Car of the Week: Fiat Coupe

Remember when BMW design went a bit mad with something called flame surfacing ? Well one car and it's designer can be credited with causing the biggest shake up car design has seen in the last 20 years and it's a little Italian coupe, the super rare down under Fiat Coupe.

Rarer than a jogging koala

Designed by Chris Bangle long before he got mitts on BMW's model range the Fiat's angles, slashes and radical approach to wheel arches helped Fiat shift over 72,000 Coupes. However if what I have read is to be believed only 23 of Fiats 90's icon have made it down under and I think you should go and find one.

Divisive design 

Rarity is obviously one reason why you might want one as is the iconic exterior design, but the interior of the Coupe is also worth a mention. Designed by legendary design house Pininfarina the Coupe was certainly no rehashed Punto on the inside, with body coloured wrap around trim, clear dials and simple controls the Fiats inside looks as fresh today as it did way back in 1993.

And then there's the engine

And then there is the engine that Fiat chose to put under the bonnet, a thrumming 5 cylinder 20v turbo.Yes other engines were available during the cars 7 year production run but the one you really want is that 20v. Producing a handy 162kw the little Coupe could dispatch 0-100km/h in 6.5 seconds before romping onto 240km/h. The turbo cars also benefited from a limited slip diff to make sure the power got from those front wheels to the road with minimal wheel spin. Combine all that with independent suspension on all four corners and the Coupe makes for a rather delightful drivers car.

A rare, turbo charged coupe with looks that will divide opinion wherever you go, the Fiat makes quite a compelling case for itself. If your in the market for a 90's coupe how about spending a little more and getting yourself something truly unique, the Fiat Coupe.

Go get yourself one

A little expensive compared to a Japanese coupe of similar vintage it might be but this weeks car still won't break the bank. Privately imported this cars most likely been cherished by its previous owner, with only 64,000kms on the clock it doesn't seem like it's had a hard life either. Most importantly thought it is a 5 cylinder 20v turbo model.

1997 Fiat Coupe, $12,900


             

Car of the Week: Maserati 3200 GT

What's got a 3.2 litre V8, twin turbo's and a name so synonymous with motor sport there have literally been books written about it? You guessed it, this weeks car does and I can scarcely believe you can get one down under this cheap. I give you the Maserati 3200GT.

Italian exotica for Astra money     

So I've ventured almost into supercar territory this week and I bet your wondering, how cheap am I actually talking for some second hand Italian exotica? Well I'm saying that for the price of that new Holden Astra ($29,000) I wrote about last week, you can have a car that originally retailed for an eye watering $188,500. It is not my cheapest car of the week ever but surely you can't pass up on a bargain like this? Let's take a closer look.

GT    

The 3200 is unashamedly a grand tourer, it has GT in its name for goodness sake, which means it is the perfect motor for a big country like Australia. That 3.2 V8 up front develops 271kw and 491Nm of torque to take you from 0-100 in just 5.1 seconds and most likely Sydney all the way to Darwin in not a whole lot longer. Those twin turbo's doing there boosting thing to aid that wondrous bent eight soundtrack just as much as they do the fuel economy. Ok that last point might not be strictly true but who cares about economy when you could have a car that looks so damn good. Styled by legendary Italian design house Italdesign I challenge you to find a more classically proportioned Italian GT.

     

The negatives

Heck it even comes with 4 wonderful leather seats and a boot big enough to swallow a few overnight bags, surely there has to be a catch? Well yes, according to reviews at the time the 6 speed manual isn't up to much, so the auto is actually the one to go for, which for cross country eloping is probably best anyway.
Other negatives, be prepared for expensive servicing, but not simply because you live in Australia, being a highly strung Italian sports car the Masser's running cost are high world over, so don't let that put you off, this car would have high repair bills even in Italy.

The reality 

It comes down to the fact that if your willing to buy a Maserati your likely to be prepared for what it's going to cost you to run. The bonus of this weeks car though is that even if your prepared to spend a pretty penny on an iconic Italian marque this one won't cost you a lot, maybe now's the time to take the plunge and buy your dream car?

Go get yourself one

It's blue, its got gun metal grey wheels, its Italian and its absolutely gorgeous. Other than saying it has current rego the advert doesn't give a lot away, but we can presume given the cars rarity that it's been well maintained. It has 130,000km's which I actually like, shows its been used however it is a less desirable manual. One things for sure though, the owner wants it gone so go get yourself a bargain.
   
2000 Maserati 3200 GT, $29,000


Picture credits: Australiancar.reviews

Car of the week: Lancia Beta Coupe

Unlike previous weeks the reasoning behind today's car is a little different. I'm not going to advocate buying this car if you want headache free European motoring, instead I'm saying that if you want to be different and don't mind Italain themed problem solving then maybe this is the car for you. This weeks car is the gorgeous Lancia Beta Coupe, a car that I thought I would never see down under.

Who would buy one?

Now choosing to buy a Lancia outside of Italy takes a very special sort of person, someone who really does dare to be different, but the fact that someone in 1975 in Australia woke up one day and thought, yes a Beta Coupe is what I need in my life is quite extraordinary. I don't know the official figures so please correct me if I'm wrong but I doubt there are more than a few dozen Beta Coupes still surviving down under. Yes the wonderful Italian styling might be a reason why some found homes, but why someone would choose such a flawed car to tackle Australia in is quite baffling.

Surprisingly advanced 

Anyway reasoning aside I'm pleased some of Lancia's most popular exports are still out there as despite iffy reliability and chronic rust problems the Beta was quite an advanced car. Beneath the beautiful body a choice of 1.6, 1.8 or later 1.3 and 2.0 litre 4 cylinder engines could be had, these were mounted transversely powering the front wheels, unusual for a coupe of this vintage. The engines themselves were tilted backwards slightly too, this moved the centre of gravity back and improved traction to those front wheels, a very clever way to improve the Beta's handling. On top of this the Beta Coupe featured fully independent suspension with a rear end that utilised MacPherson struts and trick anti roll bars. A fine piece of engineering that assured the Beta Coupe handled like an Italian sports car should, even if it only made do with 88kw of pulling power.

Puff of blue smoke probably accepted with Beta ownershop

The negatives   

Lets face the facts though, cleverly engineered it might have been but well built? Not so much. And now some 40 years later things will have likely deteriorated. There is no point ignoring the fact it will need some work to keep it going, but there are clubs out there who can help with that. The other good news is that most surviving cars will be owned by someone who cherishes it or at least had good intentions for it, which brings me on to the car I've picked this week thanks to carsales.com.au.

Now go get yourself one

An almost completed 1975 Beta Coupe project for a very reasonable $6,500. The advert goes into a lot of detail on the work already carried out and the seller comes across as very honest, so I wouldn't doubt this car in the metal is exactly how it's described in the add. Obviously there is no rego and some more money does need to be spent but this Beta could make a very desirable classic, not to mention a potential investment opportunity. Best act quick though, if the seller has no interest by the 24th April it's going back into the garage!


1975 Lancia Beta Coupe, $6,500

Photo credit: Photopin.com, tony-harrison.co.uk