When the world got back to normal life, after World War II, there was so much pent up demand for fun, that postwar sales of sports cars skyrocketed. And perhaps nowhere was that demand more acutely felt than in the United States where affordable sports cars and convertibles where in very hot demand. British car manufacturers were able to capitalize on this sales phenomenon with affordable sports cars like the MG and Austin-Healey selling about as fast as they could be imported. By the mid-1950s, the growing U.S market was so unavoidable that even manufacturers of more staid vehicles wanted in on this lucrative segment.
In 1955, at the Geneva Motor Show, Italian manufacturer Fiat—noted for their low cost, utilitarian fare—debuted a diminutive, two-seat sports car called the 1100 TV (Turismo Veloce) Trasformabile. The 1100 TV featured a steel unibody designed in-house under the direction of Fiat Design Director Fabio Luigi Rapi. Suspension was in keeping with sports cars of the day, with independent suspension by lower wishbone, coil spring, telescopic damper and anti-sway bar at the front and a leaf-sprung live axle at the rear. Pushed by Fiat’s 1089-cc, OHV, inline-4, that produced an underwhelming 36-hp, the 1100 TV’s four-wheel drum brakes were more than a match for its power output. While the 1100 TV looked the part of a sports car, it lacked the performance that buyers thought should go along with it.
At the November 1957 Turin Motor Show, Fiat released an updated version of the Trasformabile, now with a 1221-cc engine, which boosted power to a whopping 55-hp! Though the basic body and underlying mechanicals were the same, Fiat renamed the new car the 1200 Trasformabile. While the increase in horsepower helped, the styling of the 1200 Trasformabile began looking rather out of step with other sports cars of the late 1950s, so Fiat commissioned Pininfarina to redesign the body for the 1959 release of the new 1200 Spider. With looks much like a mini-Ferrari 250 GT and a price tag of $2,595, sales of the new Spider improved. Over the coming years, the Spider would receive first a 1,221-cc powerplant, then a 1,481-cc engine and would continue to grow in size and features, all the way into the 1980s.
The subject of this month’s test drive, is one of the last of the early Rapi-designed cars, a 1959 1200 Trasformabile. Taking a walk around the 1200 reveals a quirkily, “cute” little car. While the styling may have come in for some criticism in the late 1950s, time has been extremely kind to the design. Depending on one’s eye, the 1200 Trasforambile can be viewed as having some design cues reminiscent of the Lancia Aurelia—albeit one shot with a shrink ray! Yet open the door and the 1200 takes on a completely different persona.
The interior is surprisingly clean and minimalist in terms of its layout. The wraparound dashboard is equipped with one multi-instrument binnacle that houses a large left-to-right reading speedometer, as well as temperature and fuel gauges. Reach down and turn a lever under the seats and they swivel out to accommodate the driver or passenger! Once inside the 1200, the thing that truly amazes is the gargantuan amount of leg room and interior space that such a tiny car affords. For drivers as tall as 6’4”, you’ll still have to pull the seat forward on the track to reach the pedals—it has that much legroom. Seating position is remarkably comfortable with lots of interior space and good visibility and protection behind the wraparound windscreen.
Turn the key and the diminutive 1200-cc mill pops to life. While the mechanically operated clutch feels heavy, the 1200 pulls away with no fuss and is soon puttering along down the road. As one can imagine, the 1200-cc engine is not going to set anyone’s world on fire—this is not a high-performance sports car. But the inline 4-cylinder’s 55-plus horsepower are more than capable of briskly pushing the 2,208-lb car around. Like most worm and roller steering arrangements, the 1200 lacks the precision one would find in a rack and pinion, but coupled with such a short wheelbase vehicle, the steering seems in keeping with the general nature of the car.
What the 1200 lacks in performance, it makes up for in panache. The car’s rarity and its almost caricaturish styling make it a head-turner anywhere it goes. Combined with its spacious and comfortable interior, the 1200 Trasformabile is plain fun to drive. With examples now trading hands for as much as $30,000-$40,000, this is another Italian sports car that is sure to see its value only increase with time.
Driven Classics at a Glance:
SPECIFICATIONS
1959 Fiat 1200 Trasformabile
Body: 2-seater, steel unibody
Wheelbase: 2,340-mm
Track: 1,229-mm (front), 1,212-mm (rear)
Driveline: Longitudinal engine at front with rear wheel drive
Carburetion: Single Weber downdraft Suspension front: Independent, lower wishbone, coil spring and telescopic damper plus anti-roll bar Rear: Solid axle with telescopic dampers and leaf springs
Weight: 2,028-lbs
Engine: 1089-cc (68x75mm) ohv 4 cyl with 50bhp @ 5,400rpm from 1956 with 53bhp, 1221-cc (72x75mm) ohv 4 cyl with 55bhp @ 5,300rpm
Brakes: front : drums, rear : drums
Gearbox: 4-speed manual
Steering: Worm and roller
Turning Circle 10.5-m
PERFORMANCE
Top Speed 90 mph
Average Fuel Consumption: 27 mpg
VALUATION
Price at launch: $2,595
Price (excellent): $40,100
Price (good): $29,700
Price (average): $22,700
Price (project): $15,700
