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Fiat 1500 Barchetta - Incognito at the Mille Miglia

Name: Fiat 1500 Barchetta 1937
Brand: Fiat

This article was auto-translated. We apologize if some words are confusing or simply amusing. Would you like to help us improve?

Created on March 23, 2014

Text:

Bruno von Rotz

Photos:

Daniel Reinhard

Samuel Szepetiuk

Fiat

Daniel Reinhard

Samuel Szepetiuk

Fiat

46 1

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Fiat 1500 Barchetta (1937) - the wheels appear larger in the flat body than they actually are

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Fiat 1500 Barchetta (1937) - you immediately feel like you're at the Mille Migla

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Fiat 1500 Barchetta (1937) - this car doesn't need parking sensors because it is clearly laid out and you don't want to park it anyway, you want to drive it

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Fiat 1500 Barchetta (1937) - you should only dress properly for a ride in the Barchetta, especially if the weather is not summery

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Fiat 1500 Barchetta (1937) - around 70 hp propel the Fiat to well over 140 km/h if need be

Bild von Partner Porsche AMAG Mai Foto-Galerie 2026

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Fiat 1500 Barchetta (1937) - a lot of fun to drive, not least because of the melodious six-cylinder engine

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Fiat 1500 Barchetta (1937) - the body looks elegant from all angles

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Fiat 1500 Barchetta (1937) - open-top driving is really fun

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Fiat 1500 Barchetta (1937) - the windshield only keeps out part of the storm

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Fiat 1500 Barchetta (1937) - perfect all-round visibility

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Fiat 1500 Barchetta (1937) - the low waistline makes the car look wider than it actually is

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Fiat 1500 Barchetta (1937) - low waistline

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Fiat 1500 Barchetta (1937) - the shape was very modern for the time

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Fiat 1500 Barchetta (1937) - only the red color gives the Italian away

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Fiat 1500 Barchetta (1937) - very simple front

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Fiat 1500 Barchetta (1937) - Seat bench with little lateral support

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Fiat 1500 Barchetta (1937) - the gearshift protrudes directly from the gearbox

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Fiat 1500 Barchetta (1937) - a long gearshift starts far forward in the chassis

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Fiat 1500 Barchetta (1937) - the instruments are from the period

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Fiat 1500 Barchetta (1937) - speedometer and displays for power generation, oil pressure and fuel level, but no rev counter

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Fiat 1500 Barchetta (1937) - additional instruments retrofitted on the right

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Fiat 1500 Barchetta (1937) - upright pedals, long gearshift, large steering wheel - the combination is reminiscent of the pre-war history of the chassis

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Fiat 1500 Barchetta (1937) - Mille Miglia participations and their stickers

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Fiat 1500 Barchetta (1937) - no trademark far and wide

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Fiat 1500 Barchetta (1937) - Air scoop on the hood

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Fiat 1500 Barchetta (1937) - The engine sits deep in the chassis

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Fiat 1500 Barchetta (1937) - the six-cylinder has plenty of space and is well ventilated

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Fiat 1500 Barchetta (1937) - Six cylinders in line, 1.5 liter displacement

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Fiat 1500 Barchetta (1937) - Weber carburetors tickle additional power out of the 1.5-liter Fiat engine

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Fiat 1500 Barchetta (1937) - Filigree door openers like those found on modern Aston Martin vehicles

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Fiat 1500 Barchetta (1937) - the trunk opener does not remain in place, but is housed in the cockpit

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Fiat 1500 Barchetta (1937) - Spare wheel and tank in the rear

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Fiat 1500 Barchetta (1937) - Tires 5.00 x 16

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Fiat 1500 (1935) - aerodynamically designed saloon with modern characteristics, also available as a two-door cabriolet

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Fiat 1500 C (1940) - only available as a saloon with four doors

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Fiat 1500 6C (1936) at the Mille Miglia 2013

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Fiat 1500 6C Sport (1937) at the Mille Miglia 2013

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Fiat 1500 Barchetta (1937) - pontoon body

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Fiat 1500 Barchetta (1937) - the shape of the Barchetta is reminiscent of the Glaspar from the USA

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Fiat 1500 Barchetta (1937) - sofort fühlt man sich wie an der Mille Migla

Fiat 1500 Barchetta (1937) - dieses Auto braucht keine Parksensoren, denn es ist übersichtlich und parken will man sowieso nicht, sondern fahren

Fiat 1500 Barchetta (1937) - nur richtig anziehen sollte man sich für die Fahrt in der Barchetta, vor allem, wenn das Wetter nicht sommerlich ist

Fiat 1500 Barchetta (1937) - rund 70 PS treiben den Fiat auf weit über 140 km/h, wenn es sein muss

Fiat 1500 Barchetta (1937) - macht viel Spass beim Fahren, nicht zuletzt wegen des wohltönenden Sechszylinders

Fiat 1500 Barchetta (1937) - die Karosserie wirkt aus allen Perspektiven elegant

Summary

Anyone who wanted a sports car after the Second World War usually had to build it themselves due to the lack of alternatives and the high prices of the few factory sports cars. The Bevilacqua brothers did the same and had a 1937 Fiat 1500 fitted with an elegant Ponton-Barchetta body in 1945. The car has survived and is an attractive contemporary witness. This report characterizes the Fiat 1500 saloon (16 HP) and shows its transformation into a sporty six-cylinder two-seater in many pictures.

This article contains the following chapters

Pioneering development
Continuous improvement
Model series and quantities
Modern design
Forgotten, found and restored
Without brand and type plates
The joy of driving
Further information

Estimated reading time: 5min

Preview (beginning of the article)

Hardly anyone could afford a new sports car after the end of the Second World War. The few sports cars that the factories built were not affordable for mere mortals and left the production halls in homeopathic doses However, the Bevilacqua brothers had a Fiat 1500 saloon, which had been delivered before the war on May 7, 1937, and took it to the coachbuilder Reda in Modena to put a sporty barchetta body on the still usable chassis. The chassis of the Fiat 1500 offered ideal conditions for this conversion. The Fiat 1500 was presented back in 1935 and must have looked truly futuristic compared to its competitors at the time. True to his maxim that air resistance also played a role in non-racing vehicles, Dante Giacosa had designed a streamlined body, similar to what Chrysler had done with the unsuccessful Airflow in 1934. Giacosa even used wind tunnel tests to make the car glide even better through the air.

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