Fiat 1500L

The Fiat 1500L was a large saloon built by Fiat from 1962 through the 1960s. The L stands for lunga, long. Fiat had launched the innovative 1300 and 1500 in 1961, but many customers could not afford the dearer 1800 or 2300, so the company made a hybrid, giving the long body of the Fiat 1800 and 2100 the 1,485 cubic centimetre 75 horsepower engine of the 1500. The car carried five or six people and sold very well in Europe, where buyers wanted a roomy car with a modest engine. It was also built under licence by the Spanish company Seat as the Seat 1500, identical to the Italian original, which soon gained a locally built Mercedes diesel engine at the request of Madrid taxi drivers.