The best Fiats of all time

Fiat Coupe

Just look at the Fiat Coupé to understand its true appeal when it went on sale in 1990; Its Pininfarina-designed body gave it the appearance of a mini Ferrari. Whether it has aged well is a subjective point; The Perspex headlight housings are from the 1990s and the cutouts on the wheels are a bit too rough, but when the sun comes out the time will surely come again.

Either way, there’s objectively a lot to like. The coupe started life as a four-cylinder, but the facelift brought a 20V five-cylinder engine that, in turbocharged form, offers serious firepower with a top speed of 155mph and a 0-62mph time of as little as 6.3 seconds. On the contrary, these figures understate the car’s middle-class penetration. Underneath the body lay the underpinnings of the Fiat Tipo, but despite its humble origins the Coupé had decent steering, an adjustable chassis and a limited-slip differential that did an excellent job of feeding power to the Tarmac.

Fiat Panda’s 100hp

Momentum cars like the Fiat Panda 100hp are one of the best ways to improve your skills as a driver; It rewards those who dare to take a corner as quickly as the car’s level of grip will allow, rather than stomping their right foot on the carpet and letting the engine do it. to relax. With just 100 PS (74 kW) of power, the 100 hp vehicle is the most ‘acceleration car’ you can buy, with enough acceleration to remove the skin from a rice pudding.

But does it matter? Absolutely not. The Panda’s round four-cylinder twin-cam is as Italian as the Ferrari V12, and Fiat’s small performance space continues to fill with enthusiasm thanks to its short-throw, six-speed low-ratio transmission. The combination of long body, wide tires and ridiculously stiff suspension only adds to the character. With its boxy shape and five doors, the Fiat is about as practical as it gets for its size and price, and starts from less than £2,000.

Fiat Multipla

Seemingly calling the Fiat Multipa one of the best Fiats of all time It seems a little stretched out. For a start, the Multipla looks like two cars stitched together – by a butcher, not a surgeon – thanks to a glass house protruding from the chassis below (further research tells me the Fiat is actually on display at the New York Modern Art Gallery) – what do I know etc.).

While looks are subjective, no one can argue with Mulitpa’s packaging. Fiat, the master of creating large space from small dimensions, adopted a radical branching approach when designing its new MPV. The Volkswagen Golf was 300mm longer, but Fiat increased its width to make room for a third seat up front. Each of the Multipa’s six seats is large enough for tall adults, and removing five seats has turned the Fiat into a reasonably comfortable minibus.

Fiat 500 (original)

Like the Citroen 2CV and Volkswagen Beetle before it and the BMC Mini later, the 1957 Fiat 500 was designed to mobilize a nation by providing cheap and reliable personal transport. But while the Citroen 2CV could cross plowed fields with chicken eggs intact, the Beetle had to deal with motorways and the Mini was a British B-road specialist, while the Fiat was an urban slicker with small dimensions that gave it scooter-like manoeuvrability. , it only has four seats, a roof and doors. Being Italian, it also had to look good, and to date we can’t think of a car that nails puppy-like cuteness so well.

Fittingly, the 500 had the performance of a clumsy four-legged newborn. The original car produced just 13PS (10kW) from its 500cc (hence the name) air-cooled twin, but 1958 brought the introduction of the fire-breathing (okay, slightly tepid) Sport model with 22PS (16kW). and a dizzying top speed of 65mph.

Fiat Dinosaur

While the Ferrari Dino is often criticized for not being a real Ferrari, the Fiat Dino is the exact opposite; It’s a Fiat dusted with Ferrari magic. In fact, it’s more of a filler than a dusting, Dino’s engine is pure Ferrari, Dino (Enzo’s son) was designed by Ferrari, this is obvious the moment you turn the key and enjoy the soundtrack of the triple carburettor V6. . Although you might think that Ferrari was doing Fiat a favor, it was actually the opposite; Ferrari had to homologate its engine in order to enter the race. Fiat provided the sales volume for this.

Even though it was powered by a Ferrari, the Fiat Dino’s restrained lines and sharp chin gave it baby Aston Martin style, with room for four adults and a decent-sized trunk. Electric resurrections of old coupes are all the rage these days, and if you’re listening to Fiat, the Dino’s effortless styling would certainly make it an ideal candidate.

Fiat X1/9

Among coupés, the Fiat X1/9 couldn’t be more different from the Dino before it. The X1/9 was the first small sports car to feature a supercar-like mid-engine layout, and its Bertone-style wedge shape copied those found on more serious performance machines. Italian featherweight ensures agile handling, tipping the scales at less than 900 kg. Power came from a 1.3 or newer 1.5-litre twin-cam four-cylinder engine producing up to 85 PS (63kW) and the spirited performance you’d expect from a small Italian sports car.

It was even relatively practical, despite its small stature, front and rear storage compartments and endless headroom thanks to its targa roof. For a smart example, prices start from £5,000, making this one of the cheapest routes to a mid-engined sports car.

Fiat Uno Turbo

The standard Fiat Uno won European Car of the Year in 1984, largely thanks to clever packaging that made this small car surprisingly roomy. The Turbo broadened its appeal by opening up owners to the addictive rumble of a slow turbo engine, complete with a boost pressure gauge. With a top speed of 190 km/h on paper and a 0-100 km/h acceleration time of less than eight seconds, the Uno was on par with rivals such as the 205 GTI. But in reality, the Frenchman felt he was much faster with a mid-range that could launch his opponent into long grass.

Unfortunately, the Uno suffered from noticeable torque steer, couldn’t match the GTI’s pulling power, and had none of the playfulness of the launch-understeer chassis, leaving the Italian stallion feeling one-dimensional against its spirited competition.

Fiat S76

The Fiat S76, aka the ‘Torino Monster’, is a familiar face on the block, giving the Goodwood crowd its signature suck-squeeze-bang-blow combustion hedonism thanks to its 300PS (221kW) 28.5-litre four-blow engine. -cylinder engine. Fiat didn’t rely solely on cubic inches, featuring four valves and two spark plugs per cylinder; Its airship-derived engine was state-of-the-art for the time.

Built to break Land Speed ​​Records, Pietro Bordino took the S76 to a top speed of 90mph at Brooklands but understandably refused to go any faster. The car was later released at Saltburn Sands and recorded a maximum speed of 132 mph, while the Ford Model T barely exceeded 40.

Fiat Strada 130TC Abarth

The Fiat Strada 130TC Abarth is one of the lesser-known hot hatchbacks of the 1980s; its memory has been washed away by a sea of ​​Volkswagen Golf GTIs, Ford XR3s and Astra GTEs, but it’s worth refreshing the gray matter. Fiat’s claim to fame was its twin-carburetor 2.0-litre twin-cam four-cylinder engine, which produced 130 PS (96 kW) at its frenetic redline with a series of coughs and pops. A character you’d be hard-pressed to find in any of the fuel-injected competitions. The engine was capable of a top speed of 120 mph and a 0-62 mph time of 7.9 seconds, making it comfortably quicker than the GTI, and the fully independent suspension also made it a tidy handleer.

With twin headlights, polished four-spoke alloy wheels, a bootlid spoiler and heavily reinforced Recaro seats, Fiat has looked the part inside and out, so it’s a shame that the Italian’s poor sales figures (and poor build quality) mean it’s now a rarity. find a good one.

Fiat’s 8V

Alfa Romeo’s recent dabbling in nomenclature (it had to rename its Milan SUV Junior because the Italian government objected to it not being produced in Milan) is nothing new. In 1952, Fiat faced a similar problem when naming its new V8 sports car; He believed that Ford owned the copyright to the ‘V8’. Fiat called its car 8V instead. It had a 2.0-liter V8 engine producing approximately 115 PS (85 kW) and sent its power to the road through a fully synchronized four-speed transmission. It also featured drum brakes and fully independent suspension, and the car’s passenger seat was set back so it wouldn’t interfere with the driver’s elbows.

Available in a variety of body styles, the 8V is most distinctive for its Ghia Supersonic suit, complete with jet-age-inspired bodywork and headlight-covered sides that mimic a jet intake. Only eight cars were ever built.

Fiat S76 Goodwood photographed by Tom Baigent.