Fiat Coupe 20VT - Trigger's Broom, with big power
Discussion
A reader's car thread with a bit of a difference - most people post a thread about their cars as they've just bought them, or just embarked on a restoration / modification spree. My thread is at the end of my ownership, but I thought the car deserved a bit of publicity before it goes.
Yes, I know its just a 20 year old front wheel drive Fiat Tipo in a frock, but there is something about the 5-pot lump that makes the Coupe a bit of a left-field guilty pleasure.
I bought a Sprint Blue Coupe 20VT in 2003 and gradually played around with it until it was running about 450bhp. I'd entered it into five consecutive Ten of the Best events at Elvington and eventually came away with some silverware for the handling circuit (too heavy to get anywhere on the drag strip). However, while all the development was going on, it was doing 25,000 miles a year commuting.
DSCF2831 by Nigel Ogram, on Flickr
Eventually though, after 246,000 miles, the shell went the way of many Italian cars and succumbed to rust. So I bought a really low mileage 20VT Moon Grey Plus and transferred all the mods and mechanical improvements over to the new shell (hence the Trigger's Broom moniker - the same car, but with a new engine, new running gear and new shell....)
Over the next few years, the Moon Grey underwent further development to improve the way it handled the power, which by now had been increased to 488bhp. It made just over 500bhp on the dyno, but this was with some of the ECU safety measures bypassed, so it was backed off to keep it safe.
The mod list....
Engine
Accralite 83mm high-CR Forged pistons
Cunningham forged con rods
Columbo & Bariani High-lift cams
Ported & Polished head, 3-angle inlet valve seats.
Garrett GTX3071R turbo inc billet comp wheel
3" downpipe
Downpipe heat wrapping
Longlife 3" exhaust
"Live" mapping (on OE Motronic ECU)
Siemens 630cc injectors
3.8 bar Fuel Pressure regulator
NGK BKR8EIX Iridium plugs
Walbro 255 fuel pump
ProAlloy induction pipe
Ramair air filter
ProAlloy front mount Intercooler
Helix organic clutch & coverplate
Short-shift
Forge DV006 dump valve
Custom MAF sensor housing
Quaife ATB differential
Blitz SBC-IDIII Boost controller
Vibra Techics 'fast-road' engine mounts
PowerFlex steady-bar bush
Fuel pump direct power feed
Chassis
Team Dynamics ProRace 1.2 17" alloys
Brembo floating discs
Pagid RS29 front brake pads
HEL braided brake hoses
Osrav KGA shock absorbers
Eibach uprated springs (-25mm)
Novitec 23mm rear anti-roll bar
Custom lower subframe brace
Welded front subframe
Uprated PU wishbone bushes
Fiat Coupe 20 valve turbo Plus by Nigel Ogram, on Flickr
DSC_1352 by Nigel Ogram, on Flickr
I always wanted the car to be a bit more than a one-trick pony point & squirt machine, so a lot of time and effort went into the handling and the way it delivers the power. Eventually, after two standard differentials left the gearbox through the casing, I bit the bullet and had a Quaife diff fitted, which completely transformed the car. Its now possible to use the power mid-bend as well as in a straight line (in fact with the witchcraft that's going on inside the diff, getting on the power is a solution to the onset of understeer - it's freaky)
Yes, its still FWD, so its never going to get off the line as quick as a modern GolfR or A45, but once rolling, it is truly mighty - some stats
0-60mph: 5.2
0-70mph: 6.0
0-80mph: 7.3
0-90mph: 8.3
0-100mph: 9.4
0-110mph: 10.9
0-120mph: 12.4
0-130mph: 14.1
0-140mph: 15.9
0-150mph: 18.8
0-160mph: 21.8
0-170mph: 25.5
0-180mph: 31.2
The best standing quarter time I've managed was a fairly respectable 12.38 with a 2.02 60-foot time. However, the next visit to Santa Pod resulted in gearbox casing and pieces of planet gear all over the start line, so I decided that drag racing wasn't the best use of the car....
With the rev limit raised to 7,500rpm, its now geared for about 195 mph, but there's probably not a runway in the UK long enough to reach it. That said, this isn't what its about - the biggest fun is to be had using the Coupe's infamous long third gear - good for about 115mph on my car. If you work out the interim figure from the list above, you'll see that it does 60-120 in under 7.5 seconds, which compares pretty favourably with some fairly exotic stuff.
Reliability? Well, it has had more than its fair share of trips on the back of a recovery wagon, but pretty much all were self-inflicted. It has burst the infamous "coolant hose of death" three times. Its blown two diffs and it had an iffy connection in the ECU which caused some random cutting out. The engine has been rebuilt twice - once when a mapping session went too well and it bent a rod (sorted by fitting forged rods) and once when I melted the ringlands on a couple of pistons by running 2.1 bar on race fuel - hardly the car's fault! It also threw an auxilliary belt into the cambelt at Curborough Sprint Course, which gave me the excuse I needed to fit a flowed head.....
So - why am I letting it go? The main reason is because it's finished - I've taken it as far as I want to go with it. Most of the fun was pushing the boundaries and finding more improvements, but now I've got it where I want it, I'm missing the tinkering.
The second reason is that it is just too quick to get a buzz on public roads without risking a hefty ban. It waltzes through 150 like a standard Coupe goes through 100 and it just keeps on going.
So, the space in the garage is now taken up by something that I can tinker with to my heart's content and which is great fun without needing to travel at speeds that will need me to say "m'lud" a lot....
DSC_1386 by Nigel Ogram, on Flickr
I've had a Coupe on the drive almost constantly for twenty years now, but I thinks its time for a change. I just need to try to stop myself going quite so crazy with the Westfield
Yes, I know its just a 20 year old front wheel drive Fiat Tipo in a frock, but there is something about the 5-pot lump that makes the Coupe a bit of a left-field guilty pleasure.
I bought a Sprint Blue Coupe 20VT in 2003 and gradually played around with it until it was running about 450bhp. I'd entered it into five consecutive Ten of the Best events at Elvington and eventually came away with some silverware for the handling circuit (too heavy to get anywhere on the drag strip). However, while all the development was going on, it was doing 25,000 miles a year commuting.
DSCF2831 by Nigel Ogram, on FlickrEventually though, after 246,000 miles, the shell went the way of many Italian cars and succumbed to rust. So I bought a really low mileage 20VT Moon Grey Plus and transferred all the mods and mechanical improvements over to the new shell (hence the Trigger's Broom moniker - the same car, but with a new engine, new running gear and new shell....)
Over the next few years, the Moon Grey underwent further development to improve the way it handled the power, which by now had been increased to 488bhp. It made just over 500bhp on the dyno, but this was with some of the ECU safety measures bypassed, so it was backed off to keep it safe.
The mod list....
Engine
Accralite 83mm high-CR Forged pistons
Cunningham forged con rods
Columbo & Bariani High-lift cams
Ported & Polished head, 3-angle inlet valve seats.
Garrett GTX3071R turbo inc billet comp wheel
3" downpipe
Downpipe heat wrapping
Longlife 3" exhaust
"Live" mapping (on OE Motronic ECU)
Siemens 630cc injectors
3.8 bar Fuel Pressure regulator
NGK BKR8EIX Iridium plugs
Walbro 255 fuel pump
ProAlloy induction pipe
Ramair air filter
ProAlloy front mount Intercooler
Helix organic clutch & coverplate
Short-shift
Forge DV006 dump valve
Custom MAF sensor housing
Quaife ATB differential
Blitz SBC-IDIII Boost controller
Vibra Techics 'fast-road' engine mounts
PowerFlex steady-bar bush
Fuel pump direct power feed
Chassis
Team Dynamics ProRace 1.2 17" alloys
Brembo floating discs
Pagid RS29 front brake pads
HEL braided brake hoses
Osrav KGA shock absorbers
Eibach uprated springs (-25mm)
Novitec 23mm rear anti-roll bar
Custom lower subframe brace
Welded front subframe
Uprated PU wishbone bushes
Fiat Coupe 20 valve turbo Plus by Nigel Ogram, on FlickrDSC_1352 by Nigel Ogram, on FlickrI always wanted the car to be a bit more than a one-trick pony point & squirt machine, so a lot of time and effort went into the handling and the way it delivers the power. Eventually, after two standard differentials left the gearbox through the casing, I bit the bullet and had a Quaife diff fitted, which completely transformed the car. Its now possible to use the power mid-bend as well as in a straight line (in fact with the witchcraft that's going on inside the diff, getting on the power is a solution to the onset of understeer - it's freaky)
Yes, its still FWD, so its never going to get off the line as quick as a modern GolfR or A45, but once rolling, it is truly mighty - some stats
0-60mph: 5.2
0-70mph: 6.0
0-80mph: 7.3
0-90mph: 8.3
0-100mph: 9.4
0-110mph: 10.9
0-120mph: 12.4
0-130mph: 14.1
0-140mph: 15.9
0-150mph: 18.8
0-160mph: 21.8
0-170mph: 25.5
0-180mph: 31.2
The best standing quarter time I've managed was a fairly respectable 12.38 with a 2.02 60-foot time. However, the next visit to Santa Pod resulted in gearbox casing and pieces of planet gear all over the start line, so I decided that drag racing wasn't the best use of the car....
With the rev limit raised to 7,500rpm, its now geared for about 195 mph, but there's probably not a runway in the UK long enough to reach it. That said, this isn't what its about - the biggest fun is to be had using the Coupe's infamous long third gear - good for about 115mph on my car. If you work out the interim figure from the list above, you'll see that it does 60-120 in under 7.5 seconds, which compares pretty favourably with some fairly exotic stuff.
Reliability? Well, it has had more than its fair share of trips on the back of a recovery wagon, but pretty much all were self-inflicted. It has burst the infamous "coolant hose of death" three times. Its blown two diffs and it had an iffy connection in the ECU which caused some random cutting out. The engine has been rebuilt twice - once when a mapping session went too well and it bent a rod (sorted by fitting forged rods) and once when I melted the ringlands on a couple of pistons by running 2.1 bar on race fuel - hardly the car's fault! It also threw an auxilliary belt into the cambelt at Curborough Sprint Course, which gave me the excuse I needed to fit a flowed head.....
So - why am I letting it go? The main reason is because it's finished - I've taken it as far as I want to go with it. Most of the fun was pushing the boundaries and finding more improvements, but now I've got it where I want it, I'm missing the tinkering.
The second reason is that it is just too quick to get a buzz on public roads without risking a hefty ban. It waltzes through 150 like a standard Coupe goes through 100 and it just keeps on going.
So, the space in the garage is now taken up by something that I can tinker with to my heart's content and which is great fun without needing to travel at speeds that will need me to say "m'lud" a lot....
DSC_1386 by Nigel Ogram, on FlickrI've had a Coupe on the drive almost constantly for twenty years now, but I thinks its time for a change. I just need to try to stop myself going quite so crazy with the Westfield
helix402 said:
Are you still on FCCUK? I used to read your tales of a high power 20vt on there when I had a 20vt (still alive but not in my ownership).
Yes - still fairly active on FCCUK, although with the dwindling numbers of Coupes left on the road, it's a bit quiet on there now. Still a fairly devoted following though.Highway Star said:
Are the Coupe specialists still going with the dwindling numbers?
Yes - the handful of specialists are still aroundJoe at FCSS is probably the most concentrated on Coupes and is still very active on the forum, as well as on a Facebook group
John at Midland Car Servicing in Shepshed is still very much into Coupes (and has even imported a few from Japan). He doesn't use the forum at all now, but still has a very loyal following
Paul at Motormech still works on Coupes quite a lot, but most of Motormech's effort is on Alfas now (we have a local indy Alfa sales company that uses Motormech for all their servicing and mechanical work)
Roger at PowerFiat baled out a few years ago (to concentrate on BMWs, I think) and I believe Gaz at SoloItalia has also packed it in now. L&M International are still around, having moved from High Wycombe to Marlow, but they don't seem to get much of a mention on the forum nowadays.
Fishy Dave said:
I can't imagine you without a Coupe actually Nigel.
Hi Dave - after 20 years with a Coupe of one description or another, I can't imagine myself without it either, but the car is being utterly wasted sitting on the drive while I play in the Westfield - the Coupe has had just ten tanks of fuel since October 2016, so its time someone else had the benefit1100 views and 33 watchers on eBay - someone will get brave enough sooner or later.....
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