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1920 Fiat 1T Taxi

1920 Fiat 1T Taxi in Omnibus 150, Documentary, 1979

Class: Cars, Sedan — Model origin: — Built in: — Made for:

1920 Fiat 1T Taxi

00:10:11 Background vehicle

Comments about this vehicle

Author	Message
dsl ◊ 2022-11-02 00:07	For the cab with the strange radiator.
Sunbar ◊ 2022-11-02 21:51	Strange appearance I think for the whole vehicle. It could be a mixture of pre-1914 and early 1920s features. For pre-1914 London taxis, there were probably about 20 manufactures. By the 1920s I think the types of cabs had be whittled down to less than five and none that I can find look like this one. I suspect (or more accurately a wild guess) that its a 1907 Renault 9CV Taxi that has been re-engined, rebuilt and with a updated body, in about 1924 when the Scotland Yard regulations required all cabs to be tested and the original Renault engine was found to be underpowered. Probably destined to be unknown for some considerable time. -- Last edit: 2022-11-02 21:52:47
johnfromstaffs ◊ 2022-11-02 22:39	Do you reckon that it’s on solids?
zodiac ◊ 2022-11-03 15:27	When concerning Swedish buses, a chassis usually outlasted two or three bodies. Was it similar with buses in the UK? If true, that makes buses from the 20's or 30's very difficult to identify indeed. Apart from some radiator grilles.
johnfromstaffs ◊ 2022-11-03 15:40	Above, we are looking at the taxi. The era of buses up to the second half of the 1920s is not so easy to comment on, but I would have thought that the poorer quality of the lubricating oils, especially gear oils, would make the mechanical parts much less durable than today, so requiring chassis overhauls at about the same intervals as body rebuilds. From the 1930 s onwards, particularly with heavyweight buses like London Transport used, the chassis, if properly serviced, could be considered as much more durable than the body, and a look at the histories in Ian’s bus stop will give you an idea of how many times bodies and chassis were overhauled. By the time I became familiar with Hägglunds, they were no longer making buses, and their products were less likely to rust away!
Sunbar ◊ 2022-11-03 16:50	johnfromstaffs wrote Do you reckon that it’s on solids? Impossible to say for the taxi, I think.
dsl ◊ 2022-11-03 18:07	I tried looking for something like this in a taxi picture book - no useful result. Nearest thing I found was Argyll 15 hp - apparently there were 2 phases for London taxis - first one about 1913 had squarer grille, 2nd one about 1915 had tall thin grille with tapered outline, so looked a bit similar. But not enough to make a definite link. The book lists a whole pile of makes, but too many without pictures to know what they looked like.
Sunbar ◊ 2022-11-03 18:12	Enlarged view of same type of taxi in Regent Street in 1923 still 'unknown' but a slightly better view. Nothing to support my original idea so the search continues.
johnfromstaffs ◊ 2022-11-03 19:05	XX is London CC, 1/25 to 4/25. It’s not one of the usual suspects, leaving us with the possibility that it’s a Beardmore, or perhaps a Citroën -- Last edit: 2022-11-03 19:19:05
zodiac ◊ 2022-11-03 19:49	johnfromstaffs wrote Above, we are looking at the taxi. When I said bus, I meant something like Link to "www.fifetoday.co.uk" which is a Ford Model T bus. I hope I'm forgiven as they are quite similar in size if compared with some taxis. Once they were common in the Swedish countryside. Perhaps those small buses were rare in the UK?
Sunbar ◊ 2022-11-10 19:57	Partial information found in a Pathe Newsreel as it potentially being a 'Jixi' 2-seater Taxi assembled by Hoyal Body Corporation (1928) Ltd, of Hoyal Works, Weybridge. https://www.britishpathe.com/video/jixi-sir The date quoted by Pathe News' website is 1927, but how reliable this is is questionable. Either it was earlier or the taxis are the first built at Weybridge. Previously they could be London; 1923 Messrs. Chalmer and Hoyer Charring Cross, or 1925 Chalmer and Hoyer, Bournemouth. Jixi apparently was an informal slang term for London's 2-seater taxicab. I cannot find at the moment if the were sold as being a 'Hoyal' or the maker of the chassis (if it was sourced elsewhere). CM archive has a single (so far) reference to Jixi 2-seater cabs and a few comments about Hoyal's coachbuilding business for other vehicles. -- Last edit: 2022-11-10 20:12:21
dsl ◊ 2022-11-10 20:42	I've got a book photo of that car labelled as a Berliet, as stated on grille script; has 058 LB white-on-red trade plate hanging loosely on top of grille; text later mentions a 1927 12hp base model. "Jix" was apparently the nickname of Sir William Joynson-Hicks, Home secretary in Baldwin's government (Nov 24 onwards) and previously LGOC's company solicitor when his dad Henry Hicks was chairman. When Jix was Home Sec, he therefore became PCO and tried to impose a spec for 2-seater cabs to offer cheaper fares, creating the "Jixis". But I don't think it's a visual match - to me the grille shape in main is not rectangular, but tapered to a narrower top, with a thick surround - reminds me of classical Egyptian or similar monumental architecture for some reason (although no idea of what ancient structure I'm thinking of). Can't see any reference to Chambers and/or Hoyal on a quick glance through the book (A Century of London Taxis, Bill Munro, 2005 - cheap as chips online from the usual sources).
Sunbar ◊ 2022-11-10 21:32	Thank you for the Berliet identification dsl. It rules that out as I probably imagined a similar angled sided grille. Following your comment any taper on the sides has disappeared. Also I did not notice the apparent script in the third thumbnail.
Sunbar ◊ 2024-09-15 16:25	johnfromstaffs wrote XX is London CC, 1/25 to 4/25. It’s not one of the usual suspects, leaving us with the possibility that it’s a Beardmore, or perhaps a Citroën A better enlargement of the Regent Street taxi's registration shows XK rather than XX which I believe is earlier, probably 1923. Which makes the 1920-1923 Fiat 1T Taxi a possibility, although some details differ and the radiator shape is not certain. https://auto.vercity.ru/gallery/automobiles/fiat/1920/fiat_1_t_taxi/ Link to "archive.commercialmotor.com" -- Last edit: 2024-09-15 16:38:23
Sunbar ◊ 2024-09-15 20:23	Comparing the radiator shape from the CM Archive and the main picture is a better match. No other manufacturers found for the period and other than Unic and Beardmore were fairly common and exhibited at two Commercial Motor shows. Body probably UK build chassis only sold by Fiat. 1920-1923 Fiat 1T Taxi looks most likely.
dsl ◊ 2024-09-15 21:04	1921 ad (Italian)

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