The 60s Saloon That Handled Better Than Most Sports Cars - Fiat 124 Berlina 

I thought the 124 had a steering box not rack and pinion?

I was a FIAT salesman when this car was still in production and it was one of my favorites. Something about it made it very rewarding to drive. It had nothing to do with specifications and everything to do with character.

After my father had a 125 Special with the 1608cc Lampredi twin cam in the early 1970s , great car. My grandfather 1st knew , he just dismissed it as foreign . Then rode in it , then bought a 124 Special with the 1438cc ohv , followed by a 124 Special T with the 1592 twin cam . Cracking cars . Remember the latter car would start on day out of the blue- he ‘d driven Newmarket to Kidderminster without an issue- turned out to dirt in the carburettor, they can suffer this . Best to put a Malossi fuel filter . Didn’t stop my grandfather buying another Fiat , a 132 GLS 1756cc twin cam , the last car he had before he past away. Happy Days 😊

Hello from Russia. The car was a huge success in the Soviet Union. It was everyone's dream. People had to wait in line for months and even years ( depending on where you worked because of certain peculiarities of the Soviet way of life). Frankly speaking, not every Russian could afford to buy this car ( approx. 30-40 average month's salaries). So you had to save the money several years . Anyway, this video takes me back to my childhood , to the times I like much better than today's moment.♥

It was the…smell you had in these, a mix of vinyl, a vague smell of petrol and fumes and….stale cigarette smoke. That’s my memory of the 124 !!

I owned one. Yes, it was badly rusted, but it was a blast to drive, and sounded great due to the half-gone muffler. As I grow in wisdom, my appreciation for everyday cars like the 124 grows exponentially.

Every car from that epoch rusted, period. Fiat and Alfa Romeo and Lancia were ahead of the game. Four wheel disc brakes, twin overhead camshafts, all aluminium engines, five speed gearboxes, coil spring suspension, years before anyone else had them, and they all have it now. Love them.

My senior engineering project in college (1981) was converting a Fiat 124 to full electric. We used two 124’s pulled from a local scrapyard. Stripped all the ICE components and installed our own electric system. We designed and built the controllers, solid state charging system… and powertrain. The chassis we chose - the straighter of the two - was badly rusted in the boot and the rockers were gone. We repaired the boot floor and rockers with sheets of Kevlar. This was waste material from a company that made helicopter blades (owned by the father of one of my classmates). At the time technology was crude and we used 17 deep discharge lead-acid 6v batteries distributed between the boot and under the bonnet. Rear seats were removed to make space for batteries. Batteries then and now continue to be the biggest challenge to EV adoption. It was a fun project, but more than 40 years later I still have no desire to own an electric.

My father bought a used 124 station wagon that had rust problems. Our farm was on a gravel road and our cars were always dirty. My father took the car to the body shop and we had the car repainted the exact dust colour of our road: a kind of khaki, it looked like a military vehicle. In the 1970s in Italy it was quite common and inexpensive to decide to completely repaint rusty cars.

Hi Jack, brilliant video, and I fully understand your point about the melancholy felt. Our Dad was an engineer, and brought home a blue Fiat 124 - Registration No. 242 KRI - in 1974. This car was preceded by two Opel Kadetts, but those were 2 doors, and with 3 young boys and wife he needed more doors. I remember him visiting car showrooms with a tape measure to check if the rear seat was wide enough to accommodate us boys, which thankfully the 124’s was. In 13 years it only let him down only twice - on one occasion it was a flat battery. The 124 is a legend of a car and served many millions of satisfied customers.

Roundabout 20 years ago I had an 124, too. The former owner turned it into a 60hp-olive green-black coloured race-thing with only 3 gears (third gear out of order) in rusty condition. I used it normally only for fun cruising through my hometown Hamburg, but suddenly I was invited to a skitrip in Suisse. So I drove all the way to Suisse in the old 124, and in the mountains I had so much fun with this car, never mind to the lack of the third gear 😍

In 1986, I rented a Tofas 124 in Turkey for about two weeks. (That was the local adapation of the Fiat 124). It was a relevation! Perfect size for two, low to the ground / low center of gravity, quick steering, snarly engine, excellent visibility, great gearchange for snickety-snacking through the hills. Memorable. Imagine a Panda with a nicer-sounding engine, lower CoG, and less bouncy suspension -- that's what it felt like.

My first car was a ‘68 Fiat 124 sedan in white. I restored it and repainted it a dark red and rebuilt a 124s engine to replace the original 1.2 engine. The extra power made such a difference to it. I so agree with you Jack that it was a delight to drive. After I sold my 124 sedan I replaced it with a ‘69 AC 124 Sport, which I also restored.The coupe being an even better driver’s car than the sedan. I later on also owned a 125 Special and eventually a 130 sedan. The linage between all these models is so readily apparent. I have owned my AC 124 Sport for 45 years and don’t ever intend selling it.

In the USA we had the 124 sedan but with a larger engine. I believe it was a 1.5 or a 1.6 pushrod. I too was amazed at how it easy the engine spun up to red line.

Don't forget the " hot" version the 124 special T , with the fantastic 1600 twin cam engine.

The Italian automotive industry was once, just light-years ahead of the rest of the world. I've a 105 series 1967 Alfa Romeo, Berlina 1750cc and it produces an alleged 117bhp, which for that era is unfathomable!

It's impressive how well this one has been kept or restored over the years. Haven't seen one of these original Fiat 124s in the wild since childhood, and it's been several years since I saw a Lada as well.

My Father had its bigger brother the 125 with the 1.6L Lampredi engine with 90hp - his colleague had the 125 S with 105hp and our neighbors had a 125p with 60hp from a 1.4L engine… I loved these cars and from this time my heart belongs to small Italian cars like the Fiat Seicento that I drove for nearly 20years. Think of rebuying one, but at the moment I have no need for a car with 2 motorbike and my girlfriend owing a car.

The later models 124 Special T with the Lampredi's 1600 cc and 95 HP were the best of the bunch. Nearly 110 miles top speed and nought-to-sixty in 11 seconds. There's a very known and remarkable car chase with Jean Paul Belmondo and Omar Sharif with a 124 Special T 1400 in the film The Burglars.

I’ve taken two taxis in these, badged as different, one in the Ukraine and one in Egypt. Much better than expected. A brilliant piece of design. One of my relatives worked at the Lingotto factory.

I had every model of the 124 and 125, loved all of them. Not only that but every Fiat I owned, if I count them I come to 32. From a 1100R, 1300/1500, all 850 models even Spider over 124 Coupe, Spider and Abarth to 125 Special.

I can't believe a 1.2 litre engine of that vintage has 60bhp....I'm pretty sure modern naturally aspirated 1.2's have very similar power, very impressive! Excellent job Jack.... you're doing a superb job with the channel, super polished review buddy 👏 👍

My old boss told me that his MGB GT that he bought new in the early 70's had rust on it when he took delivery and had to go into the BL bodyshop to have it sorted. My dad also told me that his brand new 1974 Renault 16 TL had rust spots on it from new, so it's not just the Fiats that went rusty!

My uncle had an M-reg 124 special T in putty beige with the magnificent twin cam engine. What a car and it was in his family for about 15 years and still wasn't too rusty when it was sold.

As a young teenager I was a passenger in a FIAT 124. I was astonished, it was just so good in every respect, quiet, comfortable and it clearly had great handling.

My Dad had one brand new in 1968 - previous car Austin 1100, which he praised enormously - then, I remember, words almost failed him in praising the performance, handling and dynamics of the Fiat 124. As a kid I always remember the loud hiss it made when started and running on choke! - It was replaced at barely 3 years old.. so before any serious corrosion issues that the next owner probably got..... with a Triumph 2000 mk2.

My grandfather had this in late 70’. This is propably the car that gave the ”petrol injection” to my head. They had a summer cottage close to the ”rally of the 1000 lakes” roads. The sounds of the car brings back memories.

When I got my driving license I was allowed to drive my uncle's Autobianchi A111, which was similar to the Fiat 124. The Autobianchi A111 was a front-wheel drive model (!) produced from 1969 to 1972 by the Italian automobile manufacturer Autobianchi SpA, which from 1967 was fully owned by the Fiat Group. The car was equipped with the 51 kW (70 hp, 75 according to SAE standard) at 5500 rpm in-line four-cylinder with side camshaft and 1438 cm³ displacement. The sedan was extensively equipped as standard. It was great to drive this car. It is absolutely rare today and is only offered as a used car in Italy.

The secret sauce was that to Italians the 124 was a full-size car. Compare it to a "small family car" British Ford Escort or a "subcompact" American car of the time like a Chevy Vega and you can see how a spacious rear seat and vacation-size trunk was much more of a priority for Fiat.

Yeah, these cars need an electronic transistor ignition update because the distributors and contacts wear out also the condensers that the engine stumbles...same story with Lada 1200/1500

Gotta love this! The first (and only!) car my dad had was a (SEAT-branded) white 124 just like this one, from 1969. Unfortunately, it was written off on a crash, but dad came out unblemished! I believe these had a steering box. However, the latest restyled 124s in Spain (made in Pamplona, in the previous AUTHI factory that made Minis and ADO-16s for us!) did get rack-and-pinion with the twin cam 1756cc (FL82). Also with the later tax-driven 1919cc (FL90) derived from the Italian 1995cc engine.

My grandparents had this car. I have only fond memories of getting rides in it in the early 80s as a 6-7 year old, with thick blankets everywhere in the comfy back-seat :-)

I used to hire these in Cyprus in the mid seventies, great fun cars.

The Fiat 124 looks very similar to the 125 which was Gianni Agnelli's personal favourite! This video really illustrates how Fiat like Autobianchi and Lancia were years ahead of the opposition and pioneered the city & supermini segment. This car looks so much fun to drive! reminds me of my first car a 1984 Fiat 70S 4-door a wonderful superb supermini! designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro. I think Fiat still make great small cars e.g. 500e, Centoventi etc... it is just the standards between marques have narrowed considerably over the decades so they don't stand out of the crowd as once upon a time.

My dad had a few Ladas in the seventies which looked just like this car. Childhood memories. My dad always insisted that it handled very well. He demonstrated how to double-declutch and toe-heel. I was very impressed with his dexterity and coordination!

A 1.2 litre 4-cylinder engine with 60 hp, in 1966... This rings a bell: I remember driving a 2004 Fiat Punto in 2008 as a loaner car when my car was being serviced. It was a 1.2 4-cylinder with 60 hp. It was a positive experience: Peak torque was already available at 2,500 rpm, instant throttle response, nice engine sound for a 1.2, pleasant steering and smooth manual gearbox. So much fun to drive, I was grinning from ear to ear 😁. This Punto was produced for Western Europe until 2007-2008 when the Grande Punto was released, so Fiat might have used the 124's engine for over 41 years! It was also in the mid-2000's Panda. (Punto and Panda had 1.2 60 hp FIRE engines, don't know if it was the same engine as in the 124, though).

My father had one in 1972, excellent car, reliable and he enjoyed it so much he bought a red 125 special.

The double wishbone suspension at the front may have had something to do with the drivability. Let's not forget also that the Beetle was essentially a pre-war design, with its cheap torsion bar front suspension and dangerous pendulum rear axles which made sure the rear tires never had any good grip on the road. The Russian car is the Zhiguli by VAZ (now AvtoVAZ). Export is called Lada.

Arguably, your best video! Loved it! The reasons for rust issues for the majority of cars then, were Sicilian salt. From a salt mine so big, it’s got it’s own church. There was a massive increase in road salting in the UK in that era. The huge cost of steel, meant manufacturers had to use thinner steel. And the move to monocoques.

In 1966 - ‘67 a BMW 2002 was my dream car. Father in law convinced me on a Volvo 144 in 1968 as more practical. In 1973-74 I bought a Fiat 124. Twin cam engine, 5 speed transmission and 4 wheel disc brakes. Also leather interior. I always liked 4 door saloons although I also had MGB’s. This was the closest to the BMW. Great on the turns and Abarth made a sweet exhaust for it😊

You made my day! The 124 is my favourite car and hearing you having so much fun with it makes me very happy.

Dad had sourced in 1982 a brand new 124's sibling the Lada 1600 Special, the luxury edition of this platform. It had headrests on the frontseats, rounded Abarth sporty lookalike speedometer as well as the door interior had soft coverings and plush covered soft seats. On the outside it was equiped with quite a lot of chromed stripes. 4 speed manual. Four rounded headlights and bigger squared three toned tail lights. Back in the day it was quite amazing and elegant vehicle.

My parents had a white 124 Special TC in the 80s that my uncle previously ran. Rust killed it, but it was pretty rapid! They had a 131 Mirafiori after that, which rusted even more badly! No more Fiats after that!

This takes me back! My first car was a 1973 124 Station Wagon - ok, Estate. It could swallow a huge amount of stuff to go back and forth to college. My mother finally game me her Renault 18i to get me in a bigger car as she was always worried about my little wagon.

So nice to see this! My first car was a 124, already 13 years old at that time. But it was so nice to drive, spacious, good handling and reasonably quick. I later swapped the engine for one from a 124S, 1.4 ltr, 70 bhp. Which made it even more fun to drive. Unfortunately, 4 years later, the rust took over and I had to bring it to the scrap yard. With a lot of pain in my heart.

Brings back childhood memories: (a) we learned all about distributors and what we had to do to them to coax the car into life in the damp Irish mornings (b) my first car crash - car was totalled. The car in its guise as a Lada is highly regarded in Cuba - simple and easy to fix and keep running.

My Family owned not one but two 124s. An amazing looking car, sporty as you stated , roomy. Featuring a huge Trunk (or Boot, in England) Good, frugal on gas -- or petrol, as YOUS GUYS call it in the UK. After a couple of years, my brother got his driver's permit. In terms of price, features and quality, after testing several models offered by the competition, my Parents purchased a second 124. A somehow improved Version of the same car -- the 124 R , featuring cosmetic differences and perhaps ,more HP . Even the tool box -- something normally clumsy and ugly--- was extremely well designed. Every single tool was in there -- and yet, the box was relatively small , looking attractive and fashionable. Furthermore, FIAT introduced later on another Model, which became the inspiration for the entire Auto Industry: The FIAT 127. For some reason, FIAT appears to have lost its Magic Touch.

Nice bit of nostalgia there. In 1975 my Father had a 124 Special T, a hot version with a 1.6 twin cam engine. Fast forward some 18 years, I acquired a 124 coupe with the 1.8 twin cam engine, that was a cool car.

We had 125s when I was growing up, they were awesome cars. Handles amazingly well, and twin cams. Super fun to drive.

Italy made so many great cars, the 128 deserves a video too but like the French their car industry rather lost its way…

I became a pro auto tech in the mid 1970's. I loved repairing and driving these cars. They were a bit quirky but they were lovable.

Fair point about rust - I remember the Japanese cars of my youth, how reliable they were but how awful they rusted. It was just a feature of motoring. It was more unusual for a car NOT to be half eaten away by the time it was ten years old than anything.

When I worked at Roger Clark cars in the 70s we had a brown 124 special T as a runaround. Cracking car !

What a joy to see this beautiful original! Growing up in Texas, I can remember seeing it in the car mags on introduction but we never saw them on the road. I owned a '65 Beetle but rust was never an issue--except those little exhaust tips, which would rust almost from installation. I used to want a Lada but of course they weren't legal for sale here...

Wow...just found your channel and you're hitting all my previous cars...I had two 124 Sedans (later quad-headlight versions), a Lotus Europa Twin-Cam, and a pair of 16-valve Mercedes. I need to see what else you've driven that I've had. Thanks for the great look into my past!

You are so right car the car is an understated masterpiece, very innovative and influential. What a value at the time. I never owned one, but did have a similar 131, which I loved You should do a 128 too, that would be super. I would appreciate that. Great video man- that’s a fine specimen

You reminded me that I tried out a 128 in the US in '75 but bought a '72 Pinto and bought a '78 125 in Argentina in '82 after wrecking my '80 Accord

Jack - if memory serves, that engine IS the beginnings of the famous Lampredi design - the twin cam engines were an adaptation of that basic pushrod/overhead valve design. That said, I don't believe they ever did a twin cam version on the original 1200cc - I'm pretty sure the smallest twin cam the factory offered was the 1400 (1438cc.)

I had a navy blue 1972 124 Special (US spec) - It drove and sounded like a sports car! In fact, I drove it to Nebraska and back! Peppy and fun, but it self destructed at around 77K. Main bearing seal, interior door handle came loose, the paint faded on two doors and a rear fender. In spite of that, I loved it.!

You were off by a couple of years and model numbers. The 128, I’d argue was much more influential as it pioneered the front transverse engine/separate transaxle format used by tens of millions of car since. And no, it wasn’t the mini - those had integral engine/transmissions.

My father had a 124 estate in 1974. It was interesting to hear you say that it could actually stop. Dad described the brakes a "fierce", which he would, coming from a Austin Cambridge A55 MarkII! The brakes quite literally saved his life when another car cartwheeled across the motorway in front of him, just clipping his front after he slammed them on. Originally it had the same grille as the one in your video, but the bodyshop replaced it with the stripey black and chrome one of later cars. Sadly it rusted very badly and as I remember only lasted about 3-4 years, having been referred to as "Your 2-tone fiat (white and rust)"

My brother had a 1975 124 coupe 1800. Oh man what a car. The wngine, the torque thr styling and the metallic machine gun sounding exhaust just like the 1.2 on the video. Fiat made magic back then. Thank you for the upload. 👍🏼😃

5:58 As an indian fan I'm so happy that an Indian car was mentioned on a channel (one that has an interesting history like the Premier 118) but I have to correct you that Premier 118 wasn't made/on sale in India after the late 1990s which was a while ago now (still late when seeing that the original is a 60s car). We were suffering the same car industry rot that the second world countries were facing, and Premier was far better known for their Padmini series cars which were based on Fiat 1100 (another lovely car!)

I had one, it went round corners like nothing else. It was many many years ago, I bought it for £50, ran it till it rusted out, never forgotten how good it was.

We need to get back to smaller, lighter, well engineered motor cars. As for rust we had datsun 1600 and it only took 2 years from new for the rust to pour out. Thanks again Jack. Best car you tube channel by miles. Nice way to have tea and toast 👍

FIAT 124 was also made in Turkey by the biggest corportation called Koc Group. My father who is mechanical engineer and had a masters degree in US got recruited by Koc Group in late 1970s than he worked there in the Turkish Fiat 124 parts department. He formed first ever computerised stock keeping system over there. This was in 1976 when computers was as big as a small room. He is not a car guy but by coincidence his first ever car that he owned when student in US was also 124 station wagon. He says there is some quality difference. (Turkish version 124 steal is a little weaker maybe) Nevertheless 124 is one of the most loved car in Turkey. 124 Fiat is called Murat 124 in over here in Turkey. Great review 👍 I will make him watch this.

I had a 1976 131 mirafiori. It was a joy to drive.

I had one of these, a 1972 model. I enjoyed driving it and Its power-to-weight ratio improved daily due to rusty bits falling off until there was no floor left (like the flintstones car). It was condemned and scrapped on it's tenth anniversary during the MoT!

Thank you for this video! It's a good summary of the Fiat 124's qualities. I own a Fiat 124 Familiare (station wagon, in good old english) that I drive almost every day and this video was a real breath of fresh air that made me want to get out and drive my 124.

What a familiar face. :) I'm still driving its derivative today - Lada 2107 which is "luxury" version of FIAT 124/Lada 2101. Actually built it for the Time Attack events - it has roll-cage, turbo engine, disc brakes. It can keep up with modern cars such as Clio RS, BMWs, Nissans 370Z on the Chayka circuit which is in Kyiv, Ukraine. People still use them as cheap workhorses in smaller towns here, but they are rare sight in big cities now. This wasn't the case some 20-25 years ago though - they were everywhere.

All Fiats from that age, just need to be driven, rev the nuts and enjoy them. Enjoyed this one mate.

Oh Jack, my younger days when I could see and hear and recover from a hangover in 12 hours. I traded my 124 sedan on a 125 with the twin cam, four disc brakes, antilock brakes on the rear, fuel reserve light, choke light (wow choke) twin choke down draft Webber, handbrake light, low bean light and high beam too, coil springs but a 4 speed gearbox. I got the 5 speed when I traded up to a 125S. I also had a 124AC and BC coupe and then FIAT started to cut costs and I got a 131 with a pushrod engine. Still handled well. On all my FIATs I changed over to Bilstien shocks and the then new poly bushes that we had to make adjustments (with a drill) to fit. But they all rusted. I was aware of the Russian steel story but that was dismissed at a FIAT club meeting. There was also a rumour that the cars were sent to Australia as deck cargo on a submarine. I don't think there was any truth in that story. Thanks mate for the video.

Thanks for the memories of these great little Italians Jack. They were great in their day and remind us that "anything is better than having to walk". Just simple basic vehicles that did everything it said in the brochure, and with a small touch of style.

Quite enjoyable, and solid; I think that if it wasn't for FIAT, the Russians wouldn't have the LADA.

Back in Ireland 1966 our next door neighbour bought one. I was lucky to cadge lifts to school. It was like a sports car to a twelve year old. Didn’t the bring our a bigger version. Fiat 125 I believe

Thanks Jack! 🙏🙏 Saw a few of these about until the early 90s, but then they all 'disappeared'.

Ahhhh the memories. In the late 80's as a 19yo I had the 124 Special T with the 1400 twin cam. Midnight blue with that same red interior. What a joyful car.

Brilliant video Jack👏🏻 I also share your passion for FIAT cira 60's 70's (and even 80's) they were infused with a certain character... They had a distinct personality which one could relate to. Sadly that's all gone, today's cars are more like domestic appliances, useful but bloody boring!

I would agree with the comment below that the 124 didn't use a rack & pinion but if nothing else this proves (along with the 105 series Alfas) how nice a steering box system can be. My late Father was a dyed in the wool VW Beetle fanatic but I remember accompanying him on a test drive in a very early Berlina, I think I was more impressed than he was, took another 40 years to wean him off VWs whereas I was a Fiat owner 20 years later and have been ever since !!

I bought my Fiat 124 new in 1972. It was one of the best cars I ever had, and the only saloon car I ever really liked. I would buy it again if it was still available without any modifications.

That car has a nice stance and is great looking! Greetings from the Netherlands

My father bought a 124, in dark green, as the first new car our family ever got (I was 11 or so at the time). Compared to the 1961 Opel Rekord we had before, it felt like a race car (and yes, it did in fact do 160 km/h! - 20 more than the Opel, which I found particularly impressive) and it also sounded like one (for the non-F1-aficionados). Suddenly some VW owners complimented us for having such a sporty and modern verhicle. The end of it came in 1968, when a French lady slammed her Renault into it in front of a red light in Strasbourg. My father got a 124 SP, with unheard-of 80 HP and a top speed of almost 180, as a replacement. The downside of it all was that over time he bought two more Fiats (both 132 models) because no other car dealer except the friendly Fiat guy was ready to offer a good price for the Fiats when buying a new car. Whether true or not, their reputation in terms of corrosion was lousy at the time, and there are still traces of that notion left today.

These seemed to be everywhere back then and like most cars of that era they did rust but you just accepted that. This one is in excellent condition for the age and is allowed to stall if it wishes to do so. Thanks Jack for another great review. 👍👍

Thank you, I remembered my youth in the USSR. LADA behaves well on mountain roads. You can see which ones by typing IRC Yalta 2011/2012🙂

The 124 had a steering box not r&p. Its sucessor the 131 got a rack and was the first Fiat saloon to do so. The 124 Sport Coupe and Spyder got a steering box too but you'd never have known it as the steering was really good and pretty light too. The 124 Special and ST twin cam saloons were the forerunners of the hot hatch. Very sporty family carriers.

The 124 was the car that made us a Fiat family (coming, by the way, from a VW Beetle). The first one, a 124S from 1969 with 70 HP, was simply terrific. The mechanics used to say that it ran like a 125, and definitely the speedometer, ending at 170 km/h, was not enough. Unfortunately, it had also some addiction to rust. The second was a 124 Special from 1974 with 75 HP. Maybe because we expected even more power because of the five additional HP it was a little bit disappointing (but really not bad), but it did not rust at all. Today, I am owning a 124 BC1, the one with the 1608 twin-cam engine. And yes, it drives like a normal car - to be more precise: Like a fast normal car!

....and then Number27 didn't even reviewed the GIANNINI 124 yet. A car to get even more excited about.

my dad had a 124S which went really well and handled like a dream

The car I learned to drive in! Great recollections, including a memorable celebratory 200 mile round trip from Nakuru, in Kenya's Great Rift Valley, to the capital Nairobi.

I was looking and listening to myself mate,haven’t touched a drink since December 2019 and I’m feeling great about that. I haven’t even thought about it ever since and do you know what ? The journey back to reality,because nothing felt real for 30 years,was an eye opener. I learned to appreciate myself again because I had given up on everything and felt worthless. Trust me ,you’ll begin to see everything in a much more positive way and learn to like yourself again. I had bad memories sometimes but I think about the present and future now and feel happy.

Thats my childhood right there...we always had two of them,for many many years.Didnt really care about them back then..but seeing this brings back loads of good memories,..and miss my mom and dad. Great cars..Never left us stranded.Thanks for posting this,really enjoyed it.

I learned to drive on a Fiat 124 when I was 11 years old. Same paint and upholstery as the one depicted here. My first day behind the wheel, I confused the clutch and the brake and careened into a rhododendron. My panicked dad yelled, “you stupid stupe!” I got over it right away cause it was such a bad insult. The rhododendron, not so much. I’m 60 and only drive manuals to this day.

I remember the 124 sedan as well as the 125. My first car was a beautiful yellow 1972 124 Coupé which I wish I still owned.

Yes, Italy produced leading edge small cars in the ‘60’s. I once had a rusty Fiat127 with a slipping clutch over a weekend. It convinced me that it wasn’t necessary to have a large car to have an enjoyable drive. Lead me to a succession of Fiat Unos that were brilliant. Ranging from a 45ES that made an annual mileage of 30,000 affordable , to a 70SXie that was more than fast enough excepting the mad Turbo.

Seems a lot more modern than the Mk1 Cortina 1200 that I had around taht time. They both probably rusted the same too. Seemed to drive like the Lada 1200, which was going in the 80s. It has everything (apart from no rack and pinion stieering) that is needed today, no reason to have anything more complicated than this. Great video

Very interesting, and it brings back memories. We bought a new 124 in 1968 and loved it! Beforehand we test-drove a Renault 16 and a 125, but the 124 took our hearts.

Having been a passenger in a Fiat 124 Coupe in 1974, I can say that I was really impressed. Not only did it look beautiful, but it was a very comfortable car.

It has always been a very underrated car.

I learned to drive in a US spec 1972 124 In 1977. It had both choke and throttle slider knobs, to fine tune the car during warm up. The throttle could also double as a crude cruise control.There was a wiper-independent windshield washer button, and the nozzles could easily be turned toward the curb. Which I did to hose down pedestrians. So juvenile! Replacing brake pads on the 4 wheel discs was very quick, about 20 minutes. I got a lot of practice doing that. The door trim panels were like vinyl covered cardboard. Contrary to the compliments in this video, the car was a Fix It Again Tony!

My father drove Lada 2101 (the Russian version of the car) for 27 years. It was extremely simple and easy to fix, he even rebuilt the engine by himself and he is not even a car mechanic. I learned how to drive on it. Memories!!!