Fiat ESVs

In 1972, the American manufacturers Ford and General Motors as well as Fiat, Daimler-Benz, Volkswagen, Nissan and Honda join this initiative.

These ESV cars are designed on the basis of the specifications established during the various conferences held around the world: January 1971 in Paris, France; September 1971 in Sindelfingen, Germany; July 1972 in Washington DC; March 1973 in Kyoto, Japan and June 1974, in London, England.

They stand out with very visible black protection of the front and rear of the cars, and have the ESV logo and a number indicating the weight of the vehicle in pounds, as prescribed in the American specifications.

[1] The main safety test requirements of this project are protection of the passengers in: As main differences with the standard cars they are based on, the three Fiat ESVs have in common: a reinforced inner skeleton, big polyurethane bumpers (in two versions: one developed by Pirelli with air chambers, the other filled with foam)[4] at both ends with matching side protection strips, and a padded interior.

Originally, it weighs no more than the targeted 680 kg (1,500 lb), with styling done by the engineers, who borrow certain elements from the yet-to-be-released Fiat 126.

The conclusion is that at that time, there is no satisfactory restraint system for speeds of 50 mph (80 km/h) for a car of this size, including airbags.

Also, the windshield is deeply curved so it sits further from the front occupants' heads than in the 128, without any change in the position and rake of the original A-pillars.

Also here the windshield is curved compared to the original, and the fuel tank is moved to a safer position right behind the passenger compartment.