13 Apr 04
2.0ie 16V - 1995cc, 142bhp, four cylinders; 2.0ie 16V Turbo - 1995cc, 195bhp, four cylinders; 2.0ie 20V - 1998cc, 147bhp, five cylinders; 2.0ie 20V Turbo - 1998cc, 220bhp, five cylinders
£3500-£16,000
Blown turbos, poor paint and bodywork, accident damage, cambelt changes, electrical faults, overheating engines
The Fiat Coupe is, literally, the poor man's Ferrari (and yes, it is usually a man's car, even in bright yellow). If the Fiat badge isn't smart enough for you, the Coupe also wears the crest of Pininfarina, the legendary Italian styling house responsible for designing many a Ferrari (we'll draw a veil over the not-so-legendary Mitsubishi Shogun Pinin). Its striking angles, supercar-style recessed headlights and absolutely Ferrari-like tail end caused a real stir at its launch in 1995, and it put Fiat right back on the map after a decade of dull and outdated Pandas, Unos, Tipos, Tempras and Cromas.
Six years on, the Coupe still looks very sharp, and hasn't dated nearly as quickly as critics said it would. In fact, it's rapidly heading towards classic status, especially since it was discontinued in May 2000 with no replacement planned in the near future (its sister model, the Alfa Romeo GTV, continues). The cheap way into the range is via an early, non-turbo, 16-valve model; these are now going for as low as £2000 at auction, although we wouldn't want to speculate as to what sort of condition a Coupe this cheap might be in. Better to spend a bit more and go for a low-mileage example with history. The 16-valve models all have a five-speed manual gearbox, twin front airbags, remote central locking, electric windows and mirrors, and an alarm and immobiliser; the normally-aspirated cars have 15-inch alloy wheels. The Turbo models had 16-inch alloys and traction control, and options included air-conditioning, leather upholstery and an electric sunroof. Fuel consumption on these models is heavy, though. The five-cylinder, 20-valve models replaced the 16-valve versions in December 1996, and with this power upgrade came a restyled grille, a high-level rear brake light, a better audio system and revised instruments. Happily, the five-cylinder turbo is less thirsty than its predecessor, but beware: a cambelt change is an expensive engine-out job on these later versions.
Sought-after Coupes include the Turbo LE Limited Edition (1998) models - these have a six-speed gearbox and are worth about 10-15 per cent more than a five-speed car - and the end-of-line Turbo Plus models (August 1999) which have black leather Recaro seats with red stitching, body-coloured side skirts and front spoiler, and a red finish to the front suspension turret brace, brake calipers and camshaft covers. All Coupes from that date had standard air-conditioning, a fully colour-coded exterior, a new grille, revised seats and a luggage net and hooks in the boot.
The Fiat Coupe comes in a variety of attractive colours, but many buyers went for the Ferrari-alike option and specified a searing yellow or bright red; also popular was a bright mid-blue. More subtle is the metallic green, but the Fiat Coupe is not really a subtle car so, for once, brighter is better. It's definitely the loud, lairy coupe choice, and more comfortable and practical than you'd think, with four well sized seats and a decent boot.
