Few cars can boast being designed by two of the best known names in the industry, but the Fiat Coupé has a remarkable pedigree others can only dream of. With a body designed by former BMW designer Chris Bangle and an interior styled by Italian design house Pininfarina, the Fiat Coupé was always going to garner some admiring looks, which is why this 20v Turbo model caught our eye.
Launched in 1993, the Coupé was available with a 2.0-litre 16v engine, and although buyers could opt for the 195bhp turbo option it was always thought that the Coupé could take a bit more grunt. The addition of one more cylinder, taking the total to five, gave the Coupé that extra punch, and the 217bhp 20v Turbo was born.
The car’s striking good looks and powerful front-engined front-wheel-drive layout made the Coupé a hit with everyone from the young to the old to amateur racers. Even the Italian police couldn’t resist the Coupé’s charms.
All that power through the front wheels meant the Turbo models had to be fitted with a limited slip diff to counteract the car’s natural understeer. The 20v version also became the fastest ever Fiat with a top speed of 155mph and a formidable 0-62mph time of just 6.5sec.
Our 1997 find here misses out on the string of special edition modifications that adorned the later Coupé models, but with a healthy spec that include leather trim and air con it’s certainly good value for Shed’s hypothetical grand, especially as there’s a full MOT and six months worth of tax. The high mileage might put some people off, but anything with less is likely to break the £1k budget. However, this 20v Coupé does come with a full service history.
OK, so maybe it's not the correct colour for a flashy Italian coupé, but the bodywork looks tidy enough from the pictures and you won’t be able to pick up a similar flame-surfaced Bangle design for Shed money for quite some time. Our one concern is what is lurking beneath that torn floor matt, is it concealing an even more mangled carpet?
Autotrader advert reads: Fiat Coupé 20v Turbo
1997, 2 Door Coupé, Silver, Petrol, Manual, 173k. AirCon, SunRoof, Black Leather Trim. All belts done, All Keys, Tons of History from new to new tyre last week, Full Service Record, Just had MOT and 6 months tax. New company car reason for sale. £995.