RE: Fiat Barchetta: Spotted
Discussion
MikeyC said:
always liked the look of these, but I suspect it's not best suited to tall drivers
I am over 6 foot and have no issues at all with legroom or headroom. Surprisingly roomy...Like others have said they are great fun to drive, you don't need to be doing 100mph in them to enjoy them, and because they are very narrow the LHD seems less of an issue, although I also can't understand why they never made a RHD one.
Of all my cars this is likely to be the "keeper", along with the Clio V6... its that much fun, not fast but...
Look good with hardtop on too...
Revjunkie said:
Always like them and if they had made them correct hand drive for this country I'm sure they would have sold LITTLE BOAT loads of them. Not exactly sure why they didn't if they were based on the Punto as it should have been easy enough.
Just spotted a pun opportunity,if you know your Italian .Barchetta = little boat......
Also spotted seller says 2 litre engine......unlikely,it's a 1.75.
Here's a RHDer .
Early car on a M reg.
I spoke to the owner,he'd not owned it for long.
He went to buy a Frogeye Sprite but always liked the Barchetta but had no interest in LHD,and had no idea that ANY RHD existed,spotted this and forgot about the Frogeye instantly,bought this instead.
Early car on a M reg.
I spoke to the owner,he'd not owned it for long.
He went to buy a Frogeye Sprite but always liked the Barchetta but had no interest in LHD,and had no idea that ANY RHD existed,spotted this and forgot about the Frogeye instantly,bought this instead.
Pericoloso said:
Here's a RHDer .
Early car on a M reg.
I spoke to the owner,he'd not owned it for long.
He went to buy a Frogeye Sprite but always liked the Barchetta but had no interest in LHD,and had no idea that ANY RHD existed,spotted this and forgot about the Frogeye instantly,bought this instead.
Love the BR green, nice motor. Early car on a M reg.
I spoke to the owner,he'd not owned it for long.
He went to buy a Frogeye Sprite but always liked the Barchetta but had no interest in LHD,and had no idea that ANY RHD existed,spotted this and forgot about the Frogeye instantly,bought this instead.
85Carrera said:
Mac Sinclair said:
Cruised flat out through Germany flat out at 125mph for and hour at one point... .
What utter b
ks ...I came up behind one while driving across the Tuscan hills about a decade or so ago in my S1 Elise, at which point the driver put pedal to metal and really started to shift. Couldn't lose the Lotus, of course, but was nonetheless a spirited drive. I can't remember the exact model but it was certainly shifting. IIRC it was carrying a German reg. He pulled over at the pass and I carried on towards Modena, along roads made slimy with fallen chestnuts and the aftermath of heavy rain - with the Elise having to negotiate 8 inches of water or so at one point. Quiet unnerving hearing water slapping against the 'hull' like a rowing boat and not knowing how much deeper it was going to get.
Still got the Elise.
Still got the Elise.
paulg390 said:
MikeyC said:
always liked the look of these, but I suspect it's not best suited to tall drivers
I am over 6 foot and have no issues at all with legroom or headroom. Surprisingly roomy...Like others have said they are great fun to drive, you don't need to be doing 100mph in them to enjoy them, and because they are very narrow the LHD seems less of an issue, although I also can't understand why they never made a RHD one.
Of all my cars this is likely to be the "keeper", along with the Clio V6... its that much fun, not fast but...
Pericoloso said:
Here's a RHDer .
Early car on a M reg.
I spoke to the owner,he'd not owned it for long.
He went to buy a Frogeye Sprite but always liked the Barchetta but had no interest in LHD,and had no idea that ANY RHD existed,spotted this and forgot about the Frogeye instantly,bought this instead.
Yeah, the RHD conversions are pretty rare, one I noticed which went at action a year or so hereEarly car on a M reg.
I spoke to the owner,he'd not owned it for long.
He went to buy a Frogeye Sprite but always liked the Barchetta but had no interest in LHD,and had no idea that ANY RHD existed,spotted this and forgot about the Frogeye instantly,bought this instead.
Was Cat C so the owner had it fixed and then slotted in a 2.0 Twin Spark engine to spice it up
MikeyC said:
Yeah, the RHD conversions are pretty rare, one I noticed which went at action a year or so here
DTR converted just six. I don't recall anyone else offering this. http://www.dtrsports.com/aboutus.aspI'd no idea these had such a passionate following. Makes me wonder what could be done with the MG3 platform, considering the praise that got for its handling when it first came out. All academic, of course, considering SAIC's general attitude.
Of course, if you want a stylish Italian roadster for this sort of price, there are still a few GTV spiders about, too.
Of course, if you want a stylish Italian roadster for this sort of price, there are still a few GTV spiders about, too.
Pericoloso said:
Here's a RHDer .
Early car on a M reg.
I spoke to the owner,he'd not owned it for long.
He went to buy a Frogeye Sprite but always liked the Barchetta but had no interest in LHD,and had no idea that ANY RHD existed,spotted this and forgot about the Frogeye instantly,bought this instead.
That rhd one is the same one as the early press car- only it was lhd when testedEarly car on a M reg.
I spoke to the owner,he'd not owned it for long.
He went to buy a Frogeye Sprite but always liked the Barchetta but had no interest in LHD,and had no idea that ANY RHD existed,spotted this and forgot about the Frogeye instantly,bought this instead.
I drive a fiat barchetta LE riviera in dubai, fiat dealership does not provide spare parts and you cannot find anything in the second hand market. Repair shops here don’t even know what kind of car it is. I would love to restore it and improve it, but i also know if any of the major parts failed then i have to scrap it. 
Around 3 years or so ago I happened to be at an auto reupholsterer in Sheffield having the side bolster on my wife’s BMW 330d repaired.
In the back was a red Barchetta (yep, I started humming the tune to the song of the same name by Rush..).
The guys there were making a carpet for it as apparently it had come without one.
Now I’m not sure if that this was the case as they camefeom the factory, but I seem to remember this was a grey-import.
Did they actually come from the factory ‘sans carpet’?
In the back was a red Barchetta (yep, I started humming the tune to the song of the same name by Rush..).
The guys there were making a carpet for it as apparently it had come without one.
Now I’m not sure if that this was the case as they camefeom the factory, but I seem to remember this was a grey-import.
Did they actually come from the factory ‘sans carpet’?
I understand they were sold without carpet to "promote" top-down driving in showers...
I've had an LE model, (a few cosmetic highlights, cars are mechanically all the same) for 2yrs now and, after its recommissioning service, have only put petrol in it.
yes it is relatively low powered but also relatively lightweight and is simply good fun. nice honest basic car.
ive only struggled with the LHD on 3 occasions;
- turning right at box junctions,
- overtaking on A roads when on own in car,
- the exit at car park barriers...
my car will be up for sale in the summer as I've returned to Coupe ownership, totally different drive but strangely, prefer the B.
finally, out of interest, the car in the OP seems to be a later "facelift" (cyclops brakelight on bootlid and 51 plate) yet, curiously, has the mk1 bumpers from and rear - not seen this combination before anyone know if factory parts bin or aftermarket?
I've had an LE model, (a few cosmetic highlights, cars are mechanically all the same) for 2yrs now and, after its recommissioning service, have only put petrol in it.
yes it is relatively low powered but also relatively lightweight and is simply good fun. nice honest basic car.
ive only struggled with the LHD on 3 occasions;
- turning right at box junctions,
- overtaking on A roads when on own in car,
- the exit at car park barriers...
my car will be up for sale in the summer as I've returned to Coupe ownership, totally different drive but strangely, prefer the B.
finally, out of interest, the car in the OP seems to be a later "facelift" (cyclops brakelight on bootlid and 51 plate) yet, curiously, has the mk1 bumpers from and rear - not seen this combination before anyone know if factory parts bin or aftermarket?
Firstly I would like to put on record that I, for one, do not admire the MX5. Speak for yourself but not for me thank you.
That said, if I were in the makret for this kind of car I think the little FIAT is far nicer looking and given the price of them LH drive wouldn't bother me one jot.
That said, if I were in the makret for this kind of car I think the little FIAT is far nicer looking and given the price of them LH drive wouldn't bother me one jot.
Good spot sm ,of the press car pre conversion.
Mine doesn't have carpet either.
There are more RHDs than the DTR 6 ,someone I spoke to said that some place in Germany was converting them ,which seems odd.
And the poster who chased one in Italy in his Elise ,there isn't really any "models" of Barchetta ,just a few limited editions
with special bits fitted ,all have the same 1747cc engine and manual gearbox.
Mine doesn't have carpet either.
There are more RHDs than the DTR 6 ,someone I spoke to said that some place in Germany was converting them ,which seems odd.
And the poster who chased one in Italy in his Elise ,there isn't really any "models" of Barchetta ,just a few limited editions
with special bits fitted ,all have the same 1747cc engine and manual gearbox.
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