Fiat's very first car was someone else's design: Giovanni Agnelli bought the Welleyes patents from Ceirano and built them as the 4 HP.
Lead trim: 4 HP 0.7 rear-mounted twin (4.2 hp at 800 rpm)
Fiat 4 HP4-HP · 1900–1900
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Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Fiat 4 HP 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.
FactFiat's very first car was someone else's design: Giovanni Agnelli bought the Welleyes patents from Ceirano and built them as the 4 HP.
The Fiat 4 HP (also the 3½ HP or 3½ CV) was the first car produced by FIAT, from 1899 to 1900 and based on a third-party design: Aristide Faccioli's, related to the Ceirano brothers, who variously founded Ceirano GB & C, Itala, SCAT and SPA. In July 1899 Giovanni Agnelli bought the plant and patents of the Welleyes motor car from Ceirano GB & C and built it as the 4 HP, the first ever FIAT. It had a water-cooled 0.7-litre (679 cc) two-cylinder rear-mounted engine producing 4.2 horsepower at 800 rpm, coupled to a three-speed gearbox without reverse, a top speed of 35 km/h (22 mph) and a fuel consumption of 8 litres per 100 km, in vis-à-vis bodywork. Only 24 were built (8 in the first year); at least four survive, in Turin, the UK National Motor Museum and the Ford Museum. Wheelbase 58 in and length 91 in (both below the catalogue's minimum, and the first year 1899 is before its earliest year, so the dates are entered as 1900), width 56 in, height 57 in, curb weight 1,499 lb.
Collectors Spotted in the Fiat 4 HP Lineage
No member has published a public street spot of the Fiat 4 HP yet — the First · Worldwide stamp is wide open.
Trims & Figures
One published trim in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 HP 0.7 rear-mounted twin (4.2 hp at 800 rpm) | 1900–1900 | 0.7 L Inline-2 | 4.2 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
Rivals
Same body, same money, other badges — tap any card to flip.
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