SEAT 1500

SEAT 1500
1970 SEAT 1500 sedan
Overview
Manufacturer	SEAT
Also called	SEAT 1800/2000 Diesel
Production	1963–1973
Assembly	Spain: Barcelona (Zona Franca)
Designer	Dante Giacosa
Body and chassis
Class	Large family car (D)
Body style	4-door sedan 5-door station wagon pick-up
Layout	FR layout
Related	SEAT 1400 C Fiat 1400 Fiat 1800/2100
Powertrain
Engine	1,481 cc I4 1,767 cc OM636 I4 (1800 D) 1,988 cc OM615 I4 (2000 D)
Transmission	4-speed manual
Dimensions
Wheelbase	265 cm (104.3 in)
Length	447 cm (176.0 in)
Width	162 cm (63.8 in)
Height	143 cm (56.3 in)
Kerb weight	1,210 kg (2,670 lb)
Chronology
Predecessor	SEAT 1400
Successor	SEAT 132

The SEAT 1500 was a Spanish-built 6-seater model of saloon and estate cars, based on the Italian Fiat 2300 and using a 1481 cc engine from the Fiat 1500. The 1500 was the successor to the SEAT 1400 C; it was manufactured from 1963 to 1973, with the five door estate ("Familiar") version arriving in 1965. Apart from the larger engine, differences between the 1500 and the C version of its predecessor were limited to minor details such as a speedometer that now read up to 160 km/h (100 mph).

There was also a '1500 pick-up' offered, and the coach builder ONECA developed a long-wheelbase 'pullman' version. A total of 134,766 cars were built.

Engine

SEAT 1500 (rear view)

SEAT 1500 Familiar

Engine options were initially restricted to a 1481 cc petrol fuelled water cooled unit, driving the rear wheels via a four speed all synchromesh gearbox. With this engine a top speed of 145 km/h (90 mph) was claimed. After 1968, demand for petrol engined versions of the SEAT 1500 fell away with the introduction of the SEAT 124, a more modern design based on the Fiat 124 with a much better power-to-weight ratio.

From 1969, both 1.8 and 2-litre diesel versions of the SEAT 1500 were offered, and most would be used as taxis. Initially only cars with the smaller diesel engines were delivered, using an engine last seen in the Mercedes-Benz 180D with a claimed output in this application of 46 PS (34 kW; 45 bhp). According to one report this version took nearly 50 seconds to reach 100 km/h (62 mph), but fuel cost savings were impressive, helped by the lower level of sales tax on diesel fuel. These were the first diesel-powered saloons manufactured in Spain. Fiat were not producing suitable diesel engines at this stage, and thus SEAT chose to have the engines supplied by Mercedes-Benz and Perkins Engines.^{[ citation needed ]} The diesel engines supplied to SEAT by Mercedes-Benz were versions of the four-cylinder diesel OM636 engines that powered the Mercedes-Benz 180d. ^[1] The 1800 Diesel could be bought through either SEAT or Mercedes-Benz dealerships in Spain; the engines were built under license by Empresa Nacional de Motores de Aviación (ENMASA) in Barcelona. ^[1]

Body

The Fiat-based body used the Pininfarina-styled, boxy design which had been used on the 'C' version of SEAT's 1400 since 1959: it was broadly similar to the designs provided by the same designer to Peugeot and BMC at this time. The car originally had a single pair of headlights, but from 1969, double headlamps similar to those fitted on the Fiat 2300 were a feature of the SEAT 1500s. The post-1969, twin headlight models acquired the soubriquet 'Bifaro' in Spain.

References

1. Sánchez, Miguel (17 April 2023). "SEAT 1800 D, un diésel con motor Mercedes" [SEAT 1800 D, a diesel with a Mercedes engine]. La Escuderia. Archived from the original on 2025-07-21.

External links

• SEAT 1500 history (Spanish)
• Museo Seat (Spanish, Catalan, English, German)