Monday 25th June 2007

SOTW: Fiat Coupe

Fiat Coupe 16v Turbo

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Needs TLC. Er...

Shed of the week focuses today on one of the most controversial designs of recent years – the Fiat Coupe.

The Coupe was a Chris Bangle project during his tenure at FIAT. On this evidence, we should have known really that his plans for BMW would be anything but hum drum.

Even today, this angular coupe looks like little else on the road, from its buxom headlamp covers to the squared off tail. Love or loathe Bangle’s work, there’s no denying his designs are distinctive. It’s said that Mr B considered being a Methodist minister before following a career in car design, and if you’re ever fortunate enough to witness one of his sermons on design, his inspirations and his beloved sketch books, then he’d probably have made his mark in that world too.

This one is a 16v Turbo

As a mainstream coupe with front wheel drive and parts bin engineering, the FIAT Coupe didn’t have the most promising of births as a drivers’ car. Nevertheless, it always did well in group tests of the time, and never more so when powered by the warbling in-line ‘five’ cylinder turbo engine that usually gave it a healthy performance advantage compared to its rivals. Sadly, Shed can’t afford such motive force, and has to settle for the original four pot complete with turbo, although it’s far from slow.

So what we have here is an old FIAT that’s described as requiring TLC, complete with the potential horrors of a two litre turbo engine, all for the measly price of a grand? Not even Shed can realistically recommend shelling out under such circumstances. Nevertheless, doesn’t mean we don’t salute this most original of 1990s coupes…

Advert: fiat coupe turbo-16v turbo, 106k, loads of history inc hand books. Full elec pack, sunroof, 2 owners from new (I’m 2nd owner), full lthr. Full head rebuild inc new valves/gaskets/re-skim (done by previous owner), completely standard. Tax- august2007/mot- sept 2007. 4 tyres, (no sound system!). Bad bits: dent on drivers door; couple of other minor bits but generally sound;coil packs gone need replacing drives like its misfiring, no time to repair! hence price: £1000 no offers

 

[Road_Terrorist]

Come on this is so MUCH cooler, RWD, straight six, manual, LSD, Toyota reliability, old school J coolness factor.


http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C20448

If I hadn't bought another car literally hours before I saw this ad I would be handing the cash over right now.

[scottiedog]

Love the styling, looked so ugly in my opinion when they released these 13 years a go but over time has become more handsome and would not look out of place next to todays new cars. I would save my pennies and opt for the performance of the 5cyl 20V turbo, again, keeps up with all of todays current offerings of FWD hot hatches/coupes. However, "no time to repair", in other words "too expensive to repair", bummer , guess thats the joys of Fiat ownership.

Edited by scottiedog on Monday 25th June 17:16

[Istvan24]

Great cars! I had one of these and it was very reliable so long as you respected the service intervals and changed the oil regularly. The engine is the same as the Delta HF IIRC...

Main thing to keep an eye out for is cambelt changes - this particular car has suffered the consequences of the cambelt going and therefore the valves being bent, head needing reworking...so long as it's been well done (recently) and that the rest of the history is both available and comprehensive, this might not be too bad a purchase for a grand!

Also I think the 16vT responds better to tuning than the 20vT again, IIRC

[Wadeski]

i really, really want that supra.

but im going on holiday for a month on friday.

if this came up in ONE MONTHS TIME i would own it.

[andyps]

A Fiat Coupe could never be regarded as a shed (check my profile)

I would recomend it even if Shed doesn't - what do journalists know anyway!

[gumballer]

didn't PH already do this but with a 20VT? a few months back?

[Will Ferrari]

Beautiful car! - Bella bella bella

[flattotheboards]

£1000 and needs tlc isnt that quite expensive for what it is? cracking cars though, what went wrong for chris bangle?

[Fishy Dave]

Istvan24 said:

Great cars! I had one of these and it was very reliable so long as you respected the service intervals and changed the oil regularly. The engine is the same as the Delta HF IIRC...

Main thing to keep an eye out for is cambelt changes - this particular car has suffered the consequences of the cambelt going and therefore the valves being bent, head needing reworking...so long as it's been well done (recently) and that the rest of the history is both available and comprehensive, this might not be too bad a purchase for a grand!

Also I think the 16vT responds better to tuning than the 20vT again, IIRC

Take a look at www.fccuk.org they have an excellent club and forum (i'm a mod there )
Yes, 16VTs were originally regarded as more tunable up until 3 or 4 years ago, when things have progressed nicely for the 20 valve engines. A number of 20VTs are running reliably at 350 and even 400+ BHP, take a look out for the team at TOTB. Last year they got some good results in the FWD class.

I've had two 20VTs over a period of three years and would gladly have another if I didn't need a cheaper to run track car (just bought a Caterham).

Certainly many of them are so cheap to buy now, as a result they fall into the hands of those who don't appreciate they won't cost peanuts to run. That's not to say they cost loads to run, with a good few specialists about (cambelt changes less than £400 leaving the engine in).

If you can give them a bit of care I think a mid mileage 20VT is a bargain.

[Mr Teflon]

Hmmmm - leggy Italians .....

[Frimley111R]

SOTW a bit late! Isn't this a Friday feature!!!??

[turbo tim]

scottiedog said:

Love the styling...

scottiedog said:

looked so ugly in my opinion when they released these 13 years a go

(IMHO )

Edited by turbo tim on Tuesday 26th June 16:18

[adam towler]

Frimley111R said:

SOTW a bit late! Isn't this a Friday feature!!!??

True. Alas, IT problems meant not only could we not update the site on friday properly, it actually deleted most of what was written and ready...

[shouldbworking]

I fancied one of these but I think have missed the boat now for getting a good one. Went looking at some for my brother previously and it was one of the few cars that you can just sit in and know instantly how it will behave, what it will and wont do without even turning the key

And ill have the celica supra as a side order please.

[annodomini2]

Seem to fetch a bit of a premium these although engine problems appear typical.

Some nutter wanting 1500 on autotrader for a 20v Turbo with a knackered engine and at least £1500 of repairs.

Given their age I personally wouldn't fork this kind of money for one. I'd save up a get a Corrado.

Although the Supra's interesting!

[gofasterrosssco]

Like the look of the Fiat, but being a Jap car fan, it would always be in the back of my mind that something would go wrong (whether or not that is a totally deserved reputation).

Really like the Celica Supra though, just the correct side of the chest-wig and medallion wagon which was the mk3 (still good though).

Back to the Celica Supra, get a slightly tweaked 1UZ-FE in there (it does fit I believe) and you will never go in a straight line again.... :-D Ditto the noise...

Edited by gofasterrosssco on Tuesday 26th June 12:49

[Zumbruk]

Los Angeles said:

Bangle's designs are "distinctive"? Sounds like Autocar speak to me.

It's what you get after the lawyers have finished with "uglier than Gordon Brown's bum".

[dern]

gofasterrosssco said:

Really like the Celica Supra though, just the correct side of the chest-wig and medallion wagon which was the mk3 (still good though).

Back to the Celica Supra, get a slightly tweaked 1UZ-FE in there (it does fit I believe) and you will never go in a straight line again.... :-D Ditto the noise...

I went to see that car today and it is a bargain. If anyone wants my opinion of it then email me through my profile. I haven't quite made up my mind over it but will this evening.

Regards,

Mark

[swrigh20]

The Fiat is a great car, I have a 20v Turbo with 125k on it and it goes just fine. Only paid 400 quid for it mind....