Makes › Fiat › Pininfarina Cabriolet (1959) · Prototype · 1959–1966
Fiat
Pininfarina Cabriolet (1959)
Pininfarina cabriolet shown at the 1959 Turin Show; sources estimate no more than three built.
Still being researched: why it matters, identification guide. Everything shown is checked against the cited sources. Know more? Send us a source.
Photo: Kgbo · CC BY-SA 4.0
Contents
01Overview
At a glance
- Built
- Not yet verified
- Years
- 1959–1966
- Engine
- 1,491 cc / 1.5 LFactory: 1,491 cc
- Power
- 59.7 kW / 81.1 PSFactory: 80 hp · converted
- Top speed
- 170 km/hFactory: 170 km/h
- Body
- Pinin Farina
- Designer
- Pininfarina
- In this archive
- Not yet verified
- Surviving
- Not yet verified
Sources and any conflicting figures are in the sections below.
Why it matters
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
How rare is it?
Six separate kinds of rarity – never combined into one number.
Each kind of rarity is rated separately and never combined.
Photos
Exterior, interior and detail photos with their licences.
Fiat Pininfarina Cabriolet (1959) (Wikimedia Commons search)
Photo: Kgbo · CC BY-SA 4.0
Fiat Pininfarina Cabriolet (1959) (Wikimedia Commons search)
Photo: Kgbo · CC BY-SA 4.0
02Production & history
Production
Every figure says what it counts.
No production figures recorded yet.
History
Fiat's first Spider on the 1100 chassis (1955) had a body that critics called a clumsy pastiche of American styling. Pininfarina was credited with the design but denied it, then offered a more suitable design, and the result was a 1959 redesign. The new car looked like a smaller version of the Ferrari 250 PF Cabriolet.
Fiat did not develop its own twin-cam engine. It took an OSCA design, with the engine built at Fiat's Mirafiori plant at about 50 a day, and OSCA bought engines back for its own cars. The Autocar test of a 1959 car described a two-seater with an integral body and a top speed reading of about 170 km/h.
Variants
How each version differs from the standard Pininfarina Cabriolet (1959).
No variants documented yet. Have a source? Contribute it.
03Specifications
Technical specifications
Engine
| Engine family | Not yet verified |
|---|---|
| Engine code | Not yet verified |
| Layout | Not yet verified |
| Cylinders | 41 Independently researched |
| Displacement | 1,491 cc / 1.5 LFactory: 1,491 cc1 Independently researchedFigure is from the 1961 1500S Spider lot. Dealer listing gives 1481 cm3 for the 118H and 118K. Base chassis figure. |
| Bore | 78 mmFactory: 78 mm2 Independently researchedDealer listing gives 77 x 79.5 mm for the 118H and 118K; the Autocar test is the stronger source here. |
| Stroke | 78 mmFactory: 78 mm2 Independently researchedSee engine.bore note. |
| Compression ratio | 8.6:12 Independently researchedDealer listing gives 8.8:1 (118H) and 9:1 (118K) for later cars. |
| Valvetrain | twin overhead camshafts (DOHC), chain-driven, inverted bucket tappets1,2 Independently researched |
| Fuel system | Not yet verified |
| Induction | single twin-choke downdraught Weber carburettor (1959 test)2 Independently researched1961 1500S lot describes twin Weber DLS2 carburettors. |
| Power | 59.7 kW / 81.1 PSFactory: 80 hp · converted2 Independently researched1961 1500S lot gives 75 hp; dealer listing gives 80 SAE (118H) and 75 DIN (118K). |
| Power at | 5,800 rpm2 Independently researched |
| Torque | Not yet verified |
Transmission & drivetrain
| Gearbox | four-speed manual, synchromesh on top three ratios2 Independently researchedDealer listing gives a five-speed gearbox for the 118K. |
|---|---|
| Gears | 42 Independently researched |
| Driven wheels | Not yet verified |
Chassis, body & dimensions
| Chassis | Not yet verified |
|---|---|
| Front suspension | independent, coil springs and wishbones1 Independently researched1961 1500S lot figure; base chassis. |
| Rear suspension | live axle with semi-elliptic leaf springs1 Independently researched1961 1500S lot figure; base chassis. |
| Brakes | four-wheel hydraulic disc brakes, Baldwin Hydrabooster servo1,2 Independently researchedDisc brakes from the 1961 lot; servo from the 1959 test. |
| Steering | Not yet verified |
| Body construction | integral (unitary) body2 Independently researched |
| Wheelbase | 2,340 mmFactory: 92.1 in · converted1 Independently researched1961 1500S Spider lot figure; base chassis. |
| Length | Not yet verified |
| Width | Not yet verified |
| Height | Not yet verified |
| Front track | Not yet verified |
| Rear track | Not yet verified |
| Kerb weight | Not yet verified |
| Dry weight | Not yet verified |
Performance
| Maximum speed | 170 km/hFactory: 170 km/h2 Independently researchedSpeedometer reading in the 1959 test. The Autocar's own calculation from the factory top-gear figures suggests a genuine maximum of around 105 mph. |
|---|---|
| 0–100 km/h | Not yet verified |
| Fuel tank | Not yet verified |
“Not yet verified” means no source has been checked for that value yet. Nothing is estimated to fill a gap.
04Colours & options
Factory colours & interiors
Original paint and trim, with the number of cars in each where a source gives it.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Factory options & codes
Codes are shown exactly as written by the manufacturer.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
05Individual cars
Chassis register
Every documented car, with its colours, history and where it is now. Open a row for the full record. Known chassis are not automatically authenticated originals.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Competition history
Every race result of the individual cars, in date order. Click a chassis number to open its full record in the register.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Auction & sale history
Documented public sales of the individual cars. Click a chassis number to open its full record in the register.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
See one in person
Museums where an example of this car can be seen.
No example is documented on public display yet. Have a source? Contribute it.
06Reference
Identification guide
How to tell an original from a replica or later conversion.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Sources
Each number links to the exact facts it supports.
-
1
1961 Fiat OSCA 1500S Spider by Pininfarina (Arizona 2014 lot) Level C not stated · RM Sotheby's · 2018-09-16
- DOHC four-cylinder engine
- 75 hp, 1,491 cc DOHC four-cylinder engine
- independent front suspension with coil and wishbone
- live rear axle with semi-elliptic leaf springs
- four-wheel hydraulic disc brakes
- Wheelbase: 92.1 in.
-
2
Test-report Fiat 1500 cabrio (reprint of The Autocar, 18 December 1959) Level C not stated · The Autocar (reprinted on a private site) · 1959-12-18
- bore and stroke of 78 mm
- compression ratio of 8.6 to 1
- single-stage chain drive is used between crankshaft and camshafts
- twin-choke, downdraught Weber carburettor
- 80 b.h.p. net at 5,800 r.p.m.
- Synchromesh is provided on the upper three ratios of the four-speed box
- four-speed box
- fitted with a Baldwin Hydrabooster
- The body is of integral construction
- this instrument recorded 170 k.p.h.
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