Italy was born again: house appliances, television, cars for everyone. The 1100 (type code 103) was conceived in 1953 as a replacement for its progenitor from the Thirties with the same name—although little else remained of it. Everything was reworked, starting from the introduction of the unibody and the fenders integrated to the car’s body. A design revolution mirroring a richer country that smiled at the future and was therefore more attentive to new trends. This saloon was a great success right from the start, and its estate version was presented in 1954.

Two years later, the model was improved: it was the debut of the Nuova 1100 103 E, updated with several interesting details. On the outside, the most important elements were the lamp in the middle of the grille (derived from the TV sport version), new trim strips, and a different placement for the indicators. Inside, the rectangular section dashboard was new, as well as the knee paddings for driver and passenger, and the fold-down rear backrest that, together with the possibility of moving the spare tyre to the side, greatly improved luggage space.

The engine was also replaced with a slightly more powerful version. This allowed Fiat to increase sales and satisfy an increasingly demanding—almost snobbish—clientele that had started asking for both performance and versatility. In this, the Fiat 1100 was indeed one of the best options on the market, with a price of about 1,200,000 liras for a car to be used during the work week (lots of artisans and business owners chose it,) as well as for trips out of town. Thus, the trend of weekends to be spent with the family and a car filled with luggage was born.