Cars you didn't know existed...

[Fast Bug]

That's over 30% off list price without a haggle. They'll be virtually worthless by the time they're due an MOT

[tog]

P5BNij said:

I knew that there was a two door open top P6 but only just discovered this official 'Chapron' four door version...

That's fantastic.

[StescoG66]

carlove said:

The Fiat Tipo saloon. The new Tipo has been out a few years now, I had no idea there was a saloon. Can't imagine they're a good seller, the one I saw was on a Fiat forecourt rather than on the road.

I had one this summer as my hire car (albeit an estate) and actually was pretty decent. In fact it was quieter, more comfortable and more economical than the Golf I had before..... expected nothing of the Tipo but came away very pleasantly surprised. Great value although like most things these days a bit numb.

[robemcdonald]

NigeT said:

Made in Scotland - The Argyll Turbo. Love the Datsun Cherry rear lights.

I like that. Shows were Elon got the idea for the glass house on the cyber truck too.

[NigeT]

Nothing else I recognise on the interior. I read the exterior door handles were from a Marina, but upon closer inspection it looks like they're from an Ital. The original prototype had a turbocharged Rover V8 which only left room for 2 seats.

Dapster said:

NigeT said:

Made in Scotland - The Argyll Turbo. Love the Datsun Cherry rear lights.

Wow. That is proper grim. The 4 seat proportions are all wrong. Looks like a AC3000ME hen do limo stretch!





I found the interior of the Argyll - looks like a stock Volvo 240 dash with a Triumph Dolomite steering wheel and column stalks. Any other bits we can spot?

[rallycross]

NigeT said:

Could be some Tr7 bits in the cabin of the Argyle.

[Truckosaurus]

That Tipo saloon would probably end up as a taxi like the only Skoda Rapid saloons I've ever seen.

The Tipo estate has a certain appeal if you wanted a nearly new shed that you'd own for a good few years.

[anonymous-user]

Jimmy Recard said:

carlove said:

Surprised me really. Has to be said though, for a brand new, inoffensive, almost good looking car that seems fairly well equipped, it's not bad value. I would get one over a Dacia.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

If that spec list is correct (Bluetooth, DAB, cruise control, air conditioning), it does seem like you can get a lot for the price. It even has a six speed gearbox!

I'd have to compare it to a Logan MCV. Sometimes there is something appealing about getting the cheapest new car available and running it into the ground, but there are too many older cars that are getting rarer and interest me far more

Tipo is good value primarily because it's made by Tofas in Bursa, Turkey. Tofas (Fiat/Koc/public JV) is seen as one of the higher-efficiency plants in the FCA Group, more so than any of the Italian or US plants. I'm down there in Jan and will be visiting the plant.

[anonymous-user]

My Uber the other week was a Tipo saloon. For a cheap car it was actually very pleasant. Tipos, Peugeot 301s/Citroen c-elysee's seem to be the Uber vehicle of choice in Poznan.

Must admit I did like the Peugeot, it reminded me of a 405 saloon I used to own.

[andburg]

had a tipo hatch as a short term rental through work.

old school 1.4 petrol, pleasant enough and returned much better economy from sheffield-newcastle and back at 70mph than the the 1.0 astra I'd used the previous time.

sure it was a bit cheap inside but its a cheap car.

[Truckosaurus]

CDB1983 said:

...Peugeot 301...

I thought this was a typo, but the 'Peugeot 301' is a genuine 'car I didn't know existed'.

[BFleming]

carlove said:

The Fiat Tipo saloon. The new Tipo has been out a few years now, I had no idea there was a saloon.

The UK doesn't get the saloon, just the hatch and the estate. I had an estate whilst my BMW was in for a recall this year, I didn't like it, but it had some previous suspension damage so wouldn't hold a straight line. Aside from that... meh.
Ireland gets the saloon, hatch & estate, mostly as Ireland love a saloon. Just mention the word Jetta or Regata there & they mist over.

[BFleming]

Truckosaurus said:

CDB1983 said:

...Peugeot 301...

I thought this was a typo, but the 'Peugeot 301' is a genuine 'car I didn't know existed'.

Looks like a Citroen C-Elysee (the C4 saloon replacement) that the Spanish love so much.

[ElectricSoup]

BFleming said:

carlove said:

The Fiat Tipo saloon. The new Tipo has been out a few years now, I had no idea there was a saloon.

The UK doesn't get the saloon, just the hatch and the estate. I had an estate whilst my BMW was in for a recall this year, I didn't like it, but it had some previous suspension damage so wouldn't hold a straight line. Aside from that... meh.
Ireland gets the saloon, hatch & estate, mostly as Ireland love a saloon. Just mention the word Jetta or Regata there & they mist over.

The UK didn't get the saloon originally, but it is available here now, only with the lower powered 1.4 petrol manual. There are a few on autotrader already. Unless they're all imports from Ireland? Could be I suppose.

I'd have Tipo estate in a heartbeat, if there were a 140ish bhp petrol auto version. There is not. So I have Honda Civic. I'm considering one of these 1.4 manual saloons though for my son when he learns to drive - 2 years away, they should be hyper cheap by then. I had it's equivalent in the 80s/90s when I was a student - a Regata 70, 1.3 manual (4 speed!). Drove it a cross Europe a couple of times, never let me down. Brilliant car.

Funny old thing, the saloon isn't on FIAT's UK website, but it's available brand new from dealers according to autotrader ads:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/new...

Edited by ElectricSoup on Wednesday 11th December 10:50

[anonymous-user]

Most powerful engine(s) elsewhere is the 1.4 with a Turbo with a whopping 120hp or a 1.6 diesel with the same.

[ElectricSoup]

had ham said:

Most powerful engine(s) elsewhere is the 1.4 with a Turbo with a whopping 120hp or a 1.6 diesel with the same.

I've rented a 1.6 diesel manual estate in Italy and liked it very much, it was fine with 4 people, luggage and skis on board.

There was a 1.6 petrol auto in the UK, but it's no longer available. It was around 110bhp if memory serves. Very, very rare.

In a cheap cooking hatch, I would find 120bhp is more than adequate. But in an estate car it's not going to be enough for my tastes, as by definition it's going to be laden with luggage, people, bikes etc - if I didn't use a car for that sort of thing, I wouldn't buy an estate. So I sadly had to discount the Tipo when I bought an estate car last month (I wanted petrol), and went for the Civic Tourer 1.8 petrol with 140bhp. Just about powerful enough.

[HTP99]

BFleming said:

carlove said:

The Fiat Tipo saloon. The new Tipo has been out a few years now, I had no idea there was a saloon.

The UK doesn't get the saloon, just the hatch and the estate. I had an estate whilst my BMW was in for a recall this year, I didn't like it, but it had some previous suspension damage so wouldn't hold a straight line. Aside from that... meh.
Ireland gets the saloon, hatch & estate, mostly as Ireland love a saloon. Just mention the word Jetta or Regata there & they mist over.

Looks like it is/was available here:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

Which is odd, given our dislike of small saloons.

[BFleming]

ElectricSoup said:

Funny old thing, the saloon isn't on FIAT's UK website...

Seems to be a new addition on there now: https://www.fiat.co.uk/new-car-deals/offers/tipo-s...
Not listed under the Tipo heading though.
School day for us all (mostly me).

[HTP99]

BFleming said:

ElectricSoup said:

Funny old thing, the saloon isn't on FIAT's UK website...

Seems to be a new addition on there now: https://www.fiat.co.uk/new-car-deals/offers/tipo-s...
Not listed under the Tipo heading though.
School day for us all (mostly me).

"Now available from £9995", I bet there has been a mad rush at Fiat dealers since the announcement!!

95hp 1.4, my god that engine must be decades old!!

I can't for the life of me work out why Fiat aren't in a great place at the mo!

[ElectricSoup]

BFleming said:

ElectricSoup said:

Funny old thing, the saloon isn't on FIAT's UK website...

Seems to be a new addition on there now: https://www.fiat.co.uk/new-car-deals/offers/tipo-s...
Not listed under the Tipo heading though.
School day for us all (mostly me).

Ha,they hid that well!