Why The Fiat Coupe Is A Proper 90s Hero Car
Source: Autocognito.comThere were loads of mid-size, mid-price, four-seater coupes to choose from during the Nineties. Fiat's contender offered something a bit more exotic than the usual Vauxhall Calibras, Volkswagen Corrados and Toyota Celicas.
The Fiat Coupe, first seen at the Brussels Motor Show in 1993, was based on the same platform as the brilliant Tipo hatchback. Clothed in a body styled by Chris Bangle before he became notorious for 'flame-surfaced' BMW's, it looked fantastic, all scallops, slashes and bulges. The Pininfarina-styled interior was suitably pretty too, with its signature painted-metal band running right round the cabin.
Source: Honestjohn.co.ukSimply as an object the Coupe was extremely desirable, but its talents ran much deeper than that. It might have shared its underpinnings with a humble hatchback, but that particular hatchback was one of the finest-handling front-wheel-drive cars of the day. A talented chassis is nothing without a decent engine, though. Fortunately, the Coupe had some serious firepower.
The Coupe was initially available with the last iteration of Fiat's legendary twin-cam, four-cylinder engine in 2.0-litre, 16-valve form. In 1996 a new five-cylinder, 20-valve motor was introduced. In naturally aspirated form they developed 142bhp and 154bhp, respectively. But we don't really care about those. It was the turbocharged versions that made the headlines.
CT Guide: The difference between a turbocharge and supercharger explained.
Thanks to its Integrale-derived powerplant, the 195bhp four-cylinder Turbo was respectably quick, sprinting to 60mph in 7.3 seconds and topping out at 140mph. But the 220bhp five-cylinder Turbo was nothing less than one of the three or four fastest FWD cars of its time. 0-60mph took just 6.3 seconds, with a top speed of 155mph, accompanied by an Audi Quattro-esque soundtrack.
Source: Supercarworld.comSensibly Fiat saw fit to equip both versions of the Turbo with a proper limited-slip differential, preventing the rampant understeer that would have been inevitable otherwise. The combination of chassis, power and control added up to one of the best-driving cars of the Nineties, regardless of which wheels were doing the driving.
The Coupe wasn't just a road-burner either, as it had a decent dose of practicality. The rear seats were actually usable and the boot was surprisingly big. Though a big boot doesn't count for much when the opening is smaller than a shrew's letterbox. And it's still a Fiat, so build quality and reliability were...Italian. And for some reason the engine has come out to change the five-cylinders cars' timing belts, which needs doing every 36,000 miles.
Source: Parts-specs.comCoupe production came to an end in 2000 after nearly 73,000 had been built. To send it off, Fiat launched the Turbo Plus special edition, which came with a bodykit, Recaro seats and unique colours.
The Coupe was never as popular as the Calibra or Rover 200 Coupe in the UK at the time, but it has enough of a following that, ironically, there are less of those left than the Fiat. Values are probably as low as they're going to go, but it is expensive to run. Good ones may well start to go up in value eventually, but it'll never be worth mega-bucks. A car's status as a future classic isn't just measurable in pounds and pence, though.
Back in the Nineties there were coupes that were either pretty, fast, nice to drive, practical, or a combination thereof. It was really only the Fiat Coupe that managed to combine all of those qualities into one package. And that is why it will live on while its rivals are forgotten.
Comments
No comments found.
Topics
Manufacturers
Sponsored Posts