The Fiat 1100 TV coupè: a Pininfarina's masterpiece

The descendant of the great Balilla
In the early fifties the little mid-sized car became property of many people and completely conquered the car market. Fiat was at that time in Italy the most popular car, and thanks to the experience acquired with the 508 C, in the 1948 it offered The 1100 B, the first of many models that made a big success in Italy.

 

The Fiat 1100, the excellent new bourgeoisie car was about to live in the years of the economical boom. There were also a series of light commercial versions of the 1100 built. Always more and more car designers decided to transform it into a little outstanding car. Italian coachbuilder Pininfarina independently built the Fiat 1100 TV coupé, an elegant, sport, light blue car that was first seen on a one-off displayed at the 1953 Paris Motor Show.
 

The following year the Fiat 1100 TV coupé was presented at the 36th Turin Auto Show. Among the few people who were able to possess this berlinetta, there was Umberto Agnelli who used the car in many competitions getting excellent results. Luciano Ciolfi was the driver of the Fiat 1100 TV coupé Pininfarina who achieved better results than other drivers of the same model. He took part at Orbassano's track winning the Coppa Mare e Monti, racing at Mille Miglia and prevailing at 14th Giro di Sicilia where he successfully managed to defeat a Fiat 1100 Zagato.

 

Queen of Concorso d'Eleganza
Beyond the sport field The Fiat 1100 TV coupé won many Concorsi d'Eleganza, thanks to its classy and elegant design, high quality materials and many particularities derived by famous Alfa Romeo and Lancia and also to its steel body with aluminium doors, bonnet and boot lid.
 

A series of only 10 exemplars
A limited series of only ten examples was constructed at the time with a panoramic rear window already present on Alfa 1900 C and Ferrari 250 GT Boano/Ellena. Thanks to streamlining the rear of the machine the Fiat 1100 TV coupé transformed into a little, elegant model. The success was immediate and widespread in 1956, the change was extended for the second series. The total production from 1953 to 1957 was 126 exemplars assembled entirely by hand.
One of the rarest exemplars of the intermediate series was found by a Milanese collector, who after a long restoration managed to take the car back to its splendor.
The Fiat 1100 TV coupé Pininfarina charms because of its elegance and purity of the design. Great care of every detail. A little masterpiece
Classy, but also feisty
The Fiat 1100 TV coupé Pininfarina is a particularly elegant and classy car. The front is dominated by big letters "TV" in relief. The air intake is on the Bonnet and it shows the racing nature of the engine. Under the bonnet there is 4 cylinder in line engine of 1089 cc (bore and stroke 68 x 75 mm). Compression ratio of 7,6:1, die-cast iron basement and head in light alloy, oil sump in stamped sheet metal, liquid cooling system, geartrain with camshaft in crankcase, overhead valves controlled by rocker rods. A Weber 36 DCLD3 carburetor fuels engine and its battery power ignition (distributor Marelli).
 

Performances of high level
The motor is capable of providing a power of 50 hp at 5400 rpm, that allows Fiat 1100 TV coupé Pininfarina to reach the speed of 150/155 km/h. The clutch is single dry plate with a four-speed gearbox controlled by a lever on the steering wheel with the first one out of sync. The worm and roller steering allows a turning circle of 10,5 meters. The tank has a capacity of 40 liters and the fuel consumption is around 8,5 liters/100kms. Braking power results from a four-wheels hydraulic system.
 

An elegant "lounge"
Despite a wheel base of only 2340 mm, the Fiat 1100 TV coupé Pininfarina has four seats. An elegant rear sofa can be obtained by folding down the front seat. It is also noticeable that the front seats consist of a sofa which includes even a foldable armrest between driver seat and passenger one. Each single detail of the car has been studied with a lot of attention, from internal moquette with the same color of the car-body to the knobs and the handles. The chromes are fleshy but not garish and they are clearly influenced by north American trend.
The long restoration work ended with an excellent result that took the car back to its former glory. Even today the car is characterized by a unique enchanting charm and purity. The model has been able to survive through the ages and keep its timeless design still attractive among the car lovers.