With all-around disc brakes; rear-wheel-drive, and up to 72 horsepower, the elegant
tristać was Yugoslavia's favorite upmarket car.
Today, many across the former Yugoslavia recall the 1300 as Zastava's best automobile ever: the
Jugoslovenski Mercedes, they call it. 201,160 copies of the 1300 and 1500 were produced from 1961 through December 20th, 1979.
Length: 4,030 mm. Width: 1,545 mm. Height: 1,365 mm. Wheelbase: 2,425 mm. Curb weight: 960 kg
Drawing obvious inspiration from America's Chevrolet Corvair, the 1300
(milletrecciento, in Italy) and 1500
(millecinquecento) were Zastava's family cars for the '60s and '70s.
Both used longitudinally-installed engines powering the rear axle via a four-speed manual trans-mission.
The engines employed - 1,295cc and 1,481cc - were two versions of the same overhead-valve design, differing in bore (72 mm and 77 mm, respectively).
The 1300 produced 65 brake horsepower (@ 5,200 rpm); the 1500, 72 brake horsepower (@ 5,200 rpm).
The larger engine could propel the car to a top speed of 155 km/h.
In the '70s, Zastava raised the equipment levels and added
DeLuxe and
1300E models.
The floorpan of the 1300/ 1500 was used as the basis for the Polski-Fiat 125p, which was produced by Polish FSO from Zastava CKD kits.
The 125p was created by mating the body of the Fiat 125 to the mechanicals (engines; gearbox; transmission, and suspension) of the 1300 and 1500.