Fiat Coupe: PH Buying Guide
One of Bangle's most famous designs and one of Fiat's better cars is now a modern classic - here's how to get the best
Five cylinders soon replaced four, then came LE
Underneath, the Coupe was a little more run of the mill courtesy of its Fiat Tipo platform, but that didn't stop it from being very good to drive. After all, the same chassis underpinned the Alfa Romeo 155 and Lancia Delta.
It was from these cars the Coupe took its engines, too, in the form of 2.0-litre units with and without turbochargers. The turbo'd one was the same as the Delta Integrale and immediately caught the attention of road testers and buyers across Europe.
UK customers had to wait till 1995 for this Fiat to make its way across the English Channel, though fortunately the base 1.8-litre model also stayed put on the Continent. Less than two years after it arrived in the UK, Fiat upgraded the engine range with a new line-up of five-cylinder engines, again offered in naturally aspirated and turbocharged guises. Both were popular and offered plenty of power all the way through the rev range. However, it was the 20v Turbo that really appealed to keen drivers, even if all that power through the front wheels could prove too much for the tyres.
Grab one while they're still affordable!
Now, you can still find Fiat Coupes for less than £1,000, though they will be scruffy and tired examples. Up that budget to £3,000 and you can have a tidy non-turbo car in decent nick, while £5,000 is where you start to find smart Turbo models. With the Coupe now being bought as a modern classic, prices are on the up for clean, original cars.
Search for Fiat Coupes here
Models:
1,995cc 16v 142hp; 124mph, 0-60mph in 9.5 sec
1,995cc 16v Turbo 195hp; 140mph, 0-60mph in 6.8 sec
1,747cc 130hp (not officially sold in UK)
1,998cc 20v Turbo 220hp; 155mph, 0-60mph in 6.5 sec
1,998cc 20v 147hp; 132mph, 0-62mph in 8.9 sec
1,998cc 20v VIS 154hp; 135mph, 0-60mph in 8.4 sec
PHer's view:
"Values of Coupes can be all over the place and they should really be bought on condition rather than mileage. However, a full and very documented service history is a must as far as I'm concerned."
Rob Hamilton
Introduction
Powertrain
Rolling Chassis
Body
Interior
At a glance
Search for Fiat Coupes here
Now they are driven by people like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojK2KeN5504 and the nice ones are silly money for what they are. I'd also look at a GTV Cup from the same era.
When I had mine back in '98, they'd only just come out and very little was known about them. I took it to a well known Vauxhall tuning company near Southampton, they cracked open the ECU and soldered in a new chip provided by Superchips. It was before the days of being able to reflash the EPROM and whilst it made more power, it ran very rich and started blowing blue smoke after a few thousand miles. Took it to L&M international who at the time speacialised in Lancias and they fitted a new, second hand engine. Next it went to Owen Developments for a piggyback Unichip which is essentially a programmable tuning box. They also commissioned a bespoke Pace chargecooler. It made just shy of 300hp which doesn't sound a lot but nobody knew about these cars or how to tune them. It never really ran right and the EML would come on under prolonged acceleration, I guess due to overboosting but nobody knew how to fix it.
I suspect a lot of learning took place developing mods using my car but it was a fun/expensive exercise. I guess it's a lot easier now.
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