A tiny Italian racing outfit founded by the Maserati brothers ended up building engines for over 3,000 of these Fiat coupes and convertibles — far more road cars than OSCA ever built race cars.
Median 53 hp across 10 similar cars
Lead trim: 1500 S Cabriolet (118S) 1,491 cc OSCA twin-cam I4 (90 hp SAE) · up to 100 hp
Fiat 1200 / 1500 / 1600 Cabriolet1959–1966
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Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Fiat 1200 / 1500 / 1600 Cabriolet yet. See one on the street, point the app at it, and the first card is yours — with your @handle permanently credited on this page.
FactA tiny Italian racing outfit founded by the Maserati brothers ended up building engines for over 3,000 of these Fiat coupes and convertibles — far more road cars than OSCA ever built race cars.
The Fiat 1500 S and 1600 S were the sporting versions of the Pininfarina Cabriolet, which Fiat built with OSCA's twin-cam engine after chief engineer Dante Giacosa met Ernesto Maserati in July 1957: the Maserati brothers could not fund series production and asked Fiat for help, so Fiat adapted the Tipo 118 engine (a close relative of the 1500 "tipo nuovo" (TN) unit fitted to the OSCA MT4 racing car and the later road-going OSCA 1600 GT2 and SP), with chain-driven twin camshafts and a cast-iron block instead of aluminium, built at Mirafiori. The 1500 Cabriolet (tipo 118S) of November 1959 had the 1,491 cc engine with twin Weber carburettors developing 80 CV (90 hp SAE), a wider non-functional bonnet scoop, a tachometer, larger drum brakes from the 1800/2100 and 15-inch wheels; from July 1960 the 1500 S had front and rear disc brakes (about 1,000 OSCA 1500/1500 S were built). In mid-1962 the engine was bored out 2 mm to 1,568 cc for the 1600 S (tipo 118SA; 90 CV DIN, 100 hp SAE) with a distinctive asymmetric air intake until the 1963 facelift, and the 1600 S Coupé/Cabriolet (tipo 118SB) followed with extra lamps at the grille's outer corners; sporting versions reached a production of 3,089. Abarth built no more than about three OSCA-engined 1600 Spiders in 1959 with Michelotti-designed, Allemano-built bodies, and Fissore built a few 1600 S coupés.
Collectors Spotted in the Fiat 1200 / 1500 / 1600 Cabriolet Lineage
No member has published a public street spot of the Fiat 1200 / 1500 / 1600 Cabriolet yet — the First · Worldwide stamp is wide open.
Trims & Figures
2 published trims in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1500 S Cabriolet (118S) 1,491 cc OSCA twin-cam I4 (90 hp SAE) | 1959–1962 | 1.5 L Inline-4 | 90 hp | — | — | RWD | — | — |
| 1600 S Cabriolet / Coupé (118SA / 118SB) 1,568 cc OSCA twin-cam I4 (100 hp SAE) | 1962–1966 | 1.6 L Inline-4 | 100 hp | — | — | RWD | — | — |
Owning one
We don’t estimate running costs for a car like this. What it costs depends on its condition, its specialist and how it is driven, and an average would mislead.
Owners’ builds
Nobody has claimed one yet.
Photographs
The twin-cam engine in the hot 1500 S/1600 S version was really a Maserati design — the Maserati brothers' own OSCA company couldn't afford to build it themselves, so they asked Fiat to manufacture it for them.
A tiny Italian racing outfit founded by the Maserati brothers ended up building engines for over 3,000 of these Fiat coupes and convertibles — far more road cars than OSCA ever built race cars.
Rivals
Same body, same money, other badges — tap any card to flip.
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