The SEAT 1500 was a Spanish-built 6-seater model of saloon and estate cars, based on the Italian Fiat 2300 and using a 1481 cc engine from the Fiat 1500. The 1500 was the successor to the SEAT 1400 C; it was manufactured from 1963 to 1973, with the five door estate ("''Familiar''") version arriving in 1965. Apart from the larger engine, differences between the 1500 and the C version of its predecessor were limited to minor details such as a speedometer that now read up to 160 km/h (100 mph). There was also a '1500 pick-up' offered, and the coach builder ONECA developed a long-wheelbase 'pullman' version. A total of 134,766 cars were built.

Engine

Engine options were initially restricted to a 1481 cc petrol fuelled water cooled unit, driving the rear wheels via a four speed all synchromesh gearbox. With this engine a top speed of 145 km/h (90 mph) was claimed. After 1968, demand for petrol engined versions of the SEAT 1500 fell away with the introduction of the

SEAT 124 The SEAT 124 is a small family car produced by the Spanish manufacturer SEAT in its Zona Franca, Barcelona and Landaben, Pamplona plants between 1968 and 1980. The car was very successful in Spain having sold 896,136 units,Fiat 124 The Fiat 124 is a small family car manufactured and marketed by Italian company Fiat between 1966 and 1974. The saloon superseded the Fiat 1300 and spawned station wagon, four-seater coupé (Fiat 124 Sport Coupé, 124 Sport Coupé), and two-seate ...

with a much better

power-to-weight ratio Power-to-weight ratio (PWR, also called specific power, or power-to-mass ratio) is a calculation commonly applied to engines and mobile power sources to enable the comparison of one unit or design to another. Power-to-weight ratio is a measurement ...

. From 1969, both 1.8 and 2-litre diesel versions of the SEAT 1500 were offered, and most would be used as taxis. Initially only cars with the smaller diesel engines were delivered, using an engine last seen in the Mercedes-Benz 180D with a claimed output in this application of . According to one report this version took nearly 50 seconds to reach 100 km/h (62 mph), but fuel cost savings were impressive, helped by the lower level of sales tax on diesel fuel. These were the first diesel powered saloons manufactured in Spain. Fiat were not producing diesel engines at this stage. Engines were supplied by

Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-Benz (), commonly referred to simply as Mercedes and occasionally as Benz, is a German automotive brand that was founded in 1926. Mercedes-Benz AG (a subsidiary of the Mercedes-Benz Group, established in 2019) is based in Stuttgart, ...

and

Perkins Engines Perkins Engines Company Limited is primarily a diesel engine manufacturer for several markets including agricultural, construction, material handling, power generation, and Industrial sector, industrial. It was established in Peterborough, Eng ...

. The diesel engines supplied to SEAT by Mercedes-Benz were versions of the four cylinder diesel engines that powered Mercedes diesel engined cars in many corners of Europe in the 1960s. Seat 1500 Roa

Body

The Fiat based body used the

Pininfarina Pininfarina S.p.A. (; ; short for Pininfarina Società per Azioni) is an Italian automotive design, car design firm and coachbuilder, with headquarters in Cambiano, Turin, Italy. The company was founded by Battista "Pinin" Farina in 1930. On 14 ...

styled boxy design which had since 1959 featured on the 'C' version of SEAT's 1400: it was broadly similar to the designs provided by the same designer to

Peugeot Peugeot (, , ) is a French automobile brand owned by Stellantis. The family business that preceded the current Peugeot companies was established in 1810, making it the oldest car company in the world. On 20 November 1858, Émile Peugeot applie ...

and BMC at this time. The car originally had a single pair of headlights at the front, but from 1969, double headlamps similar to those fitted on the Fiat 2300 were a feature of the SEAT 1500s. The post 1969 twin headlight models acquired the soubriquet 'Bifaro' in Spain.

External links

SEAT 1500 history (Spanish)Museo Seat (Spanish, Catalan, English, German)
{{Early SEAT vehicles

1500 Year 1500 ( MD) was a leap year starting on Wednesday in the Julian calendar. The year 1500 was not a leap year in the proleptic Gregorian calendar. The year 1500 was the last year of the 15th century and the first year of the 16th century. ...

Cars introduced in 1963 Station wagons