For this week’s Want we’re looking at one of the most heinously overlooked performance cars of the 1990s.
There was a bit of a glut of quick, front-wheel drive coupes in the 1990s. Top of everyone’s list is the Honda Integra Type R, of course, but there were myriad others.
Volkswagen had the Corrado, Toyota had the Celica, Mazda and Mitsubishi had the MX-6 and FTO — almost everyone had one. Even Ford and Vauxhall/Opel tried, with the V6 Probe and Calibra.
But one of them sneaked in under the radar, despite great handling and more power than any of its rivals.
The FIAT Coupe was a little divisive when it first came out, thanks to the unusual styling. The pen responsible belonged to none other than Chris Bangle – his first ever road car as chief designer – and the Coupe predated many late 1990s design trends. The bulbous eyes on the bonnet might not have made it, but the rest of the body proved influential.
Pininfarina meanwhile was responsible for the interior design. In fact Pininfarina had offered an exterior too, but FIAT turned it down in favor of Bangle’s design. That car later became the Peugeot 406 Coupe.
It was as elegant and rich an interior as anything you’d find on a 1990s car, and the FIAT Coupe was a lovely place to sit. It was a car you’d want to spend a lot of time in, and that’s due to the incredible weapon under the hood.
Early cars had some conventional power plants. Two liters, 16 valves and 140-ish horsepower. There was a turbo model with 188 hp. So far, so ordinary.
The real treat came three years down the line. FIAT fitted a two-liter, five-cylinder engine and in turbocharged form it may be one of the engines of the decade.
This 217 hp unit would drag the Coupe to 60mph in 6.3s. In an era where the entry level Ferrari was taking nearly five seconds, the Coupe was quick. With the six-speed gearbox near the end of its production run, it would crack 155 mph. All the while it would sound like an Audi quattro tackling a rally stage – the Coupe Turbo 20v was a beast.
Despite being built on the elderly FIAT Tipo Due platform, the Coupe could tackle the bends too. A Viscodrive limited-slip differential helped rein in the 229 lb-ft — the sort of torque that would previously see front-driven cars clawing themselves into a hedge.
Just in case you’re still unconvinced, Michael Schumacher owned a Limited Edition model.
See more articles on FIAT and Wednesday Want.
