, this is only a detail. The most important thing is that it gives a facelift to the Fiat range, until now made up of old 500 Topolinos that have been renovated (the C in sedans and station wagons with wooden sides) and 1100 in their E and EL versions (long sedan for taxis). , ELR (a pickup derived from the van) and S/ES coupe. Apart from the latter, with the modern and charming line due to Pinin Farina, the others obviously make new from the old.
The arrival of a car like the 1400 at the Mirafiori factory, refitted with Marshall Plan funds, is therefore an exceptional subject. Approved by the US Congress in April 1948, it brings a loan of 31 million dollars to Fiat’s coffers, of which 13.2 million are used in Mirafiori, the first repayment being scheduled for 1952, which means a ‘free’ launch with the renewal of 25% of the tools. American Budd presses, which shape the 1400, are part of this new deal.
At its inception, in 1946, project 101, the factory code that identifies the future 1400, should replace the 1100 before the war. But as the work progresses, Fiat thinks that an upper-middle-class car, rather than a midsize one, could probably be exported to the United States, thanks in particular to the very good relations the automaker has with Chrysler. Therefore, the study of the new 1100 is postponed and the 101 becomes a 4.30 m car that will be produced in two very different versions: a four-cylinder engine of around 1,500 cc, and an eight-cylinder V-shaped two liters more suited to the tastes of American motorists than will ever take place.
Finally, the new car, a spacious and luxurious sedan (there was also a convertible body from 1950), was initially equipped with a 44 hp gasoline engine that allowed a speed of 120 km/h. And, speaking of engines, at the 1953 Turin Motor Show the Fiat 1400 was presented equipped with the first diesel engine designed by the Italian house, with 1,901 cc and 40 CV at 3,200 rpm. This engine, very innovative for the time, will also equip the small Fiat 625 and 616 utility vehicles.
In 1954, with the same bodywork as the saloon, the Fiat 1900 equipped with a 70 HP engine was presented. From 1400 to 1958, a total of 113,500 units were manufactured in Italy, and from 1900 to 1959, about 10,000 copies.
This model would not only be manufactured in Italy but also in other countries. In August 1954, Fiat and Zastava signed agreements to manufacture models of the Fiat range under license in Yugoslavia: the Zastava 1400 will remain in production until 1961. In Germany, less than two thousand units of the Fiat-NSU 1400 were manufactured at the plant. Heilbronn during the same period as in Italy. And in Austria, the Fiat-Steyr 1400 was built alongside the Fiat Steyr 2000, which was a Steyr-powered Fiat 1900, at the Austrian Steyr-Puch factory from 1950 to 1958.
The Spanish 1400
And so we arrived in Spain. Seat was born on May 9, 1950, but it took two years to build the factory in Barcelona and acquire the necessary machinery for the production of cars, and a few more months for the first Seat, a 1400, to come out of it.
Seat’s first 1400 was no different from its Italian counterpart
The choice of this sedan may seem strange, since Fiat had popular models in its range that could have made many Spaniards happy. In reality, the economic development of Spain still did not allow the less favored classes to acquire a vehicle, so a saloon makes it possible to address a well-placed clientele but also the administrations. It was a logical approach, without forgetting that this model would serve the new firm to acquire know-how in the automotive field.
The first Seats are therefore the 1400, a version that was only manufactured for one year. Actually, it is assembled in Spain from parts coming from Italy. The car is relatively sober, with little chrome on the outside. As for the engine, it is the 1,395 cc and 44 CV inline four-cylinder with which it reaches 120 km/h and can maintain a cruising speed of 100 km/h, which is not bad in view of the state of the roads of the time.
The assembly line opens on June 5, 1953. And while “The Sinking of the Titanic” by Jean Negulesco and with the unforgettable Barbara Stanwyck and Robert Wagner is training in theaters, on November 13 it leaves the factory the first Seat 1400, which will receive the license plate B-87223. It is produced at the rate of four cars a day, at that time there were around 950 employees at the factory. Production is low, sales too, the population that has the means to buy a car is rare, and they find the Seat 1400 not rewarding enough. Consequently, Seat deals with taxi companies and administrations as its main clientele.
Many special bodies such as the Van, from which a Commercial and a Family would be derived
Starting in the spring of 1954 it was the turn of the Seat 1400 A to go into production. It differs by its more bulbous body shapes, different rear wings, which incorporate different pilot lights from the Fiat, an enlarged rear window, and numerous chrome pieces according to fashion. In the engine, the compression is raised to 6.7:1 (these were the times of 85 octane gasoline) raising the power to 50 CV. Although the performance does not increase significantly, the maximum speed is raised by 5 km/h, the consumption is lowered. Produced until 1960, a total of 30,990 Seat 1400 A would be born.
From that moment on, with more autonomy, the company is also developing, with the help of different bodybuilders, specific versions made according to needs: limousines, ambulances, hearses or family cars. The Armengol bodywork firm manufactures just over a thousand units of a van that was later derived into Family and Commercial versions. From 1955 to 1957, the Van had only the front doors and was closed to the rear, with a double door. The Commercial already offered fixed windows on the rear side and the Familiar incorporated rear doors. Production continued on the basis of the 1400 B, which we will now talk about, until 1962, although in theory its manufacture had ceased. And two units were even made for official visits to the Free Zone Factory, one of them being preserved today, in the famous A 122 warehouse.
All this not only allows Seat to gain more and more experience, but also to see its ability to supply a varied clientele. Actually, these versions also make it possible to ensure a certain production for the company.
The 1400 B ‘Mercury’ arrives
Starting in December 1956, the Seat 1400 B entered the scene. Presented a few months after its Italian counterpart, this new version, in line with American cars, has wheels with a white stripe, has more chrome and two-tone paint. .
The 1400 B, a very American style with two-tone paint, abundant chrome and the central front headlight
Added to this is a fog light in the center of the grille and a panoramic rear window. Technically, we must highlight the improvements in brakes and suspensions, as well as in the engine, which already produces 58 CV of power and improves performance, reaching a maximum speed of 135 km/h: currently we would be penalized for going to that speed on a highway…
In May 1958, they made some small changes with a new instrument panel that included a horizontal tape speedometer, like a thermometer, which would earn this second series or Special the popular name of “Mercury”. However, there are those who point out, like the master of motor journalism Arturo de Andrés, that this denomination came more from the headlight located in the frontal central position, with a yellow fog light, reminiscent of the one used in public lighting lampposts with mercury vapor lamps.
The ‘Gran Turismo’ of the Armed Police
Seat will offer an elongated version of this 1400 B, dubbed ‘Gran Turismo’. Although a few units were purchased by individuals, most were used by official bodies, especially the Armed Police and the Civil Guard. There were two developments: the third fixed window could separate the two side doors or follow the second, which was new and became rectangular, without the cutout for the wheel arch.
With the Seat 1400 the history of the Spanish brand began seventy years ago
In any case, the 1400 B, perhaps because of its high price or because of the arrival of the 600, with only 17,053 units between 1956 and 1959, will not reach the sales figures of the A.
Finally, we should talk about the Seat 1400 C produced between 1960 and 1964, but it is a different car, another story to tell.