Fiat 127

The two-door Fiat 127 was introduced on March 20, 1971 ^[1] , the general layout and most of the technical solutions were borrowed from the Fiat 128 , and the 900 cc engine was directly transferred from the Fiat 850 Sport ^[8] . At the beginning of 1972, the model received the title “European Car of the Year” ^[9] , and in the spring a three-door version with a large trunk lid and folding rear seats was introduced. This was the first Fiat hatchback . Since 1973, for six years, the Fiat 127 was the best-selling car in Europe ^[10] . In 1974, the two and three-door Fiat 127 Special models debuted, which had a new radiator grille, moldings on the sides and rubber lining on the bumpers. The interior was also updated: a new dashboard and steering wheel appeared, trimmed with fabric seats ^[6] . The car was in demand and by the end of 1974 a millionth instance was produced.

The all-metal car body was designed in such a way as to provide maximum space inside the passenger compartment. It had a crease zone in front, protecting passengers in a frontal impact. The frame integrated in the bottom provided protection against a side impact, enclosed important components of the car and was used to attach engine mounts and suspension components. The two-door car had a small metal trunk lid, for the three-door, the entire rear part was understood along with the glass, the hood of the car leaned forward ^{[6] [11]} .

In front of the car, a four-cylinder engine with a working volume of 0.9 liters was transversely vertically placed. In the cast - iron cylinder block of the engine, there was a three-support crankshaft , which, using a two-row chain, brought the nearby camshaft . Camshaft cams were driven by pushers, which, in turn, through the rocker arms brought in series ( OHV ) valves located in a row in the aluminum cylinder head, two per cylinder ^{[6] [12]} .

The engine had a closed liquid cooling system with a thermostat and an expansion tank. The radiator was located in front of the engine and was cooled using an electric fan, which was switched on by the command of the temperature sensor in the radiator. In a full-flow lubrication system, pressure was generated using a gear pump and a disposable paper filter was used ^[13] .

On the front (in the direction of the car) the engine on the intake manifold, made at the same time as the cylinder head, housed a single-chamber carburetor , on top of which was a round air filter with a paper filter element. Fuel was supplied to the carburetor from the fuel tank located at the rear of the car using a diaphragm pump mounted on the engine. Located behind the engine, the exhaust manifold directed exhaust gases into the pipe going to the muffler at the rear of the car ^[14] .

A 12-volt ignition system with a mechanical breaker-distributor with a vacuum corrector and an ignition coil applied voltage to the spark plugs , one in each cylinder ^[15] .

From the engine through a dry single - plate clutch with a diaphragm spring and a cable drive, the rotation was transmitted to a four-speed gearbox with synchronizers in all forward gears. The box with the help of the traction system was connected to the control lever located on the passenger compartment floor between the seats. If necessary, the gearbox could be removed without removing the engine. From the main gear and differential , located in the same housing with the box, rotation with the help of drive shafts of unequal length was applied to the front wheels. Internal joints of the Tripod type were used, and external ones of the Rzeppa type ^{[16] [17]} .

In an independent front suspension with MacPherson struts, each wheel was connected to the body using one thin forged wishbone; in front, the levers were connected by a U-shaped stabilizer. The independent rear suspension had short transverse stamped A-shaped levers, one transverse two-leaf spring as an elastic element and telescopic shock absorbers mounted almost vertically. The rear suspension, as well as the front one, required periodic adjustment of the wheel alignment angles ^[18] .

The car was equipped with a rack and pinion steering gear without an amplifier. The safe steering column folding upon impact had two cardan joints in the drive. The total number of turns of the steering wheel from lock to lock was 3.5 ^[19] .

In double-circuit with axial separation of the hydraulic brake system, front disc and drum brake mechanisms were used in front. The front disc brakes with a floating caliper had solid, non-ventilated brake discs. There was no booster in the brake drive, the driver directly, using the brake pedal, acted on . A brake force regulator with a drive from the rear axle was installed at the rear of the car; it changed (limited) the pressure in the rear brakes in order to prevent their premature blocking. The parking brake from the lever between the seats with the help of a cable drive acted on the brake mechanisms of the rear wheels ^[20] .

The car used tires with a dimension of 4.00x13, on which tires with a dimension of 135-13 were installed. The spare wheel was located in front under the hood ^[6] .

In May 1977, updated cars of the second series appeared. The grille, bumpers and car lighting were new. A new dashboard appeared in the cabin with places for installing radio and speakers. The main novelty was a modern overhead valve engine with a displacement of one liter with a capacity of 50 hp, which appeared a year earlier on the Brazilian version of the car. In 1978, the 127 Sport model was introduced. In the center of the new grille was a red Fiat sports emblem, a new front bumper with a spoiler, original wheels and twin exhaust pipes complemented the look of the car. It was equipped with a boosted 75-liter liter engine, an upgraded suspension and transmission, and wider tires. In April 1980, four and five-door versions of the car appeared. They were made at the Seat factory, but were sold under the Fiat brand outside of Spain. Thus, the car could have two, three, four or five-door bodies ^{[21] [22]} .

1. Dante Giacosa. Forty Years of Design with Fiat . - Centro Storico Fiat, 2014. Archived December 1, 2017.
2. Repair and maintenance manual for the car FIAT 127. - SPb: Grand, 1996. - 144 p. - 3000 copies.
3. Fiat 127 and 127 Special . - Italy: Fiat Auto. - 16 p.
4. New 127 . - Italy: Fiat Auto. - 40 p.
5. Phil Ward Great Small Fiats in Google Books
6. Fiat 127 Diesel (Italian) // Quattroruote: Journal. - 1981. - N. 306 . - P. 124-137 .
7. Fiat Vans. - Fiat Auto, 1983 .-- 4 p.