Alex Unleashed on Cars- Fiat Coupe (The Definitive 90s Coupe)


Fiat has many ups and downs over its lifespan. On the one hand, you have forgettable and poorly built drivel like the Stilo, Multipla facelift and Doblo. But then you also have the 124, Panda, 500 and of course, the Coupe.

Fiat’s Coupe really did define the era that gave us almost too many affordable coupes to choose from, everyone from Alfa Romeo to Volvo had a coupe for you, with varying degrees of excellence, from Ford’s Puma and the VW Corrado down to the Vauxhall Calibra and Alfa Romeo GTV.

First thing you have to talk about the Fiat Coupe is the looks. I’m not it’s biggest fan, but I do think it is very striking indeed as did a lot of people when it was first unveiled in ’92, it caused quite a stir, I mean you’ve got the slashes along the wheel arches, the rather butch looking front end and inside you get a strip running across the dashboard with pininfarina in the middle. But what is even more interesting is it’s chief designer, Chris Bangle. The man who was hounded for his work on BMW in the 2000s also designed one of the most revered coupes ever made.

Now, not all Coupe’s came with a 5-cylinder engine, but the one you want is the 20v Turbo built from ’96 onwards. 5-cylinder engines always have a nice sound to them, and I wouldn’t blame you for buying one just for the engine alone, even if it isn’t the most reliable unit ever built. What you may be surprised to know is that the Coupe is front-wheel drive not rear-wheel drive and despite 217 BHP going to the front, everyone who drove one loved it, it’s certainly more of a driver’s car than the fellow Italian coupe, the Alfa GTV, which also has the same basis as the Coupe, the old Fiat Tipo.

It’s hard to downplay just how loved the Fiat Coupe was, pretty much every group test it was in, it won with flying colours, even against its closest rival, the rear-wheel drive Nissan 200SX. It seemed nothing could hold a candle to the Fiat Coupe, it was on top of the world…

Until the Audi TT came along. Both are quite similar, very stylish, upmarket coupes with turbocharged engines and similar performance. But if in 1999 you put a mk1 TT and a Coupe side by side, one looks like it’s come from 10 years in the future, the other looks like it’s already been around for 10 years. But, that was then, and I bet you anything today, no one looks at a mk1 TT with any vague interest anymore, drive a Fiat Coupe and, well I’d stare, because, come on, look at it and (provided it’s a turbo) listen to it.

I touched on what i'm about to discuss in the Ford Puma entry that car’s like the Coupe and the Puma, just aren’t or wouldn’t be made today because trends have moved on, the motoring masses don’t want/ aren't told that they want coupes anymore, and big motor companies don’t want to potentially risk investing millions to then lose it when it flops, I mean look at the Alfa 4C and Fiat 124 Spider, say what you will about them as cars, but they were unquestionably market flops and these are the cars us petrolheads like me are clamouring for. But who knows, maybe we will see a return of possibly the greatest coupe of the 90s. Afterall, never say never.

Year Produced: 1993-2000

Engine: 1.8 litre 4-Cylinder - 2 Litre 20v 5-Cylinder Turbo

Power: 129 - 217 BHP

Torque: 121 - 228 Ib/ft

Top Speed: 127 - 155 MPH

0-60: 9.2 - 6.2 Seconds

Weight: 1310 - 1270 KG

Price: £19,345 - £21,720

Rivals: Alfa Romeo GTV, Nissan 200SX, Rover Coupe, Vauxhall Calibra, Honda Prelude, Ford Cougar, Peugeot 406 Coupe

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