The Fiat Coupé Shows Everything That's Wrong With Fiat Today 

When I was an engineering student, around 2001, I got to spend a day at the Balocco proving ground with Fiat personnel. There, I was driven at high speed around the track in a yellow Coupé, with a Fiat boffin expertly driving the wheels off that base 1.8 model! The man told me that, because of those characteristic side slashes, the company thought about naming it "graffio," the Italian for "scratch."

Interestingly enough, the Alfa Romeo GTV had been designed earlier, but its launch was postponed to let the Fiat Coupé out first. The two cars share the same platform but the Alfa has a lot less room inside due to the extensive reinforcements the Arese engineers added to the base structure. The delay made it possible to design the multilink rear end for the GTV, complete with the aluminum subframe that allowed to bolt it onto the Tipo platform, which wasn't designed to take a multilink.

I have a coupe 20v turbo so im going to LIKE this before even watching :-)

Loved my two 20vt. Very reliable, shocked alot more expensive sports cars. Looks alot better in plus spec. They should've all had that body kit fitted. Great GT car, did many trips over to France and back, never let me down. Chassis was a little flexy, but what an engine.

What a stunning car back in the 90s and now even more so. I nearly bought one.

Jack’s natural style and genuine enthusiasm makes for enjoyable viewing even when you don’t think you’re interested in the subject matter. Keep it up👏🏻

Jack, it’s looking less controversial as the years roll on. It’s probably Fiat at its very best. The Fiat brand seems to be reserved now for small (electric) cars and the heavy investment is in the latest Alfa Romeo relaunch and Lancia which offer more potential to push further up market and bring more profitability. Thanks for reminding us was a great car they are.

I remember first seeing one of these out in Spain, months before they were released in the UK. I thought it had landed from outer space! Absolutely love the design, and that of the Barchetta. Agree, the star in Fiats lineup at the moment is the 500, and ONLY the 500.

I had a 16v from new as a company car. OK, some dodgy electrics (slowing down prior to a roundabout with aircon and radio on it would stall) and the bootlid was thinner than tinfoil, but I loved it, sweet chassis, lovely ride and seats, and real looks. Distinctive and entirely individual.

The Coupe was, and still is a stunning car. Unique.

I`m half Italian & I also have a (huge) love of Fiats & all Italian cars, I`ve had loads, probably approaching 100, from the 127 & 131 up to my newest 500. I think the first sign Fiat had really departed from its roots was the introduction of the Panda in 2003. The concept was fine, but the fun factor had gone, primarily in its handling & feel, both things were a key feature right up to the death of the Seicento (Fiats last truly fun car to my eyes). I understand the implementation of stringent crash & emissions resulted in some of that, but they managed to take pretty much all the natural handling prowess out of them, mainly because they raised the centre of gravity & removed virtually all the feel from the steering. As a result small Fiats no longer appeal to more spirited drivers. Theres more fun to be had in a basic Suzuki Swift than any of the Panda/500 range, even the hot ones, and it sickens me to admit that.. I also used to know the DP of a (posh) London Fiat dealer, he once told me that Fiat just wanted them to concentrate on pushing Pandas & later 500`s. Fiat UK stopped adverting the rest of the range in the press, & it became a one trick pony. Buyers forgot the Punto, Grande Punto & Bravo was still available because of that, many assumed production had stopped years before it did, so they barely sold & production stopped. The middle class buyers who loved the Multipla in the high class London suburbs kept coming in for years after production halted, wanting another, but couldn't have one... This even led to prices of used Multipla`s going up significantly for a while. The 500 has sold well in the UK, literally every street in London has at least one 500 in it (many have 3 or 4), you cant drive for an hour without seeing 10-20 coming the other way, & its residuals have stayed relatively strong because of that, but the ultimate result of that, is that, unless you want a 500 specifically, you wont even bother looking at a Fiat dealer because you assume they only sell 500`s, right? ! Alfa have done reasonably well in the UK in the last decade, because we do tend to love Italian cars & want to love them, I know I see more Mito`s, & Giulietta`s on the road now than I did 147`s & 159`s, in fact they outnumber the numbers of Grande Punto`s, new Tipo`s & 124`s I see out these days, although, just as people were realising these older small-medium Alfa`s were actually pretty good, long lasting cars, Alfa decided to pull out of those key segments completely, stopping production of them... Typical.. Speaking of the Tipo, that was a huge let down too, primarily because the interiors looked horribly cheap for that segment, full of budget plastic, small screens & you couldn't get stuff like leather trim on them, even as an option on the top spec models, so many people who wanted one, just walked away.. My Dad was one of them, who, as much as he wanted to go back to Fiat, couldn't bring himself to "go backwards" spec-wise after his Volvo V50 SE (after stepping "up" from a Tempra 2.0 SW SX years earlier), as much as he wanted to. A nicer "premium" feel interior + more (some? any?) marketing & they would have sold significantly more Tipo`s.. As a Fiat lover, its all quite depressing..

Love love the Fiat Coupe Jack! It's one of those iconic cars that for me comes under the same cool category as the Fiat Barchetta, Fiat Sedichivalvole, Uno turbo or ,Mirafiori! I wish Fiat would start to make fun and cool looking cars again (and Alfa for that matter) !

Great era for Fiat this. Really hit home when you described the diverse (and appealing) model range you may have encountered if you had walked into a Fiat showroom at that time. When the new 124 came out a few years ago I had hope that Fiat would begin to try and rekindle some of that, but it was clearly just a flash in the pan. Now we are left with the gimmicky 500 and its weird spin-offs.

We are massive fans of the fiat coupe we specialise in them. Great video.

My first car was a 127, then a Strada, then an X19 followed by a Tipo and a Punto. All great cars and they had a character too which I guess is probably Italian. Certainly the commonality between the 127 and the Punto in terms of thrashing a 900cc was unmistakeable. The new Ford Ka sorry 500 is a little more than a mobile phone with wheels in comparison. And as for the noise of the 595 Abarth loool sounds like a goose farting in the fog as someone Scottish once said.

You are not pushing on enough, Jack! Great vid. Ty.

I worked in a Fiat/Lancia dealership in the late 1980's and the range at the time was: Panda 900 Panda 4x4 Panda 1000 Fire Uno Tipo Regatta Croma Fiorino van Ducato van As most had various engine options there were effectively over 20 models to choose from. Fiat at the time worked with multi-manufacturers to cut costs on car production, e.g. Croma and Ducato. Technically as Lancia was owned by Fiat you could include all the Lancia models as well. We had a nice Lancia Delta Integrale Turbo in regularly for service, kept the technicians very smiley.

Agreed - the coupe is a bit of a high water mark for FIAT - stunning looks inside and out. I had the pleasure of driving a 20v Turbo - it was an absolute scream! The Tipo platform was also, in my view, a really sound one - the Tipo, Coupe and Alfa 145 were all tidy handling cars, with some superb engines. So, what went wrong?

It took me 10 years to beat my Fiat Coupe Nurburgring BTG time (8.36) in my current Z4M Coupe (8.35, not nearly as fun). And; it was a fantastic, practical, comfortable GT too. Mine (20vt) had around 340hp. A really well-built, reliable Fiat! What happened to Fiat was Marchionne, sadly. He was never a car man, but from finance. He had no clue about Fiat as a brand. So he invested all Fiat-wealth in USA. Plus a little in Alfa.

I've always loved Fiat as a brand and the Coupe in particular, I think its an outstanding bit of design. Hell I pretty much love everything Chris Bangle did. We need people to push the envolope today. At the risk of sounding like an old man, all cars look the same these days!

Great car, my 146 has the same chassis and newer cars get a nasty shock when they realise how quick it is through turns so definitely better than the sum of their parts. Fiat, Alfa and Lancia have almost no range now, it's got boring.

“In Italy, no one grows up wanting to be a train driver”: great marketing (clearly it stuck in my memory, anyway).

Bangle has done some great stuff that is standing the design test of time, this included.

I love these cars thanks for featuring. I thought the red version with thinner spoked wheels looked like a mini Ferrari.

A dark Green W reg 20 valve turbo was my first performance car. Beautiful interior.

Not seen one of these on the UK roads for a long, long time. Classic car already imo. Different, exciting and Pininfarina cool.

I totally agree on the fact that Fiat has a very limited and old range. Apart the Fiat 500 electric all the cars have more the 6 years each on their shoulders, however Panda and 500s still sell very well. I do not think that there is a market for coupe nowadays. I am in London and in the mid 90s, you were able to see many coupes from Mercedes, BMW, Audi , Peugeot, Alfa, Fiat and so on. But nowadays the roads are filled with MPVs and although some manufacturers do have coupes in their range, they are very rare indeed. However the Fiat Coupe is absolutely gorgeous.

Brilliant video covering everything you want to know! I’ve just purchased one and already falling in love with it.

Dad had a black 127 around 83. It was unreliable and we never had another Fiat. He traded it for a black Astra GTE new shape in 86. I felt like Knight Rider travelling in it with the digital speedo 😂

I had a 20v Turbo from new in 1996, one of the first in the country. I did 65000 hard miles in it over 3 years and it was a lot of fun. It was lowered slightly, but other than that it was a standard car engine wise, the different springs improved it when you were really battling the B roads, but I always found it a delight to drive. I only ever had one thing go wrong was a coolant hose that burst on a junction, after I took the back roads from Belfast to Dublin the weekend Princess Diana died. The performance at the time was fabulous with 0-60 in around 6 seconds, unheard of in a front wheel drive car and well able to stay with a lot of more expensive stuff. Great video Jack!

my father liked Fiat so much back in the late 70s and early 80s, he owned two of them at the same time..... the 124 Sports Coupe 1.8 and the 131 Mirafiori 1.6 (rectangle lights)

1993?! That’s crazy. It’s almost 30 years old? Man I feel old 😀 Great film Jack, keep em coming.

Indicator stalks are also shared with the F355...

I loved my 20V T in Portofino Blue....gorgeous design, great interior and always felt faster than its 220hp to me....

I owned two Barchetta and a 1.8 '99 Coupe which I drove to Oslo and back (in January 😅) about 12 years ago. The Coupé is still the most fun car I owned, it's has been rediscovered lately and has something of a cult following but it really warms my heart to watch someone review it in UK. 👏🏻

Your enthusiasm is compelling watching Jack.....keep it up mate!

£300 cambelt change my arse ! my best friend had a carbon-copy of yours, got it cheap cos it needed a belt change. "nee bovver, al get ower friday neet after graft, tell your missus to cook summat nice for our suppa" i finished putting the engine back in [+ repairing all the breakages] on monday night... he still has a framed photo of that car on his wall, + when i walk past it [going to the bog circa 5 times] i always have a laugh + shake my head... keep up the good content young man

The body design that Pininfarina got rejected actually ended up becoming the Peugeot 406 Coupe . I’m glad Fiat chose Chris Bangles design. It was a breath a fresh air , much like the Barchetta

I had a Coupé and a GTV and loved them both. I wish I still did. The 90's was a fabulous time to be into cars, especially Italian ones. Now all we get is boring SUV's and electric appliances on wheels. Manufacturers are led by the demand for the mass market and not the niche that brought people into showrooms. I now have an MX-5 RF. I love it, and I'm sticking with it! (Great review btw 👍)

My brother and I bought a Fiat X1/9 to get us to Scranton for college, it was a blast to drive, handling and way it would reduce Pirellis to slicks quickly even with 65 Horsepower. We grew up in NE Pennsylvania and it had perfect traction even in the snow as we went skiing. No problems regarding reliability other than the stupid way you had to jack up the car without drilling a hole 🕳 in the door, luckily as I was getting ready to replace a tire 🛞 I noticed an old thick sock 🧦 would prevent damage so we always had one with the jack. I’ve always wondered why FIAT hasn’t brought it back!!!☺️ Now I own a Alfa Romeo Gulia and again the Italians had to remove the Manual Transmission option. WHY?? Because we are so incompetent?? I’m Italian. The Fiat had the smoothest shifter I have ever driven. It cost both of each $2500.00☺️for a grand total of ??

Had a Sprint Blue 1998 20v Turbo in 2004. Still my favourite car I've ever owned. Had to go when it developed persistant overheating problems! Stunning car to drive and visually!

i own a 20vt coupe, had it resprayed lime green, amazing car with insane performance,even today its quicker than most hot hatches, together with its amazing styled looks its so unique on the road and grabs the attention of many. it has styling that is far different from any other car out there, from every angle its beautiful and unique.

Great content as usual jack keep up with the unusual ones

The initial Coupe had the 2 litre 16v 4 cylinder engine from the Tipo Sedicivalvole, shared with Lancia not Alfa Romeo. The 1.8 Fiat engine of the era was a peach, that was based on an Alfa block. Also you forgot the Marea which was another excellent car in saloon and estate versions.

DON"T mention the Multipla 🥶😝 Nice review Jack, as always !

Hello Jack, I don't know how you find some of these obscure cars, but this one is appealing for some reason. It would probably take me 4 or 5 years but I think I could get used to it and just enjoy the overall drive. Thanks and keep them coming.

remebr looking for 2nd hand coupes with my dad in the late 90's/early 00's...test drove a gtv and a fiat coupe (as well as a 406- - which was way too ordinary inside)..eventually going for the Alfa....but always liked the bravery of this design and Chris Bangle work in general.

Cracking stuff Jack as always bud👍

Ciao Jack, love these videos - I had totally forgotten about the Fiat Coupe' ... brings back lots of memories.

Great review and they were beautiful cars it be nice to see you do a drive on the x19 the barchatta and 124 spider to see a comparison

I'll never forget Clarkson using one for his cop car... Hammond was like "You're nicked... And have you got a fan belt for an old fiat? It's back there somewhere" 😆

Yes an interesting car, I have two Coupes, both 20vt's, one is a Plus so six speed etc. I also have a BMW 135im, another Chris Bangel design. I love cars that are not just an appliance, if I had my way I would have about 100 cars by now, and they would all have their own character. I loved my Fiat Uno Turbo also. Thanks for reminding us that Fiat wasn't always crap.

my father and i enjoyed zipping around in his fiat bianchina 16 2/3hp back in 59 when he bought it for about 1000usd right off the showroom here in the usa i think that was about 200quid in those days

I agree with your comments on the Fiat range. Same applies to Alfa. But I do need to disagree with your comment on the 124. It's very trendy on RU-vid to call it an MX5 or a Fiata or whatever. Yes the interiors are basically the same, but the engines, body shape and many other important parts are very different. (I own a 124 and my wife owns a 500). Back to the Fiat Coupe, it's a great looking car and one that I should have owned but never did. Looks great in yellow and the blue is cool too. I'm still tempted to get one as a weekend car. Keep reviewing these fun cars!

I've owned 2 vt6's & customer spec'd 20v n/a metallic blue with toffee leather. Incredible value for money, way better build quality than your average Fiat. Sound of the 5 pot turbo engine on full chat is amazing!

I'm one who likes the look of the little car - both because it is different and also because it all ties in well. If you cut the roof off and look at it from the side, I can see some resemblance of the late model Alfa Spider - especially in the rear haunches - and while the Alfa looks unbalanced and quirky (some might say hideous) with a top on...somewhat like the roof was a sudden afterthought...the Fiat looks in proportion and a complete car. The Fiat has a prettier face than the Alfa too - and this is coming from a bloke who has owned a couple of Alfas over the years and loves them a lot! I might have to go drive one of those - they are old enough now to be considered a modern classic and yet they aren't priced out of the ballpark......at the moment anyway! Thanks for that review, Jack. I'd forgotten all about this little bombshell from the early 90s! All the best

Enjoyed the video very much. I have owned a late model 20v Turbo for the last 5 years with 6 speed g/b, p/b starter and 180 speedo and very much enjoy driving it. Performance and handling is excellent and the looks are very distinctive, just the steering lock is a little limited.

My first car was a Coupe 2.0 16v, it was in rough shape, but only €700. I miss it at times.

Good video. I always wondered about them. My first to Italian cars were Fiats and I loved them. I had a 600D (a stretched 500) and I called it my Fellini youth period. After I beat it to death, I got a 128 two door berlina...and I loved it. What a great little box to toss around on the curves, and it kept up nicely on the freeways. To see Fiat dying is a real heartbreaker, because it is taking the entire Italian motorcar industry with it. At one time they were buying up failed Italian brands and giving them a second chance. Now, through Stellantis, they will all fade away. Alfa has nothing in the pipeline now that the Georgio planform is discontinued. Maserati will become an expensive parts warehouse as they continue to attract fewer and fewer enthusiasts, and fail to impress the general public. Ferrari will be consumed with "wokeness" and become an EV shadow of the name. Fiat, like Rome, will became a lost history...only to be remembered in Number 27 videos.

Ciao Jack, Absolutely love your vids, I must say, my first car at 18 years of age was a Fiat 124 CC coupe, loved it so much, 1972 edition, twin cam, 5 speed, went like stink with a little tweaking. I have a Fiat 500 2017 Competizione which is the the best day drive I have had in a long time considering I’m an AlfaRomeo fan and my weekend drive is a 4C… Keep the Ferrari, love your vids Cheers from OZ😬

I had one of these about 15 years ago now. Great fun to drive as you say.. However, build quality was unfortunately poor to say the least, I particularly remember the crappy windscreen washer system was something that Fisher-Price would have been ashamed of. Brakes were a bit interesting, the front discs warped like mad and breaking from high speed down was an experience to say the least. The ridiculous turning circle was a complete joke, they got that very wrong. On the plus side though, the turbo lag was great and when the turbo finally woke up it took off like a bat out of hell and as you say in the video, just felt like it would never stop pulling. Expensive Porsche owners would be mighty hacked off when I left them for dead and tended to come back on me with real venom which was quite hilarious I remember. All in all a quirky vehicle but as I said great fun to drive and held the road like it was superglued no matter how hard you pushed it. Nice video, thanks for the memory.

Im really looking into these cars rn and thing about getting one in the future. Nice vid! Also, so happy you mentioned the Brava! We daily one with the 1.6 16v and its really reliably and fun to drive.

Great car, still looks amazing now

Great styling and somewhat timeless, amazing they shifted over 70,000 of these considering it was at the time a niche halo car.

Great video, Jack. Fiat coupes have been on my bucket list for ever, had a GTV for many years but haven't got round to these. Yet...

Great review of the coupe. Totally agree. I always appreciate journalists, reviewers or enthusiasts who have the guts to take this approach, as opposed to 'celebrity' you tubers who ONLY review hign end luxury brands etc.

I had a 20VT which was a brilliant car …. right up until a piston melted 😆 Fortunately I got a fresh engine under an aftermarket warranty. Love Fiat’s idea of traction control - limit boost to 3000rpm then give you it all! Nothing would touch it from 50-70mph. A friend in Italy’s brother used to test for Fiat and the Coupe used to lose its bonnet at over 150mph. And, you’re right, the Alfa has the multilink suspension and the Coupe had the rear seats and boot. They drink oil - need to check every week. Switches would disappear into the dash and they all corroded around those lovely rear lights. A strut brace would help the steering. Cambelt on the 20VT was designed to be engine-out but specialist do it in situ.

A wonderful car and a great review. I always loved these and the Bravo HGT which shared that same 5 cylinder engine. Fiat seem to have gone the same way as Vauxhall (whilst you can't really compare), they also produce nothing exciting of any interest anymore. Back at the time when the Coupé was launched, there was or the back end of, quite a slew of interesting vehicles, now it's just a dreary collection of crossovers and SUVs. Fiat's range is really depressing these days, I was thinking the very same thing the other day; the 500 is what saved it, but it's also now becoming its undoing. They've relied on it heavily for too long and a myriad of different versions haven't helped keep interest in the brand as it currently stands. I think they're trying to be a 'Mini' but not quite succeeding.

Ace video Jack as usual the lights came from a Masser Barcheta Si from Bath

Great vid Jack. I agree on the Coupe: I like it because it's different from all the lookalikes but, yeah, I don't know if you could really call it pretty. I've always been a bit interested in them as I had a GTV V6, which was an utterly magnificent, thrilling beast, obviously made by passionate Italians who love design and driving. Yeah, it's a pity that Fiat seem to have lost their mojo, hopefully they'll find it again one of these days.

I treated my Girlfriend to an UNO Turbo for her 21st Birthday back in the day, we loved it, she changed it for a MG Metro that had great interior but was inferior to Drive...but then we bought a Renault 5GT Turbo....wow ....fabulous

Nice one - should be on your "candidate" list of fun/leisure/yet usable cars. Was on ours too, but finally we went for a Ford Puma. Also on the list: Peugeot 306 convertible, or the 406 coupé. Yes Miata.. MR2... that kind of stuff. Maybe we'll get one of these still.

I owned 3 Multipla’s back in the day, under rated masterpiece!

Brilliant review. ( Again...😄). I owned one of these some 20 years ago in the exact same colour. Now I miss it a lot after watching the video...😿😿😿😿😿

Great car especially with the 5 cyl 20v engine. The looks outside and in, front and back could not be ignored. I love them, but I am a Saab fan, so quirky rules!! Thanks for video

Another Italian automotive curiosity which still looks great. You are correct, Alfa had multilink at the rear, the one that had that rear steering effect. And the same sticky s**t at the center console.

If this car was RWD it would have been regarded as the Dino of the 90s and maybe gained legendary status. The FWD layout cheapened it somehow and didn't let it out of the mass production category

The rear seats do look comfortable.

I really like these. They’re a tad awkward from sone angles, but great from others. My uncle and has best mate had a string of them between them because they were such a bargain back in the day; I remember both complaining about the size of the turning circle though.

Hi Jack, was really into these for a while...unfortunately discovered how good they are too late ....Sooo easily tuned and the great diff handles it well 400/400 easy to achieve and yes, great sound pre-smog stifling Would love that 5 pot + Tranny in a 916 GTV, which hasnt been Bangled up - easyish swap but never found an affordable offer..

I'm Canadian and have never seen or even heard of this car. I'm 56 years old so essentially an 80's kid so I suspect this affects my impression on the styling. I like it a lot. Like you I enjoy the "weirdness". Corrado, Europa, Montréal, and TJ Criuser are among my favorites in the styling department. Thank you for introducing this to me. The 5 cylinder version sounds right for me. Lol. More weirdness please!

Well - I think the Fiat Coupe is one of the most stylish, beautiful and desirable coupes Ive ever driven. The turbo sounds sublime and performs superbly.

I remember taking a 16v for a test drive in the mid 90s, although the design was cutting edge for the time, I found the suspension set up too stiff even for a sports coupe, hence I didn't buy one, I remember I was looking to replace my 520 series so probably an unfair comparison.

The 5 cylinder has a unique sound and is very smooth. I have a more boring Stilo 2.4 but it is a practical 5 door car that goes well even if the styling is not as daring as the Coupé.

I remember trying to convince my father buyig one of these back in the 90s while he was more fond of the Open Tigra. I was still going to Elementary school in Milan and we eventually ended up in an Opel Astra SW! XD anyways, I really like your reviews, I share the same passion o vintage cars and engines in general, I am a big fan of cars from the 80/90s especialy GM vehicles and now in the States I live the dream pretty much as you do with occasional "cheap" buys that give me joyful headaches. Anche io sono Italiano by the way, if you ever think about visitig Miami just let me know, you have a room! We may do a video on my vintage cars if you have any interest (currently a 1985 corvette and a 1995 Geo Tracker). Cheers from the 305 pal

I had a green Fiat Coupe when they first came out and loved it. Since then I’ve had all manner of exotic cars including Porsche, Ferrari but NOTHING turned heads or stopped traffic more than that little fiat. Fortune favours the brave…Fiat need to rediscover it

Very true about fiat, manufacturers just can't compete against the likes of VAG. French and Italian were rubbished years ago by the press but VAG cars aren't known for their reliability now like they use be Jack.

Ciao Giacomo,I have seen this video today and I agree with you.This is a car that you hate or love.But she is great if you are behind the wheel.I think that this 5 cylinder turbo is one of the best engines produced by the Fiat group in the last 30 years.I had it on a Lancia k coupè,an elegant but ugly car that nevertheless has been one of the best cars I have ever had. If we talk about Fiat,what it was and what it is,we must speak about Sergio Marchionne.He was a fantastic financial manager,infact he saved the group from bankrupcy,but he was a disaster when he imposed himself as the man who decided the cars to produce.You said that the 500 saved Fiat: true. The 500 is a planetary success,and was presented at the Geneva motor show in 2003 as the Trepiuno.Marchionne made a strong opposition because he didn't believe in her.It was a hard task to convince him that was a sensational idea.He said no to the car that could have saved Lancia,the Fulvia concept,of 2003,that still is fantastic but was never produced.Instead he had the great idea to produce the Lancia Thema 2,the Flavia 2 cabriolet,and the Voyager,three Chrysler models rebadged as Lancias.To the Voyager they were even unable to change the name. All these three models were a complete disaster and nobody wanted them.Dozen of them were scrapped new,after some years that they were waiting for an owner. And look Alfa Romeo,in the Marchionne era: they were able to have just two models,the Giulia and the Stelvio. Fiat invented the compacts with the 127,a worldwide success.Than came the Uno,a planetary success.Then the Punto and the Grande Punto,sold everywhere. When the Grande Punto went out of production they had no projects to substitute her. Is this normal ?? This is mainly why Fiat is never the same of the 60s,the 70s,the 80s or the 90s.

I owned a Fiat Tipo 1.8 16V in Spain. The electrics were abismal in a humid environment. In Madrid it was ok, but when you drove it somewhere near the sea the dashboard warnings would light up like a merry go round in the morning. My 1.8 engine had a strong harmonic vibration around 3500 rpm but once you pushed it beyond it would smooth out. If I can remember corectly it would like going beyond 180 km/h in top gear. The inside room was excellent.

I think that in a few years Fiat as part of Stellantis will be much more significant than they are today. However, it is clear that the French influence will be massive, but in this context I think this is a good thing for the Italians. The big uncertainty is that development is moving towards electric cars and with this more style and design than technical sophistication and integrity. Otherwise, I love the design of the Fiat Coupé and not least what Chris Bangle later did at BMW with, among other things, the E85 Z4.

I had a 20V Turbo, they were insane cars, that beautiful 5 cylinder engine, they put a huge smile on your face or sheer terror when the horrendous understeer catches you out.

Can't help myself but there is some guff in this video - the LSD wasn't an LSD, it was/is a viscous coupling and while it does, sort of, do the same job it is not the same thing. 90s Fiat dealerships? Not quite the rose tinted view presented - the Uno and then the Punto were good sellers, the Barchetta less so and lets not mention the Marea (£1000 major service charges sort of put people off when the car was only worth that much after 3 years). In terms of excitement though - the two Uno turbos, Punto Turbo (and then HGT) along with the Coupe (and even the Cinquecento and Seicento sporting models) were all ridiculously fun to drive and on the performance/pound(GBP) scale were just mental. Then came the Stilo and it all started going wrong. The 2.4 NA version of the 20v lump coupled with a lazy MTA gearbox and massively unreliable electrics meant only the brave/mad would touch them. Best example of the 20v turbo powertrain was actually the Lancia Kappa that showed how it should be done but for some reason it was never sold in the UK. The key point really is something that has always held true with Fiats - you pay for the drivetrain and everything else comes free, it was true in the 70s, it was definitely true in the 90s and still holds true now...

I was waiting for the “Jack” on this one and thought you were going to disappoint. And then there it was: “Steering circle” 🤣 Great work Jack, love your accessible, engaging style and these background insights combined with road tests. You remain (in my opinion) the best of your genre 👍🏻

I loved mine 20vT in Sprint Blue. Special cars.

One of the most beautiful car designs..

My e46 BMW had the same sticky plastics (door handles). I ended up peeling it all and it felt nice and shiny.

I always fancied one of these back in the day . I thought they looked great inside and out and what an engine , they sounded great 👍🏻

Interesting how the headlight and taillight themes were recreated in the Pagani Zonda.

Fun car. Nice video. Keep up the good work.

Great video Jack as usual. However, I think you're going to have to find another piece of road to make your own. Too much of a link with Harry.