FIAT 16-20 HP 1903-1906 Photos, engines & full specs

The Fiat 16-20 was a boosting point for the young FIAT company, which had been established only 4 years before, in July 1899. It was the first series of vehicles from Fiat, which had various bodyworks and even two engine types. Some came with 20 hp and others had 24 hp.

In the 1900s, a lot of carmakers use to build the chassis and vehicle control commands and leave the bodywork for specialized coachbuilders. Some vehicles were built entirely in Fiat's Turin factory, though. Some versions didn't have doors or a roof. They even had a sport version, with only two seats and lightened as much as possible. That fastest version was able to achieve a top speed of 75 kph (46.6 mph).

In the same time, the Coachbuilder Alessio started to build various bodyworks for the Fiat 16-20 and, latter, for the Fiat 16-24. They used to build limousine versions. That means that the passengers were sitting in an enclosed part of the vehicle and the driver stood in open air. But, at least, he had a roof.

The engine was initially a 20 hp inline-four with 4179 cmc and, one year later, the same engine managed to obtain 24 hp. The first and second series were powered by a 4179 cc engine with a band clutch. They were followed in 1906 by a third series with a 4503 cc engine and a multi-plate clutch.