Fiat CEO Sergio Marchione has revealed that the Italian carmaker is to revive the spirit of the famous Fiat Campagnola jeep and head cross country once more, as it is planning to develop its own branded version of the Iveco Massif. The Massif is the fruit of a new industrial collaboration between Fiat Group-owned Iveco and Spanish off-road vehicle manufacturer Santana Motor. Eight years ago Santana reengineered its PS-10 Anibal off-roader - which can trace its lineage right back to the Land Rover - to accept an Iveco-sourced 3.0-litre diesel powerplant and from this was developed an agreement which will see Iveco selling a rebadged version from this year through its global distribution network. Iveco see the Massif as a logical extension to their burgeoning product range, providing a ready-made solution that they have been able to realise in a very short space of time since a formal letter of intent was signed late last May with Santana.

However, late last week Sergio Marchionne revealed that Fiat is also planning to introduce its own version of the Iveco Massif/Santana PS-10 Anibal theme. "We are working on the opportunity to develop to a version of the Massif cross-country vehicle for Fiat, using the same motors and transmissions but obviously with a different body and interior," he told journalists. While the Iveco Massif is virtually unchanged in finish from the Santana Anibal, it is simply rebadged, Marchionne suggests that a Fiat version will be much more refined with a more-modern interior and restyled exterior, as Fiat Group Automobiles revives a cross-country tradition that - with the two versions of the Campagnola - lasted for thirty five years until the mid-1980s.

The PS-10 Anibal traces its lineage right back to the Land Rover, a vehicle which is still in production in Defender guise and sold globally both as an all-terrain workhorse, and in more recent years, as a lifestyle vehicle. While Fiat's previous senior management missed the rise in fashion of the four-wheel-driver off-road segment, a catch-up game has seen the Italian carmaker creating an alliance with Suzuki to tap into the Japanese firm's vast experience in building small off-road vehicles to help catapult itself into contention. The Fiat Sedici (a reworked Suzuki SX4) has far exceeded initial expectations in the year it has been on sale in Europe and production volumes are now set to being pushed well above projected targets.

Santana Motors can also boast vast experience building off road vehicles, and the Spanish automotive firm's decision to use Iveco-sourced powertrains in its main-selling vehicle gives Fiat an ideal chance to leverage this position to its advantage. The origins of the Santana company can be traced back to the formation of Metalurgica de Santa Ana, S.A. in Linares, Spain in 1955. The company started out by building agricultural machinery and gearboxes. Their new factory had been built with the aid of funding from the Spanish government, and with their help, the following year an agreement was reached with Rover to build the Land Rover at the plant. Santana enjoyed a long association with Land Rover having built in the region of 300,000 'Series' vehicles from 1958 through to 1985. By the end of this period however, the vehicles being built were quite different in many respects from Land Rovers, and in 1983 all links with Land Rover ceased. Nevertheless, production continued of a range of Land Rover derived vehicles designated the Santana 2500 until the mid-nineties.

The new vehicle is expected to be called the Fiat Campagnola when it reaches the market, reviving a near-legendary name which adorned a much-loved Fiat-built jeep for three and a half decades, in two versions. Introduced in 1951, the Campagnola followed the design of the original 'Willy's' Jeep in using a front mounted engine, four wheel drive and an open bodywork. The ladderframe chassis was fitted with independent front suspension and a live rear axle, whilst the drive system was permanent to the rear wheels with a selectable front wheel drive. Two individual front seats and two double-bench seats (one along each side) provided seating for six.

It was powered by a 1901cc four cylinder petrol engine (derived from the engine in the 1900) with 53bhp driving through a four speed transmission. Combined with a reduction box, this setup provided exceptional off-road ability. The version produced for the military was known as the AR51 and featured a range of modifications, mainly to simplify the product. In 1953 a diesel engine, still of 1901cc but with indirect diesel injection and 40bhp (derived from the engine in the 1400), was added to the range. At the same time various revisions were carried out on both the new diesel and the petrol.

In 1955 the Campagnola A was introduced. The petrol version benefited from a more powerful engine, producing 63bhp, thanks to a higher compression ratio, whilst the diesel engine increased its output slightly to 43bhp.
 

Detail improvements to the car were also introduced such as a demister for the windscreen and a change to the lighting. The military version became the AR55, with a lower power version of the new engine, with 56bhp. The range received minor detail again in 1959, with no change in definition except for the military version which became the AR59. Then in 1960 the Campagnola B arrived. This was an improved diesel version (the Campagnola A continued as the petrol with no change) with a revised engine producing 47bhp and a variety of other minor changes. The final diesel version was the Campagnola C. Introduced in 1968 this had an engine with a displacement of 1895cc and a power output of 47bhp. Total production of the Campagnola until 1973 was 7,783 diesel engined examples, and 31,293 petrol engined ones.

In 1974 the all new Campagnola was released, launched in a rather low-key way at the Belgrade Motorshow of that year. This used a 1995cc engine derived from that in the 1.8-litre 132, modified to increase its capacity and to have a single cam in the block. The resulting engine produced 80bhp and drove through a similar layout to the old car, four speed transmission, permanent rear wheel drive, selectable front wheel drive, and a reduction box. Independent suspension for all four wheels (with torsion bars front and rear) and a load-bearing bodyshell were used. Unusually a double front passenger seat, combined with the driver and four in the rear, provided seating for seven. Numerous typical off-road extras were standard or optional, such as locking differentials on both axles, adjustable lights, various tyre sizes, etc. Given the low production volumes of the car, assembly was by Pininfarina at the Grugliasco factory.

In 1976 three additional variants joined the range. The standard length car became available with a hard top as well as the original canvas roof, and a version with a stretched bodywork (an extended rear overhang allowed for three seats on each bench, giving a total seating capacity of nine people) was introduced, both with a soft and a rigid roof. The roof in both long and short versions was a metal affair, with side windows, fixed to the body by bolts, and hence removable. The military version of the Nuova Campagnola emerged in 1976, hence known as the AR76, and featured numerous options designed to optimise its capability off-road. It also featured a slightly less powerful engine with 75bhp.

1979 saw the nuova Campagnola receive diesel engines, a 2-litre (with 60bhp) and a 2.5-litre (with 72bhp), both made by Sofim. At the same time all the models (including the petrol engined variants) received a five speed gearbox, the limited slip differential became standard at the rear (previously an option, it remained optional for the front axle) and a variety of other minor improvements. The military version became the AR76A. Production in Italy continued until 1985, although odd vehicles emerged from the plant until 1987. The Campagnola was also assembled in Yugoslavia by Zastava in the early 1950's. All the parts were sent from Turin by train, with only final assembly carried out locally. These vehicles were also exported, getting as far as India.