The Fiat 1300 and Fiat 1500 are large family cars that were manufactured by the Italian automaker Fiat Auto from 1961 to 1967. They replaced the Fiat 1200. The 1300 and 1500 were essentially identical except for their engine displacement, as indicated by their model names. They were available as a saloon and estate, and spawned a convertible version, which shared little mechanically with the other body styles except the 1500 engine.
The 1300/1500 and their derivatives were also assembled by the Yugoslavian Zastava and Fiat's German subsidiary, Neckar Automobil AG. The floorpan of the 1500C was used as a basis for its replacement, the Fiat 125, while another model, the Polski Fiat 125p, made by the Polish FSO, was created by mating the body of 125 and mechanicals (engines, gearbox, transmission, suspension) of 1300/1500. In the Italian range, the 1300 was replaced by the Fiat 124 in 1966, and the 1500 by the Fiat 125 a year later.
The 1300/1500 were conventional cars, with longitudinally, front-mounted engines powering the rear axle via a four-speed manual transmission. The engines employed were two versions of the same design, differing in bore:
- Fiat 1300 - 1,295 cc (bore 72 x stroke 79.5 mm) OHV 4-cyl inline 60 hp (45 kW; 61 PS) at 5,000 rpm
- Fiat 1500 - 1,481 cc (bore 77 x stroke 79.5 mm) OHV 4-cyl inline 73 hp (54 kW; 74 PS) at 5,400 rpm
An innovative feature at the time was the fitting of disc brakes on the front and rear wheels.
Both variants started with a wheelbase of 2,425 mm (95.5 in), but from 1964 the wheelbase of Fiat 1500 was increased to 2,505 mm (98.6 in).