The Fiat 900T was a small
van produced by the Italian automobile manufacturer
Fiat
Fiat Automobiles S.p.A. (, , ; originally FIAT, it, Fabbrica Italiana Automobili di Torino, lit=Italian Automobiles Factory of Turin) is an Italian automobile manufacturer, formerly part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, and since 2021 a subsidiary ...
between 1976 and 1985, replacing the similar
Fiat 850T. It was sold in the UK as the Fiat Citivan.
It was available in a number of variants, including the 900E seven-seat minibus, and the 900E Amigo and Pandora camper vans.
Specifications
![Fiat 900 E 2013-07-21 13-00-52](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fe/Fiat_900_E_2013-07-21_13-00-52.JPG)
The 900T was powered by a rear-mounted,
four-cylinder 903cc petrol engine, shared with the
Fiat 127
The Fiat 127 is a supermini car produced by Italian car manufacturer FIAT from 1971 to 1983. It was introduced in 1971 as the replacement for the Fiat 850. Production of the 127 in Italy ended in 1983 following the introduction of its replacemen ...
. In the 900T, it produced at 4,500 rpm and at 3,300 rpm.
The 900T was equipped with small 12” wheels, and had a small turning circle of .
The van was fitted with
drum brakes
A drum brake is a brake that uses friction caused by a set of shoes or pads that press outward against a rotating cylinder-shaped part called a brake drum.
The term ''drum brake'' usually means a brake in which shoes press on the inner surfac ...
all around. The standard van's luggage compartment could hold .
Models
The 900E minibus was discontinued without a direct successor in 1981. Fiat kept producing the cargo versions until 1986, by which time Japanese microvans and trucks had taken over this market segment. Production continued at
Zastava's Kragujevac
Kragujevac ( sr-Cyrl, Крагујевац, ) is the fourth largest city in Serbia and the administrative centre of the Šumadija District. It is the historical centre of the geographical region of Šumadija in central Serbia, and is situated on ...
plant until 1989-90. Zastava's 900 was available as a van (AK), pickup (F), double-cab pickup (AF), or minibus (AL).
Fiat did not produce pickups at the time so third-party coach builders, such as the well-known Zagato and Viotti and Satae Ghiae specialists like Fissore, Moretti, Orlandi, Vignale, and Coriascoe Pasino would purchase 900T vans from the Fiat factory and convert them into campers and pickups, similar to the versions by
Volkswagen
Volkswagen (),English: , . abbreviated as VW (), is a German Automotive industry, motor vehicle manufacturer headquartered in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Founded in 1937 by the German Labour Front under the Nazi Party and revived into a ...
. These companies cut away the rear body, added panels as needed to complete the conversion, and then resprayed the original colour.
Coriasco and Fissore stamped the rear of the body with their own
vehicle identification number
A vehicle identification number (VIN) (also called a chassis number or frame number) is a unique code, including a serial number, used by the automotive industry to identify individual motor vehicles, towed vehicles, motorcycles, scooters ...
to the right of the original Fiat VIN, the numbers then being combined into a longer vehicle identification number on the title. The pickup version was very similar to the
Volkswagen Combi, with raised rear bed, removable bed walls and large storage area accessible from either side underneath.
References
{{Modern European Fiat vehicles
900T
Vans
Vehicles introduced in 1976
1970s cars
1980s cars
Rear-engined vehicles