RE: SOTW: Fiat Coupe 20v Turbo
Discussion
Very nice car, they do feel quick on the move and a lovely noise.
I did like the train driver advert. In a similar vein, the Barchetta advert was "Who cares if it's left hand drive". I had one and my opinion of all Fiats being unreliable rust buckets was changed.
I would love a Coupe as a replacement for my Puma shed at some time.
I did like the train driver advert. In a similar vein, the Barchetta advert was "Who cares if it's left hand drive". I had one and my opinion of all Fiats being unreliable rust buckets was changed.
I would love a Coupe as a replacement for my Puma shed at some time.
I've had one for 3 and a bit years now and still enjoy it as much as the day I bought it. Think Nigel has dispelled all the myths about these earlier on and some great stories on here.
Personally I think Scotts green is the worst colour for these unless really mint, they seem to suffer from lacquer peel more than others but hey it's only a grand. Think this one may have some expense going it's way with all the non cam belt/clutch consumables, you'll spend another 1K easily in the first year.
I prefer my VIS engined one but they are running cost wise more or less the same as a turbo (incl fuel consumption), sounds a lot better though and easier around town. If you do a lot of motorway work get the turbo as the NAs are a lot lower geared (70 at 3500 rpm).
Great shed and can't recommend them enough.
Personally I think Scotts green is the worst colour for these unless really mint, they seem to suffer from lacquer peel more than others but hey it's only a grand. Think this one may have some expense going it's way with all the non cam belt/clutch consumables, you'll spend another 1K easily in the first year.
I prefer my VIS engined one but they are running cost wise more or less the same as a turbo (incl fuel consumption), sounds a lot better though and easier around town. If you do a lot of motorway work get the turbo as the NAs are a lot lower geared (70 at 3500 rpm).
Great shed and can't recommend them enough.
phil_cardiff said:
GoodDoc said:
Spingo said:
In the mid-late 90's I was based with the RAF in Germany - so many people were buying these cars from German FIAT dealers tax free & at such a knock down price they were EVERYWHERE on camp - even the lowest paid SAC would be driving one! It must have flooded the UK market when they were brought back over to be sold. Wouldn't surprise me if this one was first UK registered in Maidstone...
Whenever I see one of these cars (which is not often now), it takes me back to those happy, tax free days in RAFG!!! :-)
One of my friends bought a 20VT in 1998 through a relative working in the RAF in Germany. As I recall it had to stay in Germany with his relative for 6 months before he could buy it. Understandably the trip back to the UK took a rather convoluted and rapid route along some of the unrestricted autobahns. Whenever I see one of these cars (which is not often now), it takes me back to those happy, tax free days in RAFG!!! :-)
I have two memories of that car. He had a 'moment' on A309 Kingston by-pass shortly after bringing it back to the UK. Turning off the A3 just after Tolworth, the A309 has a long fast corner onto a fly-over on the A3 as it heads towards the Scilly Isles junction. If you judge it right you can carry a lot of speed into the corner which he did, but with the 20VT's ability to continue accelerating he very quickly found himself with too much speed in a tightening corner with no where to go. To his credit he kept his foot down to avoid over steering into the armco at 100+ mph (emphasis on the +) but after that corner, and one choice swear word from a rear passenger, it went very quiet in the car and was much, much slower for the rest of the drive home.
That and the bonnet weight a freaking ton! He had a parking prang which required the bonnet to be replaced but he wanted to keep the old one as a souvenir. As I was moving flat at the time and had a rented transit van I was dispatched to the body shop to collect it, but the size and weight of the metal clamshell bonnet made it very difficult for one person to get it into a transit van, it took me about 10 minutes, much swearing and skinned knuckles to get it in, and it was so wide and long that it would only fit diagonally. To this day I wonder how much faster the Coupe would be with a fibreglass replacement
At the same time another friend had a Alfa GTV 2.0 T.Spark so many comparisons between the two were made. The most surprising one was that the GTV, barely a 2+2 with no boot to speak of, was actually longer than the Fiat, a car with four proper seats and a boot that put much smaller cars to shame. The Fiat also used less fuel!
14 years later the Alfa has long since been sold, but my mate still owns that Fiat Coupe 20VT that almost killed us on the A309 in 1998, and I hope he still has that bloody bonnet.
Edited by GoodDoc on Friday 17th February 11:06
But, yes, as it happens this particular S reg 20VT was indeed blue, and he did live in the Surbiton/Tolworth area. And if Mr. D reads this I'm sure he'll remember the stories.
All that fun for a grand!? Bargin
I remember, not long after getting my 147GTA, coming off a roundabout somewhere near S
horpe and feeling mighty cocky, trying to blast past one, which of course I didn't manage to achieve.
Even then (2004 IIRC) I suspect he had spent considerably less than me to go that fast... From what a couple of people have said on here extracting more power is not as eyewateringly expensive as it it with an Alfa.
I remember, not long after getting my 147GTA, coming off a roundabout somewhere near S
horpe and feeling mighty cocky, trying to blast past one, which of course I didn't manage to achieve. Even then (2004 IIRC) I suspect he had spent considerably less than me to go that fast... From what a couple of people have said on here extracting more power is not as eyewateringly expensive as it it with an Alfa.
I think that is one of the best shed's I have saw in a long while. Looks to have a great history and well looked after.
I remember reading the autocar test of this vs ecsort cosworth - as it’s on a par performance wise. Of course the Escort is a different kettle of fish but for less than a £1K you as opposed to £15k for an equivalent 'scort - the ford was a slightly better buy new depreciation wise! A total bargain at that money
I personally really like the colour scheme and think the black wheels really suit it [and a bonus being you wouldn’t have to wash them
I remember reading the autocar test of this vs ecsort cosworth - as it’s on a par performance wise. Of course the Escort is a different kettle of fish but for less than a £1K you as opposed to £15k for an equivalent 'scort - the ford was a slightly better buy new depreciation wise! A total bargain at that money
I personally really like the colour scheme and think the black wheels really suit it [and a bonus being you wouldn’t have to wash them
Digga said:
I remember that by-pass just after it was all fields. I reckon some cars went down close to 150.
I once got up to a pretty decent speed down there, Stafford-bound, ready to test my brakes. Sadly, whilst my brake pads and discs were fine, the flexi-hose to the caliper burstThis left me with almost zero brakes, apart from the handbrake, which I forgot to mention earlier is another of the Coupe's bad points. On this occasion, I nearly pulled the lever out of the floorpan....
- just* about got it down to a speed where I could get round the power station roundabout. Proceeded to trundle home very carefully and replace flexihose and underpants...
J4CKO said:
Hmm, I see a new Harris video, driving Nigels coupe, in fact a few videos driving various members interesting and quick cars.
I reckon he'd be fairly impressed by the grunt and the chassis composure. OK, not up to the standard of the cars in his last video (M5 v GTR) but I reckon he'd be smiling, rather than grimacing....Chris - the invitation is there, assuming you're man enough to cope with 450bhp through the front wheels
(may well be more when I've rustled up the cash for bigger injectors and a remap)Edited by Nigel_O on Saturday 18th February 19:25
Sold mine back in October after 4 years, Scotts Green like this one only with black leather. Took £600 for it in the end. I still miss it now - the 5 cylinder whine, all the dials, the magic 3rd gear. Should've kept it really. Despite its age and it's humble underpinnings, it always felt special - special in a way that's hard to put your finger on. I loved the little quirks: just little things like the electric window switches on the centre console, the stirrup-like grag handles on the B pillars, the wing mirrors stuck on at their jaunty little angles, the hidden door handles, the ridiculously thin, pointless sun visors
It wasn't without its faults of course. Just to add to what's already been mentioned - the headlights are the worst i've ever experienced on a modern car. The turning circle is huge and the thing would freeze solid on cold winter mornings so I literally couldn't get in it. (I once got stuck inside it due to the cold). They're also quite thirsty round town (but a veritable petrol-sipper compared to the 147 GTA I replaced it with)
I think they're definitely a future classic. Its surprising Fiat ever made it in the first place really.
It wasn't without its faults of course. Just to add to what's already been mentioned - the headlights are the worst i've ever experienced on a modern car. The turning circle is huge and the thing would freeze solid on cold winter mornings so I literally couldn't get in it. (I once got stuck inside it due to the cold). They're also quite thirsty round town (but a veritable petrol-sipper compared to the 147 GTA I replaced it with)
I think they're definitely a future classic. Its surprising Fiat ever made it in the first place really.
Insane. I remember when the Volvo T5's came out there was much debate and, eventually, general consensus, that 25obhp was the limit for FWD.I can’t believe there’s one for SOTW!
I had a 20VT Plus in Electric Blue about five years ago – I often wonder why I sold it, it took me ages to find it & it was a complete minter, I only had it for about 18 months, I kept it mint & sold it on for a lot of money – well over £7.5k back then.
I’m not one for going really fast but some of my fondest memories were of the crazy speeds it would do, it was only standard too (well stainless cat back exhaust & modded air box) it pulled 235 bhp on a set of rollers, I had it round to almost top end a few times, as mentioned after a ton twenty it was still pulling hard, even at the speeds I got to it was still going for it!
Handling wise, mine had Eagle F1’s on it – suspension wise I was lucky to find one with Bilsteins & uprated anti-roll bars, even with those though the handling wasn’t too great, it was ok etc, maybe it was the tyres.
I do kind of regret selling it, so I often check the classifieds for another one, the non air bag Recaro seats in it were awesome, plus the six speed box & finish of the interior were pretty good too – quirks like the push button start & silver 180 mph dials etc made the cabin a nice place to be.
I had a 20VT Plus in Electric Blue about five years ago – I often wonder why I sold it, it took me ages to find it & it was a complete minter, I only had it for about 18 months, I kept it mint & sold it on for a lot of money – well over £7.5k back then.
I’m not one for going really fast but some of my fondest memories were of the crazy speeds it would do, it was only standard too (well stainless cat back exhaust & modded air box) it pulled 235 bhp on a set of rollers, I had it round to almost top end a few times, as mentioned after a ton twenty it was still pulling hard, even at the speeds I got to it was still going for it!
Handling wise, mine had Eagle F1’s on it – suspension wise I was lucky to find one with Bilsteins & uprated anti-roll bars, even with those though the handling wasn’t too great, it was ok etc, maybe it was the tyres.
I do kind of regret selling it, so I often check the classifieds for another one, the non air bag Recaro seats in it were awesome, plus the six speed box & finish of the interior were pretty good too – quirks like the push button start & silver 180 mph dials etc made the cabin a nice place to be.
Nigel_O said:
J4CKO said:
Hmm, I see a new Harris video, driving Nigels coupe, in fact a few videos driving various members interesting and quick cars.
I reckon he'd be fairly impressed by the grunt and the chassis composure. OK, not up to the standard of the cars in his last video (M5 v GTR) but I reckon he'd be smiling, rather than grimacing....Chris - the invitation is there, assuming you're man enough to cope with 450bhp through the front wheels (may well be more when I've rustled up the cash for bigger injectors and a remap)
Just to add a bit more....
Because mine has a mildly-flowed head, slightly higher compression pistons and some clever mapping, I can get an easy 35mpg on a long run, with 40+ possible by staying sub-70 and staying completely off-boost. My best ever was 43mpg. That said, my worst was 7.9mpg for an entire day's hooning round Bedford Autodrome - that was a pricey day out...
Standard (healthy) Coupes will return 30mpg with ease, with 35mpg being reported regularly
It truly is a Jekyll & Hyde car - perfectly capable of cruising all day in relative comfort, but able to go banzai when asked.
A completely standard one feels a bit special and even a shed will feel quite rapid, regardless of how well its running - it's this last point that makes unsuspecting buyers fall for the grunt, without realising that shed buying costs doesn't mean shed running & maintenance costs.
Newbies on the Coupe forum are usually advised to budget around a grand a year for various servicing and preventative maintenance.
Because mine has a mildly-flowed head, slightly higher compression pistons and some clever mapping, I can get an easy 35mpg on a long run, with 40+ possible by staying sub-70 and staying completely off-boost. My best ever was 43mpg. That said, my worst was 7.9mpg for an entire day's hooning round Bedford Autodrome - that was a pricey day out...
Standard (healthy) Coupes will return 30mpg with ease, with 35mpg being reported regularly
It truly is a Jekyll & Hyde car - perfectly capable of cruising all day in relative comfort, but able to go banzai when asked.
A completely standard one feels a bit special and even a shed will feel quite rapid, regardless of how well its running - it's this last point that makes unsuspecting buyers fall for the grunt, without realising that shed buying costs doesn't mean shed running & maintenance costs.
Newbies on the Coupe forum are usually advised to budget around a grand a year for various servicing and preventative maintenance.
Here's my £0.02 on the Coupe situation.
I've been around Coupes for as long as I can remember, My Dad has had 3, and my brother two... I'm putting off the inevitable really!
I DON'T like the Coupe, I think it's proportions are wrong, it's past its best with regard to reliability, and its rarity seems to be its shortcoming nowadays.
HOWEVER, Being Nigel's yougest son, I've spent as much time with that infamous silver/blue/yellow Coupe as anyone - and it's indescribable. The way it starts, accelerates, boosts, turns and then stops is simply mind boggling.
Maybe this is the doughy-eyed musings of a 20 year old whom has owned nothing larger than his 1.3scrapheap Mk1 Golf, but I simply can't put into words what the Coupe can do given some fettling.
I fondly remember one summer evening before Nigel's last TOTB (something to do with losing to a Civic
) and Nigel and I were out in the Coupe seeing what difference 100kg of lightening and sticky road-slicks would make, and I loaded up a hoon-o-meter on my phone to measure G-force. Upon navigating a roundabout, the car developed enough lateral G-force to make my phone trigger its accelerometer and change to landscape view!
In summary, I still think the Coupe can be a money pit, but if looked after and tuned well, it's an 18 year old David among £100k Goliaths - and who can say fairer than that!
I've been around Coupes for as long as I can remember, My Dad has had 3, and my brother two... I'm putting off the inevitable really!
I DON'T like the Coupe, I think it's proportions are wrong, it's past its best with regard to reliability, and its rarity seems to be its shortcoming nowadays.
HOWEVER, Being Nigel's yougest son, I've spent as much time with that infamous silver/blue/yellow Coupe as anyone - and it's indescribable. The way it starts, accelerates, boosts, turns and then stops is simply mind boggling.
Maybe this is the doughy-eyed musings of a 20 year old whom has owned nothing larger than his 1.3
I fondly remember one summer evening before Nigel's last TOTB (something to do with losing to a Civic
) and Nigel and I were out in the Coupe seeing what difference 100kg of lightening and sticky road-slicks would make, and I loaded up a hoon-o-meter on my phone to measure G-force. Upon navigating a roundabout, the car developed enough lateral G-force to make my phone trigger its accelerometer and change to landscape view! In summary, I still think the Coupe can be a money pit, but if looked after and tuned well, it's an 18 year old David among £100k Goliaths - and who can say fairer than that!
After 6 years of owning Coupes I took a deposit on my 20v turbo last week. Before that I had a 20v N/A and before that a 16v turbo. Check out my profile for a few pictures of them!
It's killing me seeing it sat on my drive knowing it'll be gone in a couple of weeks! I replaced it with a Mk2 1.8 MX5 at the weekend, so a totally different animal!
And if anyone thinks that they are unreliable cars, with a bit of TLC they really aren't!! I've used all my Coupes as my daily driver and for the last 2 years joined FCCUK on their annual pilgrimage to SpaItalia at Spa-Francorchamps. Both years I have extended the trip to Belgium into full blown European driving holidays with no problems;
2010 Spa > Nurburgring > Davos >San Bernardino Pass > Monaco Click for a little video I made of my trip!!
2011 Spa > Davos > Stelvio Pass > Lake Como > Leuven
Yea they have a few quirks, but most of them can be sorted with a few ‘upgrades’;
- Rubbish headlights (replace with HIDs)
- Doors freeze at the slightest hint of frost (lube locks and door seals)
- Interior rattles (fit louder exhaust)
- Mental standard alarm system (tear it out!)
And anyway, the quirks are what give the car it’s personality! Really going to miss mine!
If you have a bit of spare cash for maintenance there really isn’t anything that can touch it for £1k to £2k. I’m only leaving the coupe fold as I’m meant to be saving for a house deposit – and common knowledge dictates that MX5s are the best cars ever made, ever. Ever.
It's killing me seeing it sat on my drive knowing it'll be gone in a couple of weeks! I replaced it with a Mk2 1.8 MX5 at the weekend, so a totally different animal!
And if anyone thinks that they are unreliable cars, with a bit of TLC they really aren't!! I've used all my Coupes as my daily driver and for the last 2 years joined FCCUK on their annual pilgrimage to SpaItalia at Spa-Francorchamps. Both years I have extended the trip to Belgium into full blown European driving holidays with no problems;
2010 Spa > Nurburgring > Davos >San Bernardino Pass > Monaco Click for a little video I made of my trip!!
2011 Spa > Davos > Stelvio Pass > Lake Como > Leuven
Yea they have a few quirks, but most of them can be sorted with a few ‘upgrades’;
- Rubbish headlights (replace with HIDs)
- Doors freeze at the slightest hint of frost (lube locks and door seals)
- Interior rattles (fit louder exhaust)
- Mental standard alarm system (tear it out!)
And anyway, the quirks are what give the car it’s personality! Really going to miss mine!
If you have a bit of spare cash for maintenance there really isn’t anything that can touch it for £1k to £2k. I’m only leaving the coupe fold as I’m meant to be saving for a house deposit – and common knowledge dictates that MX5s are the best cars ever made, ever. Ever.
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