[JayD]

Originally Posted by imperial.s.a

the place is coimbatore and this guy has some exotic cars fiat1100R ford cortina GT 65model single owner willeys station wagon the first SUV in the world

Errr... no. The 1100R and the others are in coimby, If u read it once more, u'll notice i'm referring to the fiat 500, and the jeep, and not the 1100R. The other cars are in cochin.

[JayD]

Guys! Just came across the MOST Original Select i've ever seen!! Right down to the two piece taillamps and the 'Elevenhundred' badge on the grille! Single owner if i'm not mistaken, and in very good shape, it is used frequently too!!

[karlosdeville]

I dont recall if I had shared these pictures earlier. Spotted her in 2006 at a Bombay rally. The gent was very proud of his car, and rightly so. Fairly well finished barring a few bits here and there. Interiors were beautiful barring those horribly uncomfortable S1 seats. This was the colour scheme I had finalsed on for my select till other projects came in the way.

[Stanher]

Originally Posted by JayD

Guys! Just came across the MOST Original Select i've ever seen!! Right down to the two piece taillamps and the 'Elevenhundred' badge on the grille! Single owner if i'm not mistaken, and in very good shape, it is used frequently too!!

Wow chettAn! Lovely! It is indeed the most original select anyone could find in our country, but for the few bits as karl has mentioned! 'even has the rare smaller shelves under the dash on either side!
Where is this car, in Cbe??

[karlosdeville]

Originally Posted by JayD

Guys! Just came across the MOST Original Select i've ever seen!! Right down to the two piece taillamps and the 'Elevenhundred' badge on the grille! Single owner if i'm not mistaken, and in very good shape, it is used frequently too!!

Superb JayD, I love it. Do try and get us more detailed photos of the engine bay, interiors, inside the dicky etc, it will be useful for reference. Besides the couple of missing switches, headlights and all glasses, the car appears totally complete. Indian cars had taillights in aluminium though, these look chrome.

That ElevenHundred script badge is the first one Ive ever come across, very interesting. I presume that export market cars had the script in English at some point, though I have seen most otherwise.

[Ram]

Excellent.
Where do people hide away these old originals?

Karl :
all the old tail light bezels were made of die-cast aluminium.
Some were chromium plated and some weren't

As a 15-year-old in 1972, I had polished the aluminium ornaments, hubcaps, side spears, tail-lights, side repeaters and number-plate lights on my dad's 1968 Fiat 1100D ADX-4717, using fine polishing paste compound until I achieved a chrome like gloss. They would gleam for a month and eventually tarnish to the dull aluminium look again.

The same treatment and results happened on some of my die-cast aluminium 1/43rd scale models.

Methinks, later on, Premier Automobiles degraded quality by using metallized and plated ABS plastic components.

[Ram]

Originally Posted by karlosdeville

That ElevenHundred script badge is the first one Ive ever come across, very interesting...

When we met at Mhatre Garage, didn't I tell you Karl, that I had seen both "Eleven Hundred" and "Millecento" script badges on the old Fiats in the old days? Amazing that this one has survived for so long, though!

[karlosdeville]

Originally Posted by Ram

Karl :
all the old tail light bezels were made of die-cast aluminium.
Some were chromium plated and some weren't


As a 15-year-old in 1972, I had polished the aluminium ornaments, hubcaps, side spears, tail-lights, side repeaters and number-plate lights on my dad's 1968 Fiat 1100D ADX-4717, using fine polishing paste compound until I achieved a chrome like gloss. They would gleam for a month and eventually tarnish to the dull aluminium look again.

As far as I know in the Indian market, taillights were not chrome plated till the Padmini appeared around 74-75. Italian and other market cars however all had chrome finished taillgihts and number plate lights from the 50s. My 61 1100 Export still has the chrome finished Altissimo numberplate lights.

True, the aluminium finish if buffed gives a superb shine, albeit temporarily.


This is an aluminium finish unit offered on Indian cars. It however sports red lenses for tail/brake as well as indicators, which was the norm in the US market I think. I have seen 3-4 cars with similar taillights in India as well, perhaps they too were offered or perhaps they were aftermarket accessories.

Can you tell us what style of wheel, wheelcap, rear bumper and meter console was fitted to your 68 car? Im still not clear on the combination offered in 68-69.

[Ram]

Originally Posted by karlosdeville

Can you tell us what style of wheel, wheelcap, rear bumper and meter console was fitted to your 68 car? Im still not clear on the combination offered in 68-69.

Wheels
My 1968 Fiat 1100D had lipless wheels. They featured four spring-steel ears to hold the hub caps.
The hubcap had an internal cone to grip the spring ears and hold tightly to the wheel.

In 1969, the metal wheel was changed. It got a full raised lip and lost the spring ears. Later hubcaps were simple stamped frisbees to be pressed onto the lip.

Rear Bumper
The rear bumper on my 1968 Fiat 1100D was longer than the Premier Padmini type. It was like what came on the pre-Delight cars.
It had a diamond shaped bolt head that held the bumper to the quarter panel on the sides of the dikky. However the sheet metal was not sculpted around it, like in the pre-Delight cars.

Meter Console
The meter console had 3 black background Yenkay instruments with chrome bezels. The background was anodized aluminium with black screen printed horizontal lines.
It did not have the 4 pianokey type switches. Rather there were two metal toggle switches against a scored metal plate (again like in the pre-Delight cars): the left switch was for the wipers and the right one for the lights.

The plastic shroud for the instrument panel was of rather inferior plastic and cooked in Indian sunshine it would bend upwards and become peaked, not unlike a Rajasthani belle's headdress.

[karlosdeville]

Thanks Ram, that is very helpful. Now could you tell me what month in 68 the car was sold? Or would you have the date of first regn? I basically am wondering whether this could have been a late 67 model sold in 68. By any chance would you have any old photos or an owners manual lying around? Also were your wheelcaps steel or aluminium.

The piano key switches made an appearence in 65 with the first Delights, and were definitely present till 67. You say in your 68 there were toggle switches, which I think continued till 74 on the last of the Presidents and first of the Padminis.

So yours would have been the last model with clip type wheels, longer rear bumper, Yenkay meters (69 onwards were Autometer). I also assume the front and rear windscreen rubbers would have had no groove to take a trim.

[Ram]

Interesting Karl. Yes it was a January 1968 model.

The original paint was Heather Brown -- a color introduced as new for 1968. It was a warm brown as in Bournvita mixed with cream. Yummy!!

The wheelcaps were definitely aluminium.

The piano key switches came in 1964 and stayed till 1966.
In 1965 the Yenkay meters actually had a blue background, not black.

Radiator grille
Also the 1964 through 1967 had an aluminium radiator grille with square holes (perfect squares).

In 1968, with my January 1968 car, came the aluminium radiator grille with stamped oblong holes (rectangles with semicircular ends). I somehow always found the stamped oblong holes prettier. They remained until the President came along in 1973 with yet another aluminium grille pattern.

Lights and Wipers switches
I believe that somewhere among the Padminis the piano key switches made a re-appearance.

Windscreen and Granluce Backlight rubbers
The front windscreen and Granluce backlight rubbers had the groove to take a trim, but Premier Automobiles did not supply any trim.

The grooveless rubbers that you allude to, I believe came with the black-painted stripped down Padmini taxi model. That taxi model was supplied without turn-signal repeaters, with thinner aluminium spears and no hubcaps. Instead they had black plastic center caps bolted inside the original hubcap holding lips.

[karlosdeville]

Originally Posted by Ram

Interesting Karl. Yes it was a January 1968 model.

Just as I suspected, it was a very early 68 model, with features of earlier models. So for my reference, I will still consider it as part of the 67 model line registered in 68.

A few corrections to the best of my knowledge.

The piano key switches came in 1964 and stayed till 1966.
In 1965 the Yenkay meters actually had a blue background, not black.

True in 64, 65 and early 66 the meters were blue and in mid 66 they offered black. I confirmed this with 2 seperate 66 model original single owner cars showing these features. Piano key switches were denifintely offered in 67 as well. They are present on my 67, a very original one owner car. 68 saw the re introduction of toggle switches.

Also note that the 64-66 models had ventilation slots in the dash and twin jewel lights like earlier models.

64-mid 66 dash. Note chrome ashtray and blue yenkay meters.


mid to late 66 dash, black Yenkay meters. Note introduction of black ash tray till end of production.


67 dash. No vents in the dash, single pilot/jewel light for high beam indicator. Retrofitted chrome ashtray courtesy Stanher


68- early 72 dash, introduction of Autometer meters. No brushed metal plate background from 70-71.



mid 72, last Delight. One piece Yenkay meter, identical to President unit but black. Wheelcaps identical to President, but with Fiat script.

Radiator grille
Also the 1964 through 1967 had an aluminium radiator grille with square holes (perfect squares).

In 1968, with my January 1968 car, came the aluminium radiator grille with stamped oblong holes (rectangles with semicircular ends). I somehow always found the stamped oblong holes prettier. They remained until the President came along in 1973 with yet another aluminium grille pattern.

In 65 the aluminium front grille with square pattern was offered, but was discontinued mid 66 alongwith the green meters.

64-mid 66 grille


mid 66 to 72 grille

Windscreen and Granluce Backlight rubbers
The front windscreen and Granluce backlight rubbers had the groove to take a trim, but Premier Automobiles did not supply any trim.

The grooveless rubbers that you allude to, I believe came with the black-painted stripped down Padmini taxi model. That taxi model was supplied without turn-signal repeaters, with thinner aluminium spears and no hubcaps. Instead they had black plastic center caps bolted inside the original hubcap holding lips.

64 to 66 the windscreen rubbers were supplied with trim, much thicker and glossier than Padmini stuff, identical to what was offered in the Italian market cars. In 67 Im quite sure the rubber was with no groove. This continued till 74(ish) with the President. My 71 Delight and 73 President both have this type of rubber with no groove. Certain Padminis as you mentioned were offered with grooved rubber but no trim. No Padmini was fitted with grooveless rubbers.

Grooveless rubbers


Grooved rubbers


Am working on a (cosmetic) restorers guide for the 1100, look forward to your inputs.

[prabhuav]

Originally Posted by Stanher

Wow chettAn! Lovely! It is indeed the most original select anyone could find in our country, but for the few bits as karl has mentioned! 'even has the rare smaller shelves under the dash on either side!
Where is this car, in Cbe??

This car is in Bangy and as a matter of fact belongs to my mechanic. Is on a standing offer to me . But I am not a big fan of selects . This car is unbelievable and is his highway drive. He takes it to kerala every time he goes and returns him 22kmpl. I tend to believe him as I had used it here for a week and I got over 17kmpl in the city.

Next time I go to the garage, I will click better pics and post.
Vijay

[Steeroid]

Originally Posted by karlosdeville

That ElevenHundred script badge is the first one Ive ever come across, very interesting. I presume that export market cars had the script in English at some point, though I have seen most otherwise.

The Millecento in Jay Leno's garage features the same Eleven Hundred script badge that JayD has posted:

Jay Leno's Garage

[karlosdeville]

Originally Posted by Steeroid

The Millecento in Jay Leno's garage features the same Eleven Hundred script badge that JayD has posted:

Jay Leno's Garage

Nope, it is the Millecento script like all the other cars.