Thursday 2nd April 2015

Fiat Coupe: You (Didn't) Know You Want To

We had a Shed one lined up but it sold; here's a 20V Turbo proving why they're in such demand

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A red Fiat Coupe 20V Turbo was in the frame for Shed Of The Week. It featured various shades of pink paint, peeling lacquer, a missing backbox and indeterminate cambelt status. Despite all that, it still sold just as we were going to press. The asking price was an even £1,000.

That should tell you something about the fanbase for these and perhaps give you serious pause for thought about the idea of getting into a decent one. Like this You (Didn't) Know You Wanted To example. The dwindling supply of good 20V Coupe Turbos means the price of 'decent car' entry can easily be three or (as in this case) even four times Shed money. Is it worth it?

Can never accuse Bangle of playing it safe

Let's assemble some evidence. Launched in 1993 with the 16-valve 2.0 four-pot engine from the Delta Integrale, the first Coupes came in normally aspirated 138hp and turbocharged 190hp flavours. Three years later, Fiat slotted in its characterful 2.0-litre five-cylinder motor. The NA model put out 146hp, but the Garrett T3-blown version was good for a warbletastic 220hp at 5,750rpm. With 1,300kg to pull, this translated into a 6.3sec time for the 0-60 and a slightly surreal-sounding but entirely attainable top speed of 155mph. 229lb ft of torque from just 2,500rpm made for pleasant pottering and turned third gear into a right hoot. Even so, 35mpg was well within reach: the five often returned better figures than the four-pot Turbos.

The Tipo platform is a front-driver, which would be a shame were it not for the presence of independent suspension all round plus Fiat's highly-rated and extremely reliable Viscodrive slippy diff. Grip is excellent, which is handy as the brakes probably won't be unless previous owners have gone to the expense of like-for-like OE parts replacement.

Now, the styling. Like Chris Bangle or loathe him, his designs conjured up a unique spark that eluded almost every other mainstream car. The individual elements of the Fiat Coupe - discontinuous swage lines, square wheelarches, and a body too long for the wheelbase - aren't what you'd expect to read on the list of must-haves. But, banged together in the metal, it somehow worked. The Pininfarina interior was both brave and lovely, and remains so to this day.

Coupes go counter to expectation and stereotype by being pretty well built. Admittedly, the list of consumables is potentially longer than on other cars: front wishbones and rear springs are fragile, exhaust manifolds crack, clutches blow, oil cooler pipes burst and the rear calipers will seize if debris from crumbling park brake pads is allowed to infiltrate. Wheel bearings, track rod ends and turbo seals need close monitoring too.

When you go through that lot, this car does seem like big money, but it does have the benefit of low miles, the same owner for the last nine years, and an overhauled brake system. The full stainless exhaust is a wise addition on one of these too, as it would have cost about the same price as a Fiat mild steel one and will certainly outlast it. Those Turbo backboxes are famous for dropping off. An aftermarket replacement box would rush you £300.

Start off with a strong mechanical base and you can pump a Turbo up into a genuinely mighty tool. Chipping will take it to an easy 240hp: a more comprehensive tuning plan will reward you with 300hp and more. It's said that nearly 500hp is possible. Camshaft lobes on the Turbo are more durable that the ones on the normally aspirated 16-valvers, and the crank is the forged unit from the Integrale. It goes without saying that with a car like this, it's worth blowing a few quid extra on decent oil. Never, ever run it low.

Pretty stylish on the inside too

The Turbo appeal is more subtle than sledgehammer, though. This was a radically styled and powerful machine that captured the imagination and then continued to feed it once you got behind the wheel. Even Michael Schumacher owned one, a red '98 Limited Edition (bodykit, Brembo front calipers, strut brace, button start, six-speed box and leather Recaros). Contemporary ads for the Coupe 20VT maintained that 'in Italy, nobody grows up wanting to be a train driver'.

So, weighing it all up, this car could be a keeper. However, there must be room for negotiation based on one critical and unavoidable upcoming service item. Unlike many humbler Fiat cambelts, the 20VT belt is an interference type, so you can't run it till it snaps. Annoyingly, it's on a three-year/36k schedule. Working from the owner's annual mileage claim, a new one is horribly overdue here. This is not a pleasant DIY job unless you actually enjoy the sight of blood streaming from your knuckles. To keep your garage floor clean, Fiat dealers will insist on removing the engine and over a grand from your wallet. Fortunately there are plenty of specialists around who'll do the dirty deed for half that. In addition there's a great forum resource for this model to help you through the difficult times.

It all sounds a bit risky, but for the right price it shouldn't be. When the Coupe was born, it looked outlandish. When it was pensioned off in 2000, it looked outlandish. 15 years later, it still looks outlandish. In mainstream motoring, the smart money will always be on outlandish over non-outlandish, as long as the dynamics are right. Which, in this case, they are.

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FIAT COUPE 20V TURBO PLUS
Price: £3,950
Why you should: Tuneful engine, fast and distinctive
Why you shouldn't: Stiff money, especially with a new cambelt

See the original advert here.

[smaybury]

Why the riveting f&*% would anybody wish to try and put 500bhp through those front wheels?

I'd imagine even 300 would be a nightmare.

Still, interesting cars. They definitely catch the eye.

[smaybury]

IanMorewood said:

Bangles best ever effort

I was more of a 'Walk like an Egyptian' man myself.