Thursday 14th September 2023

Fiat Coupe 20v Turbo | PH Private Area

Low mileage and in need of some love - who fancies a flying Fiat?

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The 1990s really was a high point for the humble sports coupe. Seemingly every manufacturer felt compelled to produce something low-slung and two-door; it’s hard not to look back on that period quite fondly now given how far the coupe has plummeted in popularity. Some makers even offered a choice of sizes (think Vauxhall Tigra and Calibra). From Honda Prelude to Peugeot 406, there really was a coupe for all tastes. And while some were undoubtedly better than others, it’s hard not to look back and love the variety.

The Fiat Coupe was one of the good ones. Though using underpinnings shared with the Tipo, the Type Two platform boasted independent suspension front and rear, and even with up to 220hp through the front wheels - a huge amount more than 25 years ago - the Coupe was praised for its strong traction and relatively uncorrupted steering. Obviously, the sound of the later five-cylinder cars was widely appreciated, too - must have been a nice break from all those V6s, straight sixes and screaming four-cylinders also available at the time…

It was the design, though, that really marked the Fiat out - and still does. The exterior was by Chris Bangle, and as is his calling card, the Coupe looked like nothing else. The slashes, low nose and sunken rear lights were incredibly dramatic for a car launched in Britain in 1995. The interior, too, was similarly bold, with its body-coloured strip across the dash.

Production ceased in 2000, and today the Coupe predicament is like so many other heroes from the late 20th century: scrappage schemes got plenty right as values had bottomed out, rust claimed some more, and now big money is asked for the survivors, sometimes it seems just because they’ve made it this far. So a 20V Turbo with less than 80k on the clock for £4,000 is hard to ignore, especially as the very best ones can now command £10k (or a bit more, for an LE).

Full disclosure and all that - this one isn’t perfect. The seller has written a lovely advert detailing a decade with the Coupe, buying a structurally solid car that needed some cosmetic work. As is so often the way with these things, that didn’t get seen to, so what we have is a red one that isn’t quite as vivid as it should be. But we’ve surely all seen fade far worse than this. The interior still looks smart, and there aren’t any glaring imperfections to be seen.

Having been in dry storage for a while (to make way for an Audi S8 of a similar vintage), the Fiat will require a bit of TLC to get it back in fine fettle. But the seller is open about its faults, and willing to work with a buyer on resolving some issues; there aren’t many original Coupes left - this one is complete with its factory toolkit and stereo - so it would be great to see it find a loving new home.

There’s all sorts of potential for it. Those that wanted could leave the paint and get the oily bits tiptop for a cheap throwback coupe; there’s probably some fun to be had as a track for those so inclined. Or the next owner could go all in on the rejuvenation, get the red back to its best and have a real show stopper on their hands. Or even a different colour, perhaps.

There are Coupes out there comparable in mileage for twice as much; those willing to invest some time and money could have a '90s sports car gem on their hands. A Readers Cars’ thread beckons, surely…

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[Andy86GT]

The dash / dials on these always make me think of a close up of spider eyes, I would post a picture but mindful there may be some arachnophobics on the forum I haven't

[Augustus Windsock]

A friend of mine had several of these, although they have never appealed to me.
I really don’t like the ‘Bangle-ing’ of that rear wheel arch slash and the offset approach of the 4 spine alloys just looks wrong to me (see Ford RS 4 spokes on how to make them look good).
However, I will admit that the front, side and rear profiles look good and the interior is a really refreshing approach.
Having said that, this will no doubt make a very reasonable car for someone, just not me…

[anonymous-user]

I very nearly bought one of these back in the day. I went to the local Fiat dealer and sat in the car they had in the showroom with my best "talk to me and I will order one today" face on, yet despite being the only customer nobody came to talk to me.

I gave up and ordered a brand new Subaru Impreza Turbo instead.

Still love the look of them though.

[Silvanus]

I do regret not buying one of these when I had the chance.

[hunt123]

i think good examples of these are only going to go up in value and they are not so unreasonably priced right now.

[thelostboy]

Not so sure myself. I think if it was RWD it would be judged more exoctic, but it has pretty basic underpinnings so a straight-line hero (a ballistic one at that in its day).

Never really been a fan of the looks, but do kind of like its retroness in that french blue colour they came in.

[molineux1980]

I first saw one of theses on a school trip to Venice, i'm guessing about 1995. We stayed in Lido di Jesolo, and walking down the street, we say this bright yellow, strking Coupe. I took loads of photos of it on my primitive digital camera to show my dad when we got back.

Probably more photos of that car than the Basilica....

Always had a soft spot for them since.

[MrGeoff]

It's sad to think that car manufacturers really did churn out the coupes and now they all seem to have disappeared from mainstream manufacturers. Out of the big manufacturers left doing them I can only think of BMW and Mercedes.

[Pablo16v]

Love these. I opted for a Corrado VR6 over one back in the day mainly for the added practicality of having a hatch type boot for carrying MTB’s, but it was a close run thing.

[anonymous-user]

Adored mine. Sold it and bought it back three times before it finally went.

[richinlondon]

Had one new on a T plate for 3 years, Fantastic looks, noise and remarkably comfortable. Flaws, could spin wheels in third on damp road, when lifted up to change tyres the fitter opened the door and couldn’t close it again due to flex, couldn’t wash the rear screen on the move as water jet was up hill(!) and buttons disappeared in to dashboard oh and the buttons were so small on the radio you needed a Jewellers screwdriver to press them, although it did oddly have a little remote control for it. All that said, I’d love one again!

[trickywoo]

I went to look at a black one with tan leather interior years ago. Nice car but doing the basic checks I found the dip stick completely dry. Never mind below the minimum there was no oil on the 15mm of stick below the min line.

Put me off as they had a reputation as oil burners and if the seller bothered to check and top up before I viewed I’d be none the wiser.

[pSyCoSiS]

Really fancy experiencing one of these. Came close to buying one mid-lockdown, but the seller changed his mind and pulled out.

Quirky styling and that 5 pot burble.

[Joe5y]

I had one as my 2nd car. Blew the gearbox and destroyed the sump on a speed hump but my god it was a fun car - and very fast!

Bought from this very site back in 2008/9

[Hubris]

Back in the day, I recall a cambelt change for these motors being an engine out job. Is this still the case?

I got rid of my Marea 20v (same engine, sans turbo) before that expense presented itself.

That still looks good though.

[CKY]

Great-sounding engines, always fancied sticking one in a Mk2 Punto when I had one as a runaround - fortunately saner heads prevailed...

[BFleming]

We were on a fixed budget in 1997, and as much as I wanted a Fiat Coupe, we could afford a new 1.8 16V only. They had one in the showroom in the light metallic blue (I'm not a fan of the red). We also looked at a 6 month old GTV (916) 2.0 TS, but it was a wet day and there was a pool of water in the footwells. We ended up with a 6 month old E36 316i Compact. A great car, but not a special one.

[Rawhide]

My mate has had one of these for about the last 10 years. It's only on about 45k but stored outside so needs some paint. We had fun with it at the Nürburgring. It was a very capable car and handles pretty well but the brakes were shocking.

I can't quite live with the looks myself. Both the front and rear design just don't work for me.

[patmahe]

These have always intrigued me, but I never took the plunge (mainly because Fiat) but now as a second car where if it doesn't start its not the end of the world I could certainly live with one. For the price a fast little Italian coupe sounds quite nice.

[Maccmike8]

Thats a bargain.