FN Typ 1300 History
FN's most successful model — a refined 1327 cc overhead-valve four with four-wheel brakes, built in ~2,200 examples and raced to class wins at the Spa 24 Hours.
Photo: “1925 FN 1300 Sport y side.JPG” by André Ritzinger / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY 3.0. Cropped to 16:9.
History
Launched in 1923, the FN Typ 1300 was the model that defined the marque. Powered by a 1327 cc four-cylinder engine with a side-mounted camshaft and overhead valves, it was technically advanced for its era: all variants were delivered with wide low-pressure 'balloon' tyres and four-wheel brakes at a time when many rivals still relied on rear brakes alone.
The range was offered in three wheelbase and equipment variants — designated A, B, and C — and was progressively expanded with the Typ 1300D (four-speed transmission), Typ 1300E (widened track for improved stability), and the Typ 1300Sp, a sports-tuned version developed for competition. Approximately 2,200 examples left the Herstal factory across the model's production life.
In competition the 1300 and its successor acquitted themselves well: the model took class wins in the Spa 24 Hours in 1925, 1926 and 1933, and finished third in general classification in the 1925 Monte Carlo Rally. The FN works team of 1625-engined cars also won a Coupe des Alpes in the 1931 Alpine Trial, underlining the chassis's fundamental soundness.
Generations
First series · Typ 1300 A/B/C
Photo: “1925 FN 1300 Sport y side.JPG” by André Ritzinger / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY 3.0. Cropped to 16:9.
Original 1327 cc OHV four in three wheelbase/equipment variants; balloon tyres and four-wheel brakes standard. (Sources do not fix the exact A/B/C-to-D/E boundary; the later variants arrived progressively in the second half of the 1920s.)
1925 Photo: “1925 FN 1300 Sport y f3q.JPG” by André Ritzinger / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY 3.0. Cropped to 16:9.
1926 Photo: “1926 FN 1300 torpedo fr3q.JPG” by André Ritzinger / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY 3.0. Cropped to 16:9.
Second series · Typ 1300 D/E/Sp
Four-speed 1300D, wider-track 1300E, and sports 1300Sp; the 1300 range took class honours at the Spa 24 Hours.
Body styles
- Tourer
- Saloon
- Sports
Notable special editions & performance variants
Typ 1300Sp
Sports-tuned variant of the standard 1300; the model line took Spa 24 Hours class wins in 1925, 1926 and 1933, and third in general classification in the 1925 Monte Carlo Rally.
Related models
Collect the nameplate
Find a scale model of the FN Typ 1300
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