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NSU-Fiat 1959-1963 - German "copies" of Italian originals

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Created in 2012

Reading time 3min

Written by:

Roger Gloor

Photos:

Bruno von Rotz

Archiv

Bruno von Rotz

Archiv

NSU-Fiat Weinsberg 500 Limousette, 1959 (2-Zyl.- Heckmotor, luftgekühlt, 479 cm3, 15 PS).

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NSU-Fiat Weinsberg Coupé - am Treffen "Italiauto 2012"

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NSU-Fiat 1500 TS Coupé (Siata) (1963) - optisch dem Siata Fiat 1500 Coupé komplett entsprechend

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Fiat NSU 1100 Neckar (1955) - deutsch-italienische Kooperation - Italiauto 2014

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Summary

There have been around 10,000 car brands and designers - most of them have disappeared. NSU-Fiat is one of these lost brands. The German company assembled Italian models under the NSU-Fiat brand after Fiat had taken over a new plant from the German NSU-Automobile-AG for this purpose. Only one model was produced by NSU as an independent product.

Estimated reading time: 3min

Preview (beginning of the article)

As early as 1929, NSU-Automobil-AG in Heilbronn began assembling Italian models under the NSU-Fiat brand. Fiat had taken over a new plant from the troubled NSU company for this purpose. After the war, the Fiat 500 C (Topolino) was launched from 1952 and the 1100 from 1953. The latter was called the NSU-Fiat Neckar from 1955. In 1956, the NSU-Fiat Jagst = Fiat 600, also named after a river, was added. Apart from a Neckar two-seater convertible built only 25 times by the coachbuilder Weidler, these models corresponded to the Italian originals, apart from a few details. The NSU-Fiat Weinsberg 500 from Karosseriewerke Weinsberg, which was part of Fiat at the time, was different: it was based on the Fiat Nuova 500 with an air-cooled two-cylinder rear engine. Instead of the bulbous hatchback body of the original 500, which has been enlarged and reproduced today, it had a notchback and was 309 instead of 297 cm long with an unchanged 184 cm wheelbase.

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