Fiat 128 Berlina 1100
The Fiat 128 turned a clever layout into a family-car formula used around the world: engine across the nose, gearbox beside it, and the front wheels doing the pulling. That compact machinery left more of the small body for people and luggage.
1969 Italy Fiat 128 Berlina 1100 · Luc106 (assumed from copyright claim) · Public domain
Research pending
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More than a set of wheels.
Fiat launched the 128 in spring 1969 as the successor to the 1100 R. Dante Giacosa's team put the company's first mass-produced front-wheel-drive system into a compact three-box saloon, using lessons from the Autobianchi Primula. The 128 won the 1970 European Car of the Year award and its basic transverse-engine layout became a template for generations of compact cars.
Look a little closer.
Fiat put the spare wheel beside the engine, which freed the square boot from having to carry it.
Photos show an example of the model or generation. The pictured vehicle’s year, equipment, or modifications can differ from the specification described here.
The package that became normal
Front-wheel drive was not new, but the 128 combined a transverse engine with the gearbox beside it in a simple mass-market Fiat. With no rear-wheel-drive propeller shaft or central tunnel, a 3.85-metre saloon could devote an unusually large share of its footprint to passengers and luggage.
Source: Stellantis Heritage — Fiat 128 ↗Modern ideas under a plain shape
The boxy three-volume body looked straightforward, but underneath were independent suspension at all four wheels, front disc brakes and a compact overhead-cam engine driven by a toothed belt. The combination made the 128 easy to package, light and economical while still giving a family saloon useful road manners.
Source: Stellantis Heritage — Fiat 128 ↗Where these facts come from
- Stellantis Heritage — Fiat 128
- Stellantis Heritage — Dante Giacosa Memorial and Fiat 128
- Museo Nazionale dell'Automobile — Italian motor industry after 1945
Selected facts checked for this edition. Some source pages link to broader model families. Last reviewed October 2, 2026.