Fiat 1200 Trasformabile is a cuddly, spring-in-the-field car with 'office chairs'

As long as your hair looks good... Well, forget it in the Fiat 1200 Trasformabile. A breath of fresh air reaches its purest form here, but wait, there are two things to do first: wave to all the admirers and turn. Yes, indeed. This cuddly, bouncy car from Turin has office-like chairs on board that rotate on their vertical axis. So you don't need to buy a clumsy SUV for easy access. Enjoy the complete opposite. 

Text & photography: Aart van der Haagen

Just try to resist the endearing charm of the 1200 Trasformabile, a creation of in-house designer Fabio Luigi Rapi, although some wrongly attribute the design to Pininfarina. At Fiat, 1953 marked the dawn of a whole new era for the middle class, with a growing number of affluent individuals going shopping.

A newly developed sedan and station wagon with a monocoque body were ready, technically configured by the brilliant chief engineer Dante Giacosa and his team. Apparently, those with authority within the company saw the future with optimism, as they dared to deviate from a theme with groundbreaking concepts, technically intertwined. We're referring first and foremost to the Fiat 1100 TV, a true sports sedan and perhaps the first of its kind, equipped with a significantly tuned engine producing 50 hp instead of 36 hp, and a significantly different body. 

Skinny

Directly derived from this was the big news for 1955: the Trasformabile, which ignited visitors to the Geneva Motor Show shortly before the arrival of spring. The recreational version followed the closed version in 1956 with a slightly more refined engine, the type 103 E, from which the engineers managed to squeeze three extra horsepower. Nevertheless, some buyers found this a bit meager for an open sports car, and so the evolution for 1957 came as a godsend. At that time, Fiat added the 1200 Granluce, with a generously glazed, ultra-modern body, above the 1100 in the range, and from this, the Trasformabile in turn borrowed the enlarged 1221 engine, now with 58 hp according to SAE standards and 55 hp according to CUNA calculations. 

Great trick

Hans van der Hoff of Van der Hoff Classic Cars in Tilburg, where this red 1200 Trasformabile is for sale, demonstrates a great trick. He pulls a lever, pushes the backrest of the driver's seat away from him, and thus rotates the seat toward the doorway. Well! "As a passenger, you can easily pull off the same trick. Convenient for getting in." The gesture to climb aboard couldn't be more inviting, and when it does happen, a test drive almost automatically follows.

It's a process of getting used to it, because firstly, the clutch engages abruptly, and secondly, the pedals are so close together that you could easily catch the edge of your shoe on the brake. Add to that the fact that the spirited Italian accelerates like a rocket with its lively engine, and you really need to be on your toes. It feels a bit like your first experience riding in a speedboat, not least because of the low cockpit and the panoramic windshield. We almost forgot to wave between turning and blowing away the wind. 

You can read the complete article, including many beautiful photos, in the November issue of Auto Motor KlassiekNow available at newsstands. Get it!

((Below are some more photos.)