[grazd]

Its a nostalgic moment for many of us whose first car was a padmini.
I do remember quite a few cabbies telling me that the vertical profile of its doors and the channel above the window glass allowed them to drive with open windows during the rain, which is quite a blessing in humid mumbai weather. Only then did I notice that almost all modern cars have these angled door frames which mean there is no way you can keep the glass open during the rain.
Am not sure how convenient the replacement cabs are in mumbai, and if people have found it more comfortable to move on. Of course it is too much to expect that we will ever have a purpose built taxi like NYC.

[kcj3b]

The Early '66 saw the Fiat 1100 D emerge from the Fiat 1100, although the nomenclature was unnoticeably the same the Cars were miles apart in shape and design.
We had a chance to own one of the few first imported ones which had Made in Italy stamped on it with the likes of Magnet Marnelli and other such big name on parts all over it.This also had some disticntly new featured like any other new model mixed with some practical old featured.A few which really make this Father of "Premier Padmini" a classic IMHO are given below, I wish we can take the list to 101:
1. The night view rear mirror, one of the first and way ahead of its times
2. Cabin light integrated in the rear view mirror.
3. Ignition switch which turned to left to enable parking lights
4. Tray below the dash with centre console for Choke throttle etc.
5. Windsheild washer, although with manual pump near the choke,it did its job marvellously.
6. Adjustable front row bench,which felt like a sofa,i'll prefer the bench again to a bucket seat Anyday.
7. The Net pocket to hold newspapers eatables etc behind the front seat bench.
8. 3 chrome ashtrays ,one in front and 2 on the rear doors,seldom used them but looked so classy.
9. The 3 dial retro meters from Yenkay, while i had blue ones, also saw black ones around.
10. Solid almunium door handles,tail and number plate lights which all glittered with a little buffing.
11. Square blocked alumunium grill with the FiAT Logo centre top position.
12. Wrap around rear bumbers which protected the rear fenders.
13. Low spacious dikki with light and non hydrallic holder which acted like a spring.
14. Two keys: one for ignition other for all set of locks.
15. Turn indicator with cancellation on turn,although today it isnt a big deal but that time things like these were amazing.
16. Wheel cups with FIAT logo embossed, very prone to theft.
17. The sleek dark chocolate brown 2 spoke steering wheel which never would have loved to wear a cover, i respected that.
18. A short lever for that lovely Gear box on the steering, either you know the gear system or you were never born for one.
19. The Z shaped Fiat 1100 D (Delight) logo on the rear giving everyone a reason to envy!
20. Front Quater Glass, if used in a proper way could make us forget any sort of Air conditioning.

[Scarlet_Rider]

Good list of things about the Fiat 1100D! Hats off to the design of those days! I would also like to add another point. The Instruction Book & the Safe Motoring Hints book that use to come with the car were a pleasure to read. The paper and print quality were amazing. User manuals of most modern cars still do not have the same quality of illustrations and details about the basic maintenance that needs to be done.

Regards and Keep Revving,

Rahul Waghmare.

[sierrakamat]

I always loved the way she slotted into reverse and second gear very nice clicking sounds when the car was new.
Reading the list took me back 20 years MAM 9843 any MMH 8063 this is for you.

[President]

Thanks again kcj3b.
Very well thought of and put down on record. Takes us back in time with nostalgia. You have to be really passionate to think about the plus points which we normally tend to overlook, although having such exclusive vehicles in our garage.

[samsag12]

I completely agree with Rony sir (President), It was a delight to read those points, something that i can relate to very well. Looks like you had a 1965 model Delight, the things of which you observed very closely.

[rajeev k]

Originally Posted by sierrakamat

I always loved the way she slotted into reverse and second gear very nice clicking sounds when the car was new.

I also cherish this and the exhaust note of the new car and I can hear it even now in my ears.

[KkVaidya]

And also the classy Imitation leather upholstery that reeked of a classic scent which is a trademark on its own. Don't know why my wife 'hates' it that it makes her nauseating!

[karlosdeville]

A Padmini is on display in a Sharjah museum - this is one of the few LHD cars exported to the Middle East.



http://www.flickr.com/photos/dmcl/59...ool-641997@N25

[anjan_c2007]

Some nostalgic remembrances of the good old Fiats, Premiers and the PAL Peugeot's from their hey- days :



The first one is from Autocar India 1997 issue



An advertisement in Sunday (weekly)





From Autocar India









This one above is from Metropolis on Saturday, Mumbai , 1994









Nearly all but a few as stated above are from The Times of India, Mumbai edition

[Prabal]

Originally Posted by anjan_c2007

The first one is from Autocar India 1997 issue

Autocar India was launched in 1999 (in the month of September, if I remember right). So there was no Autocar India 1997 issue!

[anjan_c2007]

Originally Posted by Prabal

Autocar India was launched in 1999 (in the month of September, if I remember right). So there was no Autocar India 1997 issue!

Originally Posted by anjan_c2007

Some nostalgic remembrances of the good old Fiats, Premiers and the PAL Peugeot's from their hey- days :

Attachment 1032394

The first one is from Autocar India 1997 issue

Thanks for pointing that out. It is actually the 2007 Autocar issue (not 1997) , featuring our Auto industry 60 years after Independence!

[anjan_c2007]

Some more Premier Automobiles memorabilia, mainly as media matter:

[saket77]

Oh! This thread brings back the memories of our 12 year ownership of 1967 white Fiat 1100 D . Frankly, I would not say that it was a very encouraging experience in terms of reliability, but I cannot deny that we did a lot of highway trips on this car. This car would breakdown, sweat, rattle, damage its silencer, drain the battery even after thousand repairs to its dynamo every now & then, but refused to die!

But I must say that as a car made in 1967, it had features which were not incorporated in cars produced in the same time-frame (read amby). It had a auto-switch off turn signal, integrated speedo/fuel/temp console with light/ turn signals. It had a windshield washer too (which didn't work on our car), nice gear stick on the steering wheel which did not needed you to be a body builder to shift gears (again: read reverse gear!). The car had bench seats on the front too, which could be slided, though not as easily as modern cars. The engine was 1089 CC which probably pumped out 48 BHP (against the 39 BHP later in the padimini). It had drum brakes on all 4, but braking was practically better (...again read: better than Amby).
I learnt driving on this car, when I was 11 (yes, you read it right-11).
Given with the co-efficient of problems, you will have to learn to repair it in most cases, not only to save money, but also to save your skin; when it would stall at the highways on nights!

Some things that I would like to recall:

Pros:

1. I would rate the engine & gear box among the top things in this car. The pull of the engine & the gear shifts were nice. Sounded good too!

2. Had bigger wheels as compared to the puny Maruti's; which had replaced the word car by the 90s. This was a real boon on the highways.

3. With some elementary knowledge & practice, you could easily open the carb, clean it & retune the engine & carry out many such DIY repairs on the car.

4. Good brakes as of that era.

5. Was the easiest thing to repair in the world, after changing your living room bulbs. Any tom,dick or harry would do it!

5. Really Strong body sheet metal.

cons:

1. Needed a lot in terms of ground clearance, which was I guess 128mm. It meant frequent visits to FNG for repairs to the silencer muffler.

2. If anything we had to spend money on routinely except petrol was the dynamo repair. This was the most unreliable aspect of my car resulting in drained battery.

3. With some luggage in the boot & passengers in the rear, the car would sling at the rear & front would be pointing towards the horizon. This looked like a perfect vehicle for a space launch.

4. No handbrakes!

5. Too many niggles throughout made it unreliable. IMO, This is the most disgraceful thing that a vehicle can be termed as.

However, being our first car, it always had & will have a soft corner in my heart. Despite all this, it carried us to many places, sometimes trouble free, sometimes with a whole lot of them.

We sold it for a pittance after keeping it along with the ride in my signature for about 2 years. & I think I was lucky to dispose it off in a graceful way as the purchaser drove it out of my garage & not push it! Also, the car, Premiers & FIATs went out of sight even on the roads very abruptly once the emission norms came in.

I have a grudge against the manufacturer, PAL. They had enjoyed a great run for more than 2 decades, but they failed to do any value addition to this car after it ended its relations with FIAT. The car looked the same, exactly and nothing was done to give it a new lease of life during its 25-30 years of run. At the end what happened was easier predicted than any other thing. Died a disgraceful death. As a company which sold lakhs of cars, to die this way it unacceptable. Without giving out a try.

I will search if I have any pictures of my Fiat 1100D in the family albums, since there was no digital photography in those days.

Thanks,
Saket

[fazayal]

Hello fellow BHPians.

My family was never in a financial position to buy a car when I was a boy so I don't have any memories of Premier other than wishing to own one whenever seeing one or sitting in one. I used to feel how lucky taxi drivers are. They drive a FIAT the whole day and also make money out of it. Plus their family members are lucky to have a car in their home!

Right now I work in a major automobile company but would not have been in this industry if not for the place mentioned by Mr. Dhabhar.

The year was 2003. We were looking for our final year mechanical engineering project. One of my class mates knew someone in FIAT and arranged for an interview. As soon as I entered the Kurla plant, I fell in love with the place. Our interview was taken and we were selected as Trainees. On day 1 we were shown the whole plant. I fell in love with cars the day I saw Palios and Unos being made in front of my eyes! That was the day I decided that I will make a career in automobiles.

Our project was "Time Study and Line Balancing of Gearbox Assembly". Our project guide was Mr. Dhananjay Purankar. There were two more young engineers who helped us with our project whose names I don't seem to recollect (Mr. Bijlani and Mr. Bansode I believe). Our work was to stand with a stop watch while the workers assembled the various parts of gearbox and note the time taken for every step. Later we had to calculate the ideal time and manpower for the assembly line.

A few days later came to know that one Mr. Bandivadkar in FIAT stayed behind my building. He used to pick up and drop me in his car.

The canteen at FIAT was simply amazing. The food was veg but very very tasty, specially the Italian items.

We were respected by everyone in college as we managed to get selected as Trainees in FIAT. Our college professor was blown away when we arranged a visit for him. This trip was suggested by Mr. Purankar as our prof. didn't give us good marks in Sem 7. He gave us 96/100 in project in Sem 8 and did'nt ask even a single question during the Viva.

I wanted to work over there but there weren't any vacancies and even existing staff were slowly leaving as FIAT cars were not selling much.

Then I believe after 26 July floods everything was devastated over there.

I worked a year in a marketing firm but knew my heart was in cars. Left that job after a few months and started working in a local garage and climbed my way up to working with a major car manufacturer now.

I do pass from Kurla at times (now in my own car) but don't have the heart to see the place where my dreams began in shambles.