Fiat 411

The Fiat 411 is a typically urban bus made by the Italian maker Fiat Bus from 1956. Launched that year, it was a real revolution in public transport because it was the first urban bus model of its time with a very low floor, in a period when passengers were still used to climbing steps. It was created for very flexible use in all the large cities of Italy, for mass transport in city centres, and met with very great commercial success. Its legendary sturdiness and reliability kept it in service for more than 30 years, and many vehicles were exported to Africa where they were still running in 1995. It was the first to offer power steering and a semi-automatic gearbox to the driver, but kept the engine at the front, with a prominent housing beside the driver. The first version of 1956 had the Fiat 203 engine of 10,676 cubic centimetres giving 150 horsepower at 2000 revolutions.