SOTW: Fiat Coupe 20v Turbo
Not quite torque in telephone numbers, but pretty grunty for a shed, we reckon
There is, however, an alternative with the same power and mechanical layout (save for the all-wheel drive) that is most definitely available at Shed money - the Fiat Coupe 20-valve Turbo, and it's one of these that we've picked as today's SOTW.
Whatever you think of the Chris Bangle work on the exterior (yes, he of flame-surfaced BMW fame), there's no denying that it's a distinctive shape, though perhaps in a love-it-or-want-to vomit-over-it kind of a way. History also shows that it was quite a forward-thinking shape, its design influencing turn-of-the-millennium Fords and Renaults as well as early-noughties BMWs (think 'New Edge' Fords and second-gen Meganes).
Inside, the Coupe is rather more classically elegant, courtesy of a Pininfarina-designed cabin whose neat use of exterior-coloured paint on the dash lends a spot of quirky sparkle without ever seeming inelegant.
But this coupe isn't about preening - it is (and always has been) about bangs for your buck. And 220hp (and 229lb ft) was sufficient to provide bang equating to a 0-62mph sprint of 6.5secs and a top speed of 155mph. At the time that made it one of the fastest front-drive cars in production, and even today you should be able to keep up (in a straight line at least) with all but the most extreme hot hatches. When it was new, there was an advert for the car with the tag line 'in Italy nobody grows up wanting to be a train driver'. For once that doesn't sound like hyperbole.
It might even have the capability to amuse in the corners, too, with a limited-slip differential helping to keep all that torque at least vaguely in check.
This particular one looks, er, a bit challenging in its green paint/dark wheel combo, but it's done a reasonably 83k miles, has plenty of paperwork with it and has tax and ticket. Crucially, it's also had its cambelt, pulleys and tensioners (and clutch) changed relatively recently, a weakness of these cars (they need doing every 36-30K miles).
Of course, if classical good looks are more your thing, and you don't need (or want) that much power, you could always go for the Fiat's sister car, an Alfa GTV like this one. Provided you're a fan of (very) red leather...
Advert is reproduced below
Fiat coupe turbo 20v uk spec...R reg (1997)
83,500 miles £995
Fiat coupe 20v turbo,uk car. 3 former keepers,83500mls,service hisory,cambelt with all pulleys and tentioners and clutch changed 20k ago cost £1100. Met scots green,graphite alloys,full tan leather,6 stack cd,full electric pack. completely original spec,drives superb,looks great! Tax and mot,all documents in fiat wallet,red key and blue key and also code card. A pleasure to haved owned,performance and looks for little money. £995
Not the worlds most fantastic handler (it eventually just noses into everything) but not bad by the standards of the era - their sale point is the straight line grunt/cruising ability which is addictive (and licence threatening!) tho.
There's a bit of road not far from here - a quiet dual which eventually merges back into a single - it's mostly straight and there's nowhere for anyone to hide with a laser gun so let us call it 'my personal test track'. Many a car has been wound-out from the roundabout and most will get to 100 (kph of course) before I've thought better of it and backed-off.
The Fiat 20v Turbo Coupe was showing 135 and it was my passenger (and the owner of said car) who suggested backing-off - it was still pulling like a TRAIN at the time It's one of those cars which just cars 'CMON CMON' (and NOT a Corsa!!), that turbo rush and the noise eggs you on all the time (that maybe a bad thing too but I'm assuming here that it's not!!)
For comparison, a Bentley Conti GT didn't actually feel THAT much quicker on the same bit of road - it undoubtedly was (ask the Supra owner we left at the roundabout) but there's a point on public roads where you have 'enough' performance and the Coupe had that in spades.
Also LOVE the colourscheme on this one - the exterior colour and the leather are a fantastic match. The Black Wheels are not tho - they need to go (back to Silver).
Yes!
CAR called them 911 fast when they had one at their performance car of the year track feature in the late 90s. I think it also won a couple of their Giant Tests.
There's a handful of specialists out there and a enthusiastic website for the car. Seems that it's also in the current issue of Practical Classics though that particular title lost some credibility with me when they said the 164 was Alfa's first front wheel drive car.
The problem areas with these are well known and documented. I'm sure a Coupe head will be along shortly.
I can't believe I've just come from looking there for decent ones for sale and came here to check the classifieds here to see one is SOTW. Trouble is finding one that's standard and when they're highly priced there's a lot of other tempting machinery around at that price.
A cracking design from Bangle. Those that bemoaned his BMW work must be really pleased with the hideous current 5 series.
From memory the blue car in the advert didn't have a front number plate on it did it, leaving those vents in the front bumper on show. Or did it have a smaller Italian number plate on it?
Thanks for the pics. I'd seen this advertised several times, including with photos in a dark car park. I'd not spotted the crumbled bonnet in front of the NS headlamp before seeing these pics. They're like Alfas in that they're such stunning looking cars they don't carry scars or bruising at all well!
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fiat-coupe-20v-turbo-uk-...
Edited to add eBay link from a couple of weeks ago. If only eBay sold lives.
But for the money, these cars have got that 'special' quality.. The 20v burble, the one piece clam shell bonnet, faired headlights, wrap around interior band of body colour on the fascia, alloy fuelcap which is ontop of the wing so you feel like you are fueling a race car...the devil is in the detail...
We also had a non turbo 20v in the family from new, still a good car, but without the turbo bang...contemorary reference but think Saxo VTR quick, but don't try it on with a VTS...the turbo though, awesome...
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2012...
The bonnet crease on the shed reminds me of the legend of 'con amore', the phrase used when asking how the headlamp covers would be kept clean and comparisons with tenderly caressing a pert derrière. The crumple looks like an imprint of the headlamp cover or someone's bottom.
There's a heck of a lot of thrashed examples out there though mainly down to how cheaply they can change hands for. As with most, I'd always look for an enthusiast owned car that goes into almost too much detail in the ad. This one does look pretty decent and as said, the cambelt and such has been taken care of, miles are pretty decent too. If it were me, I'd probably spend that bit extra and get a Plus or an LE version for some of the extras they had though many owners do add bits from them to the standard cars, which is no bad thing
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