In the ’80s, European manufacturers began to experiment with performance models of their city cars. Power from forced induction was a favourite ploy, but during the ’90s some European manufacturers continued work with natural aspiration. Here, we cover four noteworthy small performers (two turbocharged, two normally aspirated) from the early ’80s to the late 1990s, all available in New Zealand, though none were big sellers.

Citroën AX GT and GTi

In 1986 Citroën released the new AX, a very efficient small car, built very light and with a very smooth body (Cd of 0.31), though the styling of both interior and exterior showed little of the flair expected from a Citroën. The first AX hot hatch, the limited run AX Sport, was released in April 1987, paving the way for the slower but more refined AX GT, released in late 1987.

The GT’s 1360cc four cylinder produced 63kW (85bhp) and combined with its light weight (722kg) and a quick, if a bit imprecise, gearbox with close ratios, progress was easy and entertaining. The steering was light and direct, and reserves of grip were high despite the skinny tyres. A five-door version of the GT came out late in 1989, slightly heavier, and down a little in performance. Both three- and five-door models were sold in NZ, from late 1989 through until early 1993.

The AX GTi came out as part of the revised AX range in late 1991. The new version was more strongly built, with revised styling and noticeable changes to the interior included stronger materials and soundproofing adding to the air of extra solidity. There were also changes to the suspension and brakes. The weight jumped by roughly 100kg, and to counter this the engine in the GTi now featured fuel injection and a higher compression ratio, raising power to 75kW (100bhp). However, what with the weight gain the extra power meant little, and straight-line performance was similar to the old AX GT, though the handling was further improved. Imports of the GTi to NZ were limited.

MG Metro Turbo

Only a year into the MG Metro’s production run in 1983, the high performance Metro Turbo was introduced. The engineering development of the sporting model was partially handled by Lotus. The powerplant was an evolution of the old A-Series design, and retained carburetion rather than fuel injection.

The 1275cc engine had changes made to the crankshaft (reverting to Cooper S specification), pistons and sodium filled exhaust valves to help it survive the application of the Garrett T3 turbo, though that had a specially designed boost control system which regulated boost to assist power delivery, fuel economy and above all (though MG would likely not admit it) reliability. The boost was regulated to four psi low in the rev range, and increased to seven psi higher in the rev range, with a neat Lotus-developed system which helped minimise turbo lag and made for smooth operation. It also lessened sudden loadings to the weak four-speed gearbox (a standard A-series four-speed sump-mounted ’box with relatively long ratios), but even with the boost control failures were common.

Upgrades over the normal Metro included four-piston disc brakes at the front and uprated suspension, including a rear anti-roll bar. These helped to ensure that the Metro Turbo stopped and cornered well enough to match its turn of speed.

Contemporary road tests praised the solid brakes, the useful turn of speed and competent handling. However, while a fairly entertaining drive it faced strong competition from contemporary rivals.

This, combined with reliability issues and often poor build quality, meant the Metro Turbo was never a particularly strong seller. It was available in NZ from late 1986 to late 1988, selling in small numbers only.

Fiat Uno Turbo

In 1985 Fiat decided to try its hand at a hot super-mini and released the Uno Turbo. The boxy yet aerodynamically efficient body, with a low Cd of 0.34, sported the now obligatory ‘Turbo’ decals along with a lower air dam, rear hatch spoiler and 13-inch alloy wheels. Mechanically, the engine was a purpose-built unit that utilised all the latest technology in the form of electronic ignition (including a knock sensor), Bosch fuel injection, and an intercooler. Power was 78kW (105bhp) with strong torque — which meant the stronger gearbox from the Strada was needed for the job, as the normal Uno gearbox was not up to it. In an attempt to quell inevitable torque steer, Fiat used equal length driveshafts.

The Uno Turbo was a real rocket, charging to 96.5kph (60mph) in nine seconds and able to touch nearly 200kph flat out.

The brakes were not really up to the performance, nor was the chassis, despite slightly sharper but heavy steering and the addition of an anti-roll bar at the rear. It was nose heavy, encouraging understeer, and suffered from excessive body roll. Though not as lively a handler as its rivals, the Fiat was still a very fast, fun drive but worked much better in a straight line — it was a point-and-squirt device. Still, it was quite a successful model for Fiat, combining strong performance with a relatively affordable entry price (at least in Europe!).

In 1990 the Uno range was face-lifted and, as well as styling changes, the Uno Turbo received a revised motor, with capacity bumped up to 1372cc (thanks to use of the new Tipo 1.4 block) as well as changes to the fuel injection system, boosting power to 88kW (118bhp). Even faster now, the Uno Turbo dropped its 0-96.5kph time to 8.3 seconds and could now crack the 200kph mark flat out. Changes to the brakes helped pull up the Uno better as well, even if the drum rears were still retained.

NZ had the Uno Turbo briefly available in 1986, and in greater quantity from mid-1990, when the 1372cc facelift model was introduced, then in limited numbers through to late 1993.

Peugeot 106

The Peugeot 106 was built on the Citroën AX platform, and introduced in 1991. The XSi model used the same 1360cc engine as the Citroën AX GTi, in a slightly lower state of tune at 71kW (95bhp).

The 106 XSi was heavier than the Citroëns at 890kg (approx), but was little slower and would run 10 seconds to 100kph and top out at 190kph (118mph). The handling of the 106 XSi was very good, with road testers often ranking it at the top of its class.

In late 1993, the iconic 106 Rallye was released, so named to reflect the homologation requirements to enter the 0-1400cc rally class. The Rallye was developed from the XSi, with equipment levels pared right down until it weighed only 825kg. It shared the body styling of the XSi, without the front fog lights, but it also featured widened wheel arches and Peugeot Sport insignia. The motor used in the 106 Rallye was a combination of the older cylinder block from the 205 Rallye and the new cylinder head from the 106 XSi, both modified for the purpose. It displaced 1294cc and was fitted with EFI, producing 75kW (100bhp) at 7200rpm (with the redline at 7400rpm). The suspension was very similar to the XSi, the main difference being thicker anti-roll bars and uprated front suspension arms, but the springs, shock absorbers, ventilated front discs and rear drum brakes were retained from the XSi.

The 106 Rallye was a completely different animal to the XSi, raw, thrashy and pure driving excitement, further improving on the already good handling of the XSi.

In 1995 the 1360cc motor in the XSi was replaced with a new 78kW (105bhp), 1587cc sohc injected motor, and it was now 0.5 seconds quicker to 100kph at 9.5 seconds, with a top speed of 195kph.

This model was not on sale for very long, as in 1996 it was phased out with the 1996 facelift of the 106.

The facelift (often referred to as the ‘phase 2’ or S2) included a mild restyle of the 106, and offered more equipment for each spec level.

The XSi was replaced by the car that Peugeot enthusiasts had been waiting five years for, the reincarnation of the GTi nameplate on a small Peugeot, the 106 GTi.

The 106 GTi sat low on 14-inch alloy wheels and used a variant of the 1587cc engine introduced in the XSi, with an all-new 16-valve twin cam head that helped the GTi make a strong 89kW (120bhp).

The handling of the GTi was superb, grippy and ultimately controllable with lots of steering feel and responsiveness. These qualities, along with the strong engine, solid build quality and reliability are what caused the 106 GTi to be often referred to as a contender for the title for the best hot hatch of all time. The GTi was as much fun as the Rallye at ten-tenths, but retained the fun factor in normal spirited driving while remaining totally useable as an everyday car with all the amenities that the Rallye lacked.

The Rallye was revised also, being based this time on the GTi. It also used a derivative of the 1587cc engine, but it used a simpler single cam eight-valve unit similar to the late XSi, producing 77kW (103bhp). Externally the Rallye was similar to the GTi, though it lost the front fog lights of the GTi for some air intakes, and the rear spoiler was no longer there.

NZ availability of the 106 performance models began with the XSi 1.4 in late 1993, with a one-year run, with the XSi 1.6 replacing it, through to mid-1996. The GTi came in from July 1997 but only for about a year before imports were discontinued, while Rallye models were either special or personal imports — there are a few around, including a few further competition-ready clubsport variants.

Buying Tips

With less well-known European makes like the ones mentioned in this article it is always essential to find a specialist workshop with marque experience, to check them out pre-purchase and for regular maintenance.

Citroën AX

The revised AX, from 1991 onwards, fixed the main complaints of indifferent build quality and lack of overall refinement made about the original cars, but in doing so lost some of its peppy performance and great fuel economy. Though there are not many around, the AX GTi is arguably a more sensible buy, with better build quality and refinement, while still retaining good performance, and is regarded as a more fun car to drive. Still, consider an AX GT as they are a very entertaining car and slightly more common. The AXs are built down to a weight and, simply put, they do tend to fall apart, and interior trim and some electrics can be very flimsy. The body panels were made of thin metal in as many areas as possible to save weight and they dent and mark easily. Later cars are noticeably better though. Mechanically, they are relatively simple, but cars that have been well maintained are always a better choice.

MG Metro Turbo

The MG Metro Turbo was a typical ’80s British car, never assembled particularly well. However, near the end of its run Metro quality did improve. It was still not perfect but an improvement over the earlier cars. Since NZ only got the very last MG Metros it is likely they are at least some of the better ones. The best things about the MG Metro are its oddball nature among hot hatches, and they are likely to have been owned by MG or British car enthusiasts who have cared well for them. If you find one for sale it is always essential to get it checked over by an expert regardless.

Fiat Uno Turbo

The Uno Turbo has developed a following worldwide for being a tuneable little package; this has even extended to NZ, though we would recommend restricting your search to unmodified examples. Replacement parts are quite hard to get and/or expensive in NZ. Parts that are not unique to the Uno Turbo are easier to find, as there were a reasonably large number of Unos on the road in NZ in the late ’80s and earl ’90s. The Uno Turbo falls prey to the Italian car rust issue, especially around the wheel arches and sills. The facelifted cars were better, but rust can still plague them. Electrical difficulties can be a problem, as this model Uno is well equipped with electrical devices that can fail, but always check the earthing — it’s sometimes an easy fix. Fiat specialists are definitely the place to go for servicing needs.

Peugeot 106

The 106 in all its forms is a solid buy, probably the most sensible choice of the cars covered here, as they are the most reliable and well put together and arguably, are dynamically the best in this size bracket. As long as the 106 has a decent, known service history and has been well maintained it will likely be a nice, reliable, useable car. As with most cars, Peugeot has got the quality control sorted in the later models, and early niggles and faults have been rectified. Low kilometres are usually better, but don’t necessarily shy away from a car with higher kays if it has good history.

The XSi models are the most common and the cheapest and still offer a fun, warm hatch drive. The Rallye is perhaps the most rewarding 106 to drive fast, and while it lacks the refinement of the other 106s it could still be used also as a daily driver if you are somewhat of a masochist. However, being a special model they are very unusual and often fetch more than a 106 GTi, which many consider the best buy of the 106s, with all the speed and handling of the Rallye in a more usable package. You are also more likely to find one for sale, and it may even be cheaper than a Rallye.

Specifications

Citroën AX GT and GTi

Production: 1987-’91, 1991-1995
Engine: AX GT: 1360cc four-cylinder 8v sohc twin-choke carb, 63kW (85bhp). AX GTi 1360cc four-cylinder 8v sohc EFI, 75kW (100bhp)
Performance: AX GT 0-96kph (0-60mph) in 9.5 seconds, top speed 175kph (108mph). AX GTi 0-96kph (0-60mph) in 9.3 seconds, top speed 183kph (114mph)

MG Metro Turbo

Production: 1983-1990, 21,968
Engine: 1275cc four-cylinder pushrod ohv single carb turbo, 69kW (93bhp)
Performance: 0-96kph (0-60mph) in 10 seconds. Top speed 175kph (110mph)

Fiat Uno Turbo

Production: 1985-89/1989-’94
Engine: 1300cc four-cylinder 8v sohc EFI turbo, 78kW (105bhp) then 1372cc 8v sohc EFI turbo, 88kW (118bhp)
Performance: 0-96kph (0-60mph) in 8.3-9 seconds. Top speed 193-203kph (120-126mph)

Peugeot 106 XSi, Rallye and GTi

Production: 1991-’96, 1996-2003
Engine: 1294/1360/1587cc four cylinder sohc/dohc, 72-90kW (95-120bhp)
Performance: 0-96kph (0-60mph) in 10-7.4 seconds. Top speed 190-204kph (118-127mph)

Words: Phillip and David Cass

This article is from Classic Car issue 222. Click here to check it out.

Tim travels to Akaroa for a visit with former rally driver who has a penchant for the Fiat marque

Akaroa sits on the edge of an ancient volcanic crater on the Banks Peninsula in the South Island. It also sits on the outer rim of French culture. In colonial times, French settlers heading for New Zealand thought they were about to settle in a new French colony. However, while at sea (to cut a long story short) the English beat them to it, signing over land to the British Empire. The French immigrants arriving at a new British colony simply shrugged their shoulders, and got to work creating a little slice of France out on the peninsula.

So, here I was in 2008, finding myself driving a German Beetle to a French settlement to see some Italian cars!

Leaving Christchurch in a bright red VW Beetle convertible, I passed briefly through Lyttleton where I spied a collectable old Maserati and rare old Isuzu Bellett coupe being unloaded at the wharf — hopefully bound for local classic car collectors.

On I wound through the Banks Peninsula hills until I arrived at the French flavoured Duvauchelle Hotel, now known as New Zealand’s oldest standing pub.

Not only did I sink an inviting cold drink at Duvauchelle, but I was amused in a Jungian sense to be met by the sight of a bright red VW Beetle model staring back at me over the counter. Talk about synchronicity!

Tricky Dicky

With the colour red obviously flavour of the hour, my arrival in Akaroa itself was met by a very tempting bright red D-series Citroën for sale on the side of the road before I headed to the Fiat collection of former rally driver Dave Dixson.

‘Tricky Dicky’ Dixson — as he was known in his younger days — is a one-time Heatway Rally driver who used to campaign a very hot Fiat 125 saloon back in the early ’70s.

Dixson had arrived in New Zealand during 1967, after roaring around England as a bit of a mod on a Lambretta 150 scooter. He emigrated as an engineer and went to work as a toolmaker for General Motors at Lower Hutt. Before too long, the young Dave Dixson was modifying a Ford Cortina and turning out for the Hutt Valley Car Club, where he would eventually earn the Tricky Dicky moniker due to his ability in car trials. Later, he would earn life membership of the club.

Those early car trials were forerunners of both our international rally and domestic rally scene.

Following his Cortina period, Dixson put himself behind the wheel of a Fiat 125 saloon and, according to him, this is when the Italian Fiat marque became engrained upon his soul.

“I loved that old Fiat,” Dixson reminisced when I got him talking over a glass of wine.

“We raced and raced it but no matter how hard we drove it, we just couldn’t kill it!”

Top victories for Tricky Dicky’s crew in the Fiat 125 included winning the Hawkes Bay Blossom Trial and the Zylis Trial (sponsored by Zylis Kitchen products) which began at midnight in Taihape. In those days, some of Dixson’s stiffest competition came from none other than future Escort rally ace, Blair Robson, who was trial eventing in a big MkIV Ford Zodiac, and John Gladhill in his once well known Triumph 2000 MkI.

Straight Cut ’Box

Following the 125, Dixson’s team moved into a potent 1800cc Fiat station wagon, modified specially for rallying with a straight-cut gearbox, and entered one of the early Heatway International rallies.

“I loved trialling and rallying back in those days,” Tricky Dicky said, “It was all good fun, but probably the biggest coup de grace for my crew — that is me, Rod Norris and Andrew McKay — was winning that Blossom Festival trial, because we headed off some major opposition. Although we were ourselves by then one of the most formidable trial teams in the Wellington area, John Gladhill being our toughest local opponent to beat. As for that Taihape trial we arrived just in time to enter, almost right on midnight, and were car 102 entered — and we won it!”
Dave obviously looks back on those wild younger days with a sense of nostalgic pleasure.

These days he and his wife, Gabrielle, lead a slightly more sedate life as proprietors of the Akaroa harbour-side Criterion Motel, where I was preparing to rest my Beetle-meandering body for the night — but not before seeing the Dixsons’ Fiat playthings!

Long in his blood now, Fiats still flow freely through the Dixson’s veins and at present three Italian classics reside at the Akaroa abode. There’s a 1972 Fiat 124 Sports coupe, a 1982 Fiat X1/9 sports car and — here’s where it gets tricky, even for Tricky Dicky — a non-Fiat, Bertone-badged 1989 X1/9.

I thought I was going to be viewing three Fiats and believed that to be so, even when the whole triumvirate was right under my nose, until Dave leant forward and quizzed me.
“Do you notice anything different about the two X/19s?”

Well, the later one has different bumpers and a changed interior — then Dave pointed to the badges on the 1989 version and said, “There isn’t a single Fiat badge or mention of Fiat anywhere on this one. It’s simply a Bertone, named after the designer, of course.”

Country Drive

While Dave remained on duty at the front desk of the Criterion Motel, I was encouraged to drive the two different era X1/9s through the Akaroa hills, Gabrielle taking her Bertone version while I slipped behind the wheel of the earlier model.

Years ago, when NZCC was a black and white magazine on thin paper, I drove my first X1/9 at Whakatane — a car owned by media and radio personality, Matt Mollgard. My early impression back then had been of a car that drove and acted like a good Formula Ford race car, with the engine tucked in behind the driver and revving freely, while the driver sat low to the ground.

That impression did not need any updating when I sat low in Dave’s X1/9 and fired up the rorty engine. In fact, as I took off out of Akaroa and started climbing into the hills, the free revving, punchy little sports car came into its own. Despite its now advancing years, the little Fiat was nimble, responsive, and above all fun. It cornered well and was eager to scramble and pull through the uphill curves. I could tell by the exhaust note and feel of the engine that Dave Dixson had applied a few old tricks to the car, something he later confirmed when we compared notes on the two Bertone-penned sports cars.

High up on the edge of the Banks Peninsula volcanic rim, it was time for a quick photo shoot in the early evening light before swapping cars with Gabrielle, this time finding myself racing downhill in the 1989 Bertone X/19.

I immediately liked the deeper red of the later car and its better interior finish, but there was little to suggest that the two were much different. In fact, this seemed to be true when I drove away in the Bertone. It revved just as responsively as the Fiat version but felt overall a smoother, quieter and more refined car. This could be due to its relative youth, or the fact that Gabrielle’s Bertone has been kept as a country road cruiser and not received any of Dave Dixson’s fettling. Badging apart, however, there really wasn’t a great deal of discernable difference between the Fiat and the Bertone noted on a short country jaunt.

Bertone Studio Show Cars

The X1/9 Fiat/Bertone cars started life as show cars from the Bertone studio, with the design aspects lead by project manager, Marcello Gandini. Although a mid-engined sports car, the X1/9 was based around the Fiat 128 saloon’s sohc engine unit, altered to sit behind the seats.

Released to the general public in 1972, the Fiat X1/9 sold well right through until late in 1982 when, for some reason, the car’s production was totally devolved to Bertone, and from then on Fiat badges were no longer to be seen on the cars.

Bertone had already been involved with the X/19, not just at the design stage but, during Fiat’s production of the car, the monococque bodies had been made at Bertone’s Turin factory before being transported over to the Fiat factory at Lingotto for the engine, final assembly and production.

To Dave Dixson and to many others, just why Fiat turned full production of the X1/9 over to Bertone in 1982 is a bit of a mystery, something that has added to the little sports car’s mystique through the ensuing years.

Being an all-out Fiat fan Dave Dixson prefers the Fiat badge on his little Italian wedge, but he also very proud of his more recent purchase, a 1608cc 1972 Fiat 124 coupe.

Dave has always wanted an example of this model, and found his twin-cam gem in Paraparaumu, not too far from his old Wellington stamping ground. Time did not allow me to go off for a drive in Dave’s 124, but I did spend time admiring its finish and condition.

Despite the rare joy for Dixson of owning both badge versions of the X1/9, the newcomer in this Fiat man’s life has certainly put the icing on his slice of Turin cake.

“I’ve always wanted one of these,” Dave said of the 124 coupe, “I’m glad that I can help preserve one. Alongside the other cars it’s good to have. My aim for all of them, in fact, is to preserve them, as I think that the Fiat marque will be still be strong in the future, particularly with the release of the new Bambina.”

Dave told me that he reads NZ Classic Car religiously every month and was therefore pleased to send me off to bed in one of the motel’s best rooms with a lake view — but I had to take reading material. After signing in at the Criterion and enjoying a hilly drive in the X1/9 pair, I was sent off to my room with a pile of Fiat bibles and manuals. Before my road-reddened eyes grew too weary, I noticed that one of the old black and white books had pictures of several Fiat models in it that I have never heard of.

As I sunk into sleep, in the distance I could hear a morepork calling across the bay while, somewhere downstairs, a fresh rag was polishing a red Fiat.

Words and Photos: Tim Chadwick

This article is from Classic Car issue 222. Click here to check it out.

June 2007 marked the Fiat Bambina’s 50th anniversary. Todd Niall discusses the history of this iconic micro-car, and outlines his book — Bambina: The Fiat 500 in New Zealand

The 500, with its twin cylinder air-cooled engine, became the most successful of the post-Second World War mini-cars which flourished briefly across Europe. Ironically, a design which has become something of a icon in Italy had some of its origins in Germany.

France, Germany, Italy and England were all exploring cheap and simple micro-cars as Europe rebuilt itself during the 1950s. Fiat’s Italian moves to replace the ageing (1930s) Topolino had been scuttled in the war when a prototype was destroyed in bombing.

Fiat’s Dante Giacosa had masterminded the 600, which was launched in 1955, but while successful, this car was still out of reach for many Italians. However, ideas were flowing from Fiat’s German subsidiary NSU-Fiat, in Heilbronn, and one prototype built in Germany and sent to Turin was for a compact and simple two-seater with a two-stroke engine directly over the rear wheels. It is a design which Giacosa has acknowledged as influencing the eventual 500.

In July 1957, 120 of the new Nuova 500s were paraded around Fiat’s home city of Turin. Its eventual success and cult status were slow coming, with the early models deemed too Spartan, and the in 9.6kW (13hp) 479cc engine underpowered. Fiat moved quickly though, bringing through variants with more power from 11kW engines, opening quarter-lights and other creature comforts. The introduction of the 500D model in 1960 hit most of the right spots, and sales began to climb.

Iconic charmer

Charming and iconic though the 500 had become, by 1972 its ’50s design was just a little too passe. Fiat kept a bob each way, bringing in the more modern-looking 126 using a similar platform, while continuing a domestic version of the 500, the 500R. The R used the new 594cc version of the 500 engine, and kept the model alive until 1975.

Fiat itself hit a financial and sales crisis in the early part of the new century, and its decision to launch a ‘new’ 500 later this year looks set to follow the path taken by VW and Mini to try to revive the buzz of their past achievements. The new 500 will, of course, be an entirely new and modern car, but one that recaptures the styling cues of its famous predecessor.

The Fiat 500 in NZ

New Zealand was the car market furthest removed from its birthplace in Turin, northern Italy. On top of that claim to fame, the often strange world of ’60s New Zealand saw the Italian icon lead a life its creators would never have imagined.

Nuova 500s arrived officially in New Zealand — almost two years to the day following the model’s Italian launch — when the freighter Sumbawa tied up at Auckland’s wharves. Until then, it had been the 600 and the teardrop-shaped people mover, the Multipla, which had sustained the three distributors which carved the local market up between them.

The drive to boost the number and variety of cars in local assembly led to the first Fiat 500Ds rolling out of the VW Motors plant in Auckland’s Otahuhu at the end of 1960.

The 500D was the cheapest car on the local market, and in contrast to the market-leading British Mini, was generally available off the showroom floor with no waiting, and no preference to stump up some of the price in overseas currency.

Cheapness was a powerful argument in trying to squeeze more import licences out of the Government, and eventually the 500 was being built at the rate of 800 a year. That was after the slightly underhanded acquisition of the Fiat franchise by Torino Motors’ Noel Turner (who jointly owned the VW Motors plant), who saw the Fiat 500 take on a pioneering role in the evolution of the regulations which bound up every aspect of the New Zealand motor industry.

This article is from Classic Car issue 195. Click here to check it out.

Turner and Italian diplomats had lobbied hard for the granting of the import licences they needed to initially build 300 of the baby Fiats a year. The fact that the cars were less of a burden on New Zealand overseas currency reserves helped, as did the calculation which found the 500 had the highest level of New Zealand content of any car.

Stylish newcomer

Local content meant jobs and business for component suppliers, and was a vital criterion in the granting of import licences. For the Fiat 500, the fact it reached a local content level approaching 50 per cent would be waved around for years as a goal that other manufacturers should be achieving.

Starved of cars, New Zealanders quickly took to the stylish newcomer. Women especially fancied it — partly because they didn’t face a wait of months or years for a Mini.

This was trend spotted by Torino Motors, which provided  the car as part of the prize package in the Miss New Zealand beauty pageant. Thus 1966 saw Aucklander Heather Gettings become the first title winner to receive a car. A Bambina was given as a beauty pageant prize for three years, and the model was used extensively in the nationwide promotion of the pageant, with dealers assembling convoys of cars to carry parades of contestants through the main streets.

Torino Motors also entered an all-women team in the 1965 Wills Six Hour production saloon car race at Pukekohe. The Wills was one of the prestige race events, and was for cars in showroom trim. The women’s team of Margaret Hough and Evelyn Hadfield was supported by an all-women crew of refuellers, mechanics and supporters. Like the men who ran a 500 in the previous two years, the women finished last — but they finished, retaining the 500’s 100 per cent reliability record.

The Fiat 500 in New Zealand

A major Kiwi claim to fame is the name ‘Bambina.’ The 500 was given that name in New Zealand during 1965 with the introduction of the upgraded 500F model. Rob Elliot, the managing director of Torino Motors, decided it should be sold as a Fiat Bambina. The name stuck, and has since become one of the most widely recognised in the local market — it has been applied generically to all Fiat 500s, even earlier models sold before the name was devised. Bambina has joined Mini and Beetle as one of those instantly recognisable car brands.

A Fiat 500 was even sent to Scott Base in 1964 for use by New Zealand’s scientific team in the Antarctic. It was used as transport between New Zealand’s Scott Base and the US base at McMurdo Sound, but its narrow tyres made it unsuitable and it was flown back to New Zealand, cleaned and sold as a second-hand car.

More than 5000 of the 500s made it to New Zealand, but today fewer than 400 are registered on our roads as its global cult status and high value saw hundreds of ‘our’ cars being shipped to Japan and the US during the ’90s.

The lifespan of the 500 in New Zealand followed a similar trend to that in Europe, although the reasons were different. A devaluation of the New Zealand dollar in the ’60s, the punitive 45 per cent import tariff on European cars, and finally the arrival of modern and well-equipped Japanese micros from Suzuki, Honda and Daihatsu saw local production end in 1969.

Torino Motors wanted to do something more profitable with the import licence, and it brought the 850 Sport Coupe onto the market in its place. Fully built-up models continued for several years, including the ultimate right hand drive evolution — the 500L.

One of those cars remains in my hands — a 1968 Bambina which I bought as a first car more than 30 years ago, and it is still a regular commuter on Auckland’s Northwestern motorway.

Fifty years on, the design which Italy recognised in 1959 with its Compasso d’Oro is still winning hearts. Almost every component on the car, especially its F model, is still being made to this day — classic motoring was never easier.

Words & Photos Todd Niall

There’s a tendency to think of Fiat as a manufacturer of bread-and-butter vehicles in the family and commercial markets, but looking back over the years, it showed a sure touch in producing classic sports cars and coupes, in most cases derived from family saloons, but in every case rewarding owners with a very pleasurable driving experience. This month we review a short selection of Fiat’s classic coupes, ranging from the 1960s into the 1990s.

Fiat 850 Coupe or Sport Coupe

First up is the 850 coupe, based on the 850 saloon and introduced in March 1965. The body styling was done in house by Fiat, with the Boano father and son team the creative brains behind the design. It was a 2+2 coupe, and featured a tuned version of the 850 engine, giving around 35kW (47bhp), which was enough for lively performance as the car was light, and geared well to make the most of the power. The top speed was just short of 145kph (90mph), though the little engine was revving pretty fast at that speed, and the car handled well with eager turn-in and a slight tendency to oversteer. It sold like hot cakes, as indeed did its stablemate the Bertone-styled 850 Spider, which had a slightly more powerful engine. It was available in New Zealand from 1965 to 1968, imported in cbu form, and competitively priced at $2200 to 2700.

In March 1968, the coupe was updated with the introduction of a 903cc version. Power went up to 39kW (52bhp) and the styling was changed very slightly to incorporate a neat little spoiler at the rear, probably too small to do anything useful to the airflow but quite visually distinctive. Two extra headlamps were built into the front, partially sunk into the front panel. This model was assembled in New Zealand from 1969 to 1972, and sold rather well, priced at around the $2900-3000 mark. The extra power lifted top speed by about eight to 13kph and improved acceleration, and the car was also a little more economical. It was now called the 850 Sport Coupe.

The coupe and spider between them sold around 467,000 units, with the coupe scoring 342,873 of those sales, pretty good for only six years production from 1965 to 1971, while the spider remained in production till 1973.

Fiat 124 Sport Coupe

On to the late ’60s with the 124 Sport Coupe, introduced in March 1967. It caused a minor sensation on introduction with its clean and elegant styling — again done in house by Fiat’s own body styling team — and crisp performance from the 1438cc twin-cam engine. Road tests revealed that the coupe handled very well on the road and had very nearly full four-seater accommodation, plus a decent boot. It was not a light car, so acceleration and top speed figures were down compared to the Alfa Romeo opposition, but they were quite competitive with the MGB GT.

Late in 1969, the coupe was updated with styling changes and now used the 1608cc engine from the 125 saloon, though the 1438cc motor was available as an option. Performance was improved at no cost to economy, but opinions were divided about the styling changes, as the new full width grille and twin headlamp set-up lost some of the simplicity of the first design, though it was still a neat and tidy one. A little of the handling finesse was lost as well, with slightly softer suspension settings and a change in rear axle location contributing to this.

Late in 1972, the engine was changed again, this time to the 1756cc motor from the 132 saloon, though as before a smaller engine option was available, this time the 1592cc version of the 132 engine. Power was up again, to 88kW (118bhp), but with increased weight, performance and economy were little changed, though the handling got better again. The facelift styling changes to the front of the car were to most onlookers a retrograde step. Production ceased in late 1975, by which time nearly 280,000 had been built, and Fiat shifted its sales strategy to promoting the sister 124 Spider.

All the models were imported cbu into New Zealand from 1967 to 1975, with the earlier series cars available in more limited numbers.

Fiat X1/9 (and 128 Coupe)

With the mainstream Fiat brand seeming to turn its attention in the ’70s and ’80s to daily transport vehicles, coupes figured rather less in the company’s plans, but it maintained a presence in the coupe market through both the front-wheel drive 128 coupe and its derivative the 128 3P, which continued to sell well through the ’70s, and the mid-engined X1/9, introduced in 1972.
The 128 coupe was a nice little car, but is very rare over here, so for this article we’ll concentrate on the X1/9, which with its removable roof served quite well as a two-seater coupe, though it was really a replacement for the 850 Spider. It sold well from late 1972 right through to 1989, initially with the 1290cc motor and from late 1978 with a 1500cc 63kW (85bhp) engine and five-speed gearbox from the Strada series. From 1982, Bertone took over the building duties on the car.

Rare in NZ, the earlier models with the 1300 engine have less sparkle to their performance than the later 1500s, but many owners like them better than the later cars. The 1500s with the five-speed gearbox came in from late 1978, with a $16,500 price tag, and the price rose through the ’80s up to $45k, and then back down into the thirties for the final few years, sold as Bertones. Last imports were brought in in early 1990.

This is one of those cars where ‘fun to drive’ outweighs high performance as the reason for purchase. They were heavy cars for the 56 or 63kW (75/85bhp) engines to cope with, but with good handling, were nonetheless quick to drive from A to B.

Coupe Fiat

Fiat worked hard to produce a new coupe for the ’90s. Known variously as the Coupe Fiat (officially) or Fiat Coupe, design work began in 1989, and it was introduced in 1993/4 with a four cylinder 1.8 or 2.0-litre 16 valve engine, available with or without turbocharger, putting power through a five-speed gearbox to the front wheels. Fiat had the handling very well sorted, and the stylish body, featuring slanting ‘cuts’ by the wheels, was designed by Chris Bangle from the Centro Fiat Stile, with the interior worked up by Pininfarina.

In 1996, a five cylinder 20-valve engine was introduced, and the turbo version of the new coupe was at that time one of the fastest fwd cars around, able to do 0-100kph in just over six seconds. In 1999 a Turbo Plus version was introduced, along with a six-speed gearbox. Production ceased in 2000, with over 72,000 produced. Limited numbers only of the 2.0-litre 16V and 20V models, with or without turbo, were brought into NZ, starting from August 1995 through to 1999. They were priced at around $60-70,000 dependent on the model.

Buying Notes

Fiat 850 Coupes

The main enemy alas has been rust, throughout the body, and these neat little coupes are now a rare sight.  Mechanical checks must include a good check of the cooling system: in good shape, it will do the job, but neglected systems are marginal in warm weather conditions, and overheating will cause head gasket and cylinder head problems. These little engines are designed to rev freely, but will probably start showing wear and tear every 100,000km, with increased oil consumption a good clue. They are not the quietest or most oil-tight of engines either! Rebuilds are not too difficult a task, with parts available at a price. Transmissions last fairly well, though they can get noisy, and second gear synchro will eventually wear out.

Fiat 124 Coupes

Rust the big bugbear again. There are still a few nice ones around though. Mechanically these are once again not too bad, with the engines fairly reliable and parts still available for service and (probably expensive) rebuild. All engines seem to be fairly durable, and likewise the transmissions, though the synchro will wear with age. Once again there is the caveat about the cooling system — it needs to be kept in good shape, and oil leaks around the cylinder head are not a good sign.

Fiat X1/9

These conform to Fiat pattern — watch out for body rust, almost everywhere! Oddly, it seems to be worse in later cars than earlier ones. Regular cam belt changes are important with this engine — cylinder head damage can follow if this is neglected. Once again, check out the cooling system, even more important in this mid-engined car to keep the radiator unclogged, put in fresh coolant at regular intervals, and make sure the fan is doing its job. Gearboxes wear out second and third gear synchros, and some cars jump out of reverse. Electrical problems are usually traceable to bad earths, and once sorted, may not be too much of an issue. Engine upgrades are feasible, to later model engines with more power

Fiat Coupe 1990s

Though some owners have had decent runs, reliability surveys generally don’t paint this car in a good light, but closer reading points more to lots of smaller stuff going wrong, rather than major mechanical issues, though there are some alarming stories of gearbox problems. Regular servicing is essential. The timing belt and tensioner job is expensive on these cars — especially the five cylinder — but must not be neglected. Plastic fittings of all sorts, both underbonnet and in the body, do not seem to last the distance. The coupe is both low at the front, and does not have a good turning circle, so scuffs on the front wings and underside are often found, plus kerbing damage on the wheels.

Specifications

Fiat 850 Coupe/ 850 Sport Coupe
Built: 1965-’68/1968-’71, both models 342,873
Engine: 843/903cc four cyl, ohv, 35/39kW (47/52bhp)
Bodies: Fastback coupe
Performance: Top sp 140/147-153kph (87/91-95mph), 0-96.6kph (60mph) 18.2/15.6 secs
NZ Prices: $1K-4K, dependent on condition/distance travelled

Fiat 124 Sport Coupe/ Coupe 1600/
Sport Coupe 1800
Built: 1967-’75, all models 279,672
Engine: 1438/1608/1756cc four cyl, dohc, 67/82/88kW (90/110/118bhp)
Bodies: 4 str coupe
Performance: Top sp 169/175/172kph (105/109/107mph), 0-96.6kph 12.6/10.7/10.5 secs
NZ Prices: $1K-5K

Fiat X1/9 1300/1500/Bertone
Built: 1972-’78’/78-’82/’82-’89, production figures uncertain, perhaps Fiat 150,000, Bertone 30-50,000
Engine: 1290/1498cc four cyl, sohc, 56/63kW (75/85bhp)
Bodies: 2 str spider, with removable coupe top
Performance: Top sp 161/174kph (100/108mph), 0-96.6km/h 13.3/12.4 secs
NZ Prices: 1K -5K

Fiat Coupe or Coupe Fiat
Built: 1993-2000, production 72,762
Engine: 1747/1995cc four cyl/1998cc five cyl, dohc, 96-162kW (128-217bhp) dependent on state of tune, turbo or not etc
Bodies: 2+2 str coupe
Performance: Top sp 205-250kph (127-155mph), 0-100kph 9.2-6.3 secs
NZ Prices: $4-10K

Words: David Cass

This month we’re focussing on ‘young people’ and their classics — and, first up, we’d like to ¨introduce 19-year-old polytechnic student, Scott Lowe, and his nicely fettled Fiat 124 coupe

Scott hails from Rotorua and is a good mate of Paul Lyons — you can check out Paul’s Ford Capri elsewhere in this issue.

When we caught up with both these lads in Rotorua it was clearly obvious that classic cars played a huge part in their lives and, as they’re students, it was also apparent they had both poured every cent they earned — plus every ounce of heart and soul — into creating their own very individual styles of car.

Scott is certainly no stranger to anything to do with classic cars, as his father, Mike Lowe, is definitely not unfamiliar to our readers as a regular Targa competitor in his Fiat Abarth — Mike’s Lamborghini Espada also appeared in last year’s NZCC yearbook.

Italian Classic

Given his father’s passion for Italian classics, it’s perhaps not surprising that Scott also has strong feelings for Italy’s motoring classics — and in particular for the Fiat 124 coupe. In Scott’s opinion, these stylish coupes are truly fun and competent driving cars that look fantastic when left in original form. ¨They are akin to other Italian high performance cars, responding best to mild changes rather than radical street machine-type modifications.

As Fiats are somewhat alien to me, Scott was able fill me in on some details of the Fiat 124, a car that was produced in Italy from 1967 in three models, the AC, BC, and CC.

The 124 was introduced in spectacular style by being dropped by parachute from a plane, and instantly won critical acclaim for its spacious interior, advanced coil spring rear suspension, disc brakes and lightweight construction; it was a worthy recipient of that year’s European Car of the Year award.

The AC model began production 1967 and was equipped with a 1438cc twin-cam engine designed by ex-Ferrari engineer, Aurelio Lampredi, a five-speed ’box and torque tube driveline. It also featured a rear sway bar, 120mph (193kph) speedometer and sporty dash-mounted warning gauges. The interior boasted a fake wood-rim steering wheel with stainless spokes and a wood-grain dash and console top. The taillights were courtesy of the Lamborghini Espada, providing a contemporary rear design feature. For their time, the Fiat 124 sport coupes were quite modern in terms of chassis and engine design, with fine tolerances not unlike today’s engines and good braking thanks to four 229mm disc brakes. Other stand-out features included sealed cooling systems, ‘thermatic’ fans and toothed timing belts.

Throughout the production cycle, AC 124 coupes were continually improved. Changes included an open tail-shaft, wider rear wheel bearings, and the rear sway bar was dropped in favour of the BC-style Panhard rod rear suspension.

The BC (as our feature car) heralded a new look with a nicely restyled twin headlight front and different taillights, although they were again shared with a Lamborghini, this time the Jarama. The BC was available with both the 1438cc and later the 1608cc engines. Other details remained similar to the AC except the interior dash now housed a 140mph (220kph) speedometer and 9000rpm tachometer, while 1608cc models received a clock that was added to the new look ancillary gauges to match. The ‘wood’ steering wheel now had black painted spokes, and the seats featured cloth inserts. The wood grain inside was now history, and the BC gained more functional ‘eyeball’ vents in the centre console. The options list for the BC included green tinted windows, Cromodora alloy wheels with chromed centre caps, a radio, and seat head-rests.

The CC coupe was launched in 1973. Revised features included a subtly restyled grille and front section, revised squarer-looking rear tail section and deeper boot-lid, new vertically styled non-Lambo taillights and revised, larger side rear windows.

The CC began production offering the 1608cc engine, soon changing to a revised 1592cc engine before using an enlarged 84mm bore engine boasting 1756cc in 1974 and ’75. The 1592cc and 1756cc both used a single Weber 34 DMSA carburettor and, in spite of this change, the 1756cc was the most powerful standard engine, being capable of producing 88kW (118bhp) for an estimated top speed of 185kph.

The interior also received a make-over, this time with a newly restyled dashboard incorporating a lower panel on the passenger side, an alloy fascia panel in front of the driver with revised gauges and cloth-covered seats, while additional plastic was incorporated into the smaller items compared to the previous models. There was also a new non wood-grain steering wheel as well as revised, and safer, seatbelts. The optional, but not uncommon, Cromodora wheels lost their chromed centre caps, exposing the wheel nuts.

Scott’s 124

As I said earlier in this story, Scott is no stranger to classic cars. His first memories go back to when he was about two years old, when he would watch and help, as much as a two-year-old can anyway, his father working on Super Karts. He even remembers ruining his father’s chances of winning the National Super Kart Championships in Surfers’ Paradise back in 1993 when he accidentally dropped a small three or four centimetre bolt down the kart’s exhaust. After qualifying sixth out of 64 karts, his father was progressing well in fourth position during one of the final races when suddenly the engine didn’t like the bolt any more, and let go. Attributing the engine failure to “That’s motor racing,” Scott’s father, Mike, stripped the engine down in the bathroom of his hotel room and discovered the rogue bolt when it fell out. Mike made a call to Scott’s mother, and asked Scott to go into the garage a get a bolt. Scott was keen to do as his mother asked and returned with an identical bolt to the one his father was holding in his hands. After putting two and two together, Mike had a fair idea what must have happened.

When Scott turns 21 he is expecting a 1993-dated invoice for about $2080 and a cracked piston for his birthday. I don’t think some of us would wish to remember such things, but it just proves how different circumstances and events lead us to become interested in classic cars.

Scott remembers moving to New Zealand with his family in 1993, and he also recalls 1995 — the year the first Targa event kicked off in New Zealand, and when his father began building his now well known 1964 Fiat Abarth Berlina.

As Scott got older he enjoyed helping Mike work on the car, cleaning parts and, as Scott put it, “Doing mainly grease monkey stuff.” In 2003 Mike started building a Fiat 124 race car, and decided to look for a parts car. Thanks to a good friend, Phil Sutton, a suitable car was located in Wellington and brought back to Rotorua. After giving it a thorough going over Mike and Scott came to the conclusion that it was too good to wreck. Scott said, “I’ll have it,” and Mike agreed it would make an ideal father/son project. For Mike, this was a case of dejà vu — his first car had also been a Fiat 124 BC, spookily, in the exact same colour!

Bad News

Unfortunately, after the car made a trip to Central Panelbeaters in September 2003, its proprietor, Mark Lysaght, discovered that 30-odd years of weather had taken its toll on the 124 and, after poking a few holes through the car in various places with a screwdriver, he determined that the coupe was in need of some serious attention.

Undeterred, Scott spent most of his spare time, weekends, holidays and after school time helping Mark with whatever he could on the car — learning to grind, weld and properly prepare panels as he went. That’s of course when he wasn’t working at the local CD/DVD store to earn money to put towards the car.

Scott enjoyed this process immensely, but learned about classic car restoration the hard way as the estimated nine-month body restoration took over four years — it would not be until December 2007 that the painted body shell arrived at father’s workshop ready for re-assembly. Fortunately, the car was in good shape mechanically — the standard 1598cc twin-cam engine had been bored out to 1800cc and, along with the complete drivetrain, had remained in place during the body restoration, which meant the car was completely drivable when Scott got it back. It was originally painted in the same blue colour as you see it here, and when it came time to make a decision to choose a colour, Scott’s father made an offer he couldn’t refuse — “If you paint it the same colour, I’ll pay for it. Any other colour, you can pay for it.”

Scott’s not a daft — and he loves his blue Fiat 124.

Daily Driver

Bit by bit, night by night, the car slowly started to take shape, and in January 2008 it was ready for the road.

Now Scott uses the car as his daily driver, whilst continuing to add final touches — including a fully certified roll bar, and a set of 40mm Dell’orto side-draught carburettors, with manifold, which he received from his father as a Christmas present last year.

Other modifications include a slightly warmer PBS2 inlet camshaft, Fiat 132 electronic distributor and Abarth coil pack (Mike’s spare) and a factory 124 sump guard, all thanks to good friend and Mike’s co-driver, Phil Sutton. Scott has also fitted custom four-into-one extractors (off his dad’s old 124 race car), a brake master cylinder heat shield, Gabriel gas shocks and 51mm lowering springs. The car runs standard Fiat disc brakes all round.

Scott discovered a set of wheels in the back of his father’s shed, and although he has no idea what they belong to, he decided to clean them up and fit them to the car. They look as if they were originally intended for the 124.

The interior has been modified slightly to include Recaro high-back seats and inertia seat belts for safety and club sport activity, something Scott thoroughly enjoys.

Since 1993, at the age of just 13 years old, Scott has been involved with motor sport, helping out Greg Paul who runs Rally Tours (www.rallytours.co.nz), an exclusive spectator tour of each day of the World Rally Championship round in NZ. Scott has progressed through the ranks, and in 2007 was promoted to lead vehicle with Alan Brown. That task involves leaving before the tour, setting up parking bays and being a lot more official. With that role Scott gets his own official’s badge, enabling him to go anywhere at any time. Scott has held this position since then.

Scott has also enjoyed many track days Taupo in his Fiat, as well as competing in hill climb events with the Rotorua Car Club, and reckons it’s such great fun to drive the coupe at such events. His future plan is to perhaps buy a cheaper ‘runaround’ as his daily driver, reserving the Fiat for weekend use only.

Naturally, when undertaking any project of this type, there are always plenty of skilful people behind the scenes — and in this case, Scott would like to take this opportunity to thank his father; Phil Sutton; and Ian Savage and Dave Bang from Autoplus, Rotorua, for their expertise in fitting the Dell’ortos, extractors and distributor. He’d also like to say a big thanks to panel-beater and good friend Mark

Lysaght, for a brilliant job of making this Fiat 124 such an eye-catching classic.

I’d say that Scott has well and truly got the classic car bug, and if he continues in his father’s footsteps, there’ll no doubt be a lot more in store for him in the future.

1957 saw the launch of Fiat’s iconic 500 Bambina —we caught up with fans of the old and new 500

The original Fiat 500 or Cinquecento (Italian for ‘500’) as it was known across Europe, is an icon that for many is the ultimate expression of simplicity in design and function.

Designed by Dante Giacosa to cater for the growing number of Italians who in the late ’50s were trading in their Vespas for vehicles with more wheels and greater passenger carrying capabilities, it was launched as the Nuova 500 in 1957 and carried on from where its predecessor, the Topolino, left off in providing cheap transportation for the masses. The difference with the 500, as compared to the Topolino, was in the design — which stands now as one of the most iconic car shapes ever.

Reviving a Legend

Exactly 50 years after the release of the original 500, Fiat launched the new 500 — which borrows more than a few styling clues from the original. It has brought new buyers to the Fiat fold (possibly lured away from the Mini) and continued the passion for those who loved the original.

Giovanni Nustrini is one such enthusiast, and his passion for the little 500 has played a starring role in his life and that of his family.

Giovanni is the proud owner of this lovely 1973 Fiat 500 F-model which has been in his possession since 2002. Far from being the first 500 Giovanni has owned, this yellow Bambina is one in a succession of such cars that leads back to his childhood when his father owned one, but it wasn’t until 1982 that Giovanni first got to have a 500 to himself.

The Nustrini family ownership of various Fiat 500s over the years is a tale in itself, with Giovanni and his siblings engaging in hand-me-downs and purchases of Bambinas for a very long time.

Even now there are a few still floating around in the family, as Giovanni’s sister also has a 500 that she uses regularly.

Conception and Revision

With the little Fiat attracting such a vast following it comes as no surprise that for many, the 500 was seen more as a part of the family than a mere conveyance. As such, the 500 was known by several different names around the world — which included Bambina, a name originally coined by the New Zealand Fiat distributors in New Zealand. Oddly enough, in Australia the masculine form ‘bambino’ was used. The Cinquecento label — as used in Italy — spread through the rest of Europe and stuck in the UK, where it is still known as such.

The original Nuova 500 was the first model available in 1957, and featured a 479cc engine which produced a heady 9.7kW (13bhp). It had a full-length folding roof that went all the way to the back of the vehicle in addition to rear-hinged suicide doors. Initial sales of the Nuova were sluggish, so Fiat upped the power of the two-cylinder unit to 11kW (15bhp), which helped start the little 500 on its way to global success.

Replacing the Nuova in 1960 was the ‘D’ model of the 500, which looked much like the Nuova but differed in engine size (499cc), with 12.6kW (17bhp) as standard, and in the opening roof design which didn’t retract as far as the Nuova’s

The ‘F’ model, which was produced between 1965 and 1972, was sold alongside the D (in 1965), and differed only in that it did not feature the trademark suicide doors of the D. It went on to become the staple of the range.

Giovanni’s 500 is an F-model, one of around 5000 that were produced in New Zealand.

A more luxurious model, the ‘L’ (Lusso) of 1968, was sold above the F and while being mechanically similar, the L had a much more modern interior than the minimalist F.

A variant of the 500 which proved to be long-lived (1960-1977) was the ‘K’ or Giardiniera, a station wagon version of the 500 which featured the engine laid on its side to create a flat loading surface. It was the only model to continuously feature the suicide doors. The Giardiniera is a much sort after model and one which Giovanni would love to add to his stable.

The final version of the 500 before the 126 replaced it was the ‘R’ or Rinnovata, which came standard with a larger 594cc engine producing 17kW (23bhp).

The Bambina in New Zealand

NZ production of the Bambina took place at Turner’s VW factory in Otahuhu, which is where Giovanni’s yellow F-model was born.

The early part of this car’s life is not exactly known, but what is certain is that while not being a show-star, this 500 is one of the cleanest original cars in New Zealand. Until recently the Bambina had been sitting in the foyer of Giovanni’s aviation business (www.falcomposite.com) as a static piece of art but, with the recent rise in petrol prices Giovanni pressed the car back into service to help ease commuting costs. The incredible part of this story though is that after four years of standing still, the 500 burst into life first turn of the key.

The engineering of the Bambina is a real surprise in that there is a functionality and purpose to all parts of the car that is almost Germanic in its logic. The air-cooled two-cylinder engine is said to be incredibly reliable and, as evidenced by hot Abarth versions, eminently tuneable.

Also having the engine behind the rear axle line (à la the VW Beetle) helps handling — which I can attest to after some hard cornering with Giovanni at the wheel.

An unusual feature on the original 500 is a small lever that is connected to the accelerator and acts as a basic cruise control. Just what Fiat had in mind for the lever is open to speculation, but what it was almost certainly used for at some time probably involved the roof being open, driver and passengers sitting on the roof and feet being used to steer the car. That is if we had to guess about its use.

Comparison

In isolation, the newer car looks petite and crisp, a worthy successor to the styling ideas that Giacosa gave the world. Next to the original, however, the new 500 looks decidedly bloated, especially at the rear end.

Side by side, the difference in size between the two Fiats is patently obviously — with the newer 500 dwarfing the old. The disparity in size is almost cartoon-like, with the newer car looking like the older one comically filled to bursting point with helium.

Strangely, the old 500 has more ground clearance than the new, but this is the only respect in which the original can boast any dimensional advantage over the new 500. The original is such a pure design with very little ornamentation and such petite proportions (the front tyres are 135/70R12s) that it is very appealing in a ‘less is more’ way. The Bambina is so different to the new 500, which is packed with multiple airbags and a Bluetooth connection, that I genuinely prefer the original over the reincarnation.

The Modern View

Our featured new Fiat 500, owned by Mary Patterson — Giovanni’s partner — is the perfect complement to their original yellow ‘F’ model. Mary’s car is the 1.3 JTD diesel model and was one of the first in New Zealand. Originally Giovanni wanted the super popular white with iconic Italian tri-stripe, but worldwide demand for that particular colour combination meant a long wait, which didn’t suit Giovanni who, after seeing the new 500 on a trip to Italy, had to have one on his return to New Zealand.

The red car was subsequently acquired and has provided Mary and Giovanni with the perfect counterpoint to the old 500.

It seems likely that the desire within Fiat to capture a segment of the nouveau pastiche-pie must surely have stemmed from the success of the reborn Mini, which has been a sales hit throughout the world for BMW.

Given the historic importance of the 500 to Fiat (and the sales precedent set by the Mini) it would have been bad news had the designers made a mess of the new 500, but walking round it you really can see that it has the old 500’s design DNA. The lights at the front, the little ‘moustache’ on the nose (Giovanni’s original F-model came without one), the waistline crease below the windows are all trademarks of the original. Despite being front-engined (the original 500 has the engine in the back), even the rear looks similar to the original.
Of course, it is nowhere near as petite as the original and does look a bit portly from the rear but the original lines are still there, however distended.

The new 500s are all about style and the interior is a key point in this respect. It is really very classy and looks great, but just like the original Cinquecento the driving position for a tall driver is not that accommodating. The seating position is quite high, and the steering wheel is adjustable for rake, but not reach. ¨That’s where the problem starts as the 500 has enough legroom for tall people, but this comes at the expense of having to adopt a gorilla-like driving position.

I couldn’t get comfortable in the new Fiat, but in the older, smaller F-model it was not as difficult to find a comfortable position. Strange that at 192cm I’m too tall for the new 500 but the old Fiat was fine.

Just like the original there is something that attracts you to the new 500. It really does have a lot of character. This appeal is attributable to the original styling, but the new 500 is a little bit more than just a modern take on the Giacosa idea.

The interior atmosphere is first-rate with the materials used on the seats, dash and steering wheel giving a quality feel and making the inside of the 500 a nice place to be.

The centre console plastics look a bit shiny, but the functions for the heater/radio are easy to use and the circular design is very chic and makes the older car look incredibly Spartan in comparison.

The driving experience, like the looks of the car, is unique and requires a different driving style.

Much like the older car with its non-synchromesh gearbox, the new 500 has a slightly vague throw, but this is part of the experience, as it allows you an exaggerated arm gesture every time you change gear, if you are so inclined.

As with the original 500, back-roads are what the new car enjoys and are where you can have some fun. The suspension has a tendency to ‘pogo’ a little over bumps and along uneven roads, which can be annoying on the motorway, but on back-roads it adds to the excitement and adventure. The new Fiat is a bouncy, buoyant character that has fun when you have fun.

The Passion

When asked about what attracted him to the Bambina, Giovanni’s answer is immediate: “Simplicity”. It’s hard to argue with this idea when everything from the early model suicide doors to the hand operated window washer add up to make the original a triumph of both form and function.

Dante Giacosa’s idea for a simple yet beautiful design hit its mark 50 years ago, and the fact the new 500 is being so warmly received now by enthusiasts like Giovanni and Mary is proof of that original appeal.

1973 Fiat 500 – Specifications

Engine:    ¨Air cooled, rear mounted two-cylinder
Capacity:    499.5cc
Bore/stroke:    67.4x70mm
C/R:    7.1:1
Max power:    16.4kW (22bp) at 4400rpm
Transmission:    Four-speed manual
Steering:    Worm and roller
Suspension:    ¨F: independent by wishbones and leaf spring, telescopic shock absorbers¨R: independent by trailing arms, coil springs and telescopic shock absorbers
Brakes:    Drum/ drum
Wheels:    125×12-inch

Dimensions:

Wheelbase:    1840mm
Length:    2970mm
Width:    1320mm
Height:    1325mm
Track F/R:    1121/1135mm
Kerb weight:    520kg

Performance:

Max speed:    95kph
Economy:    5.5l/100km

2008 Fiat 500 1.3JTD – Specifications

Engine:    ¨Front-mounted, four-cylinder diesel
Capacity:    1248cccc
Bore/stroke:    69.6x82mm
C/R:    17.6:1
Max power:    56kW (75bhp) at 4000rpm
Transmission:    Five-speed manual
Steering:    Dualdrive electronic
Suspension:    ¨F: independent by MacPherson struts¨R: torsion beam
Brakes:    Disc/drum
Wheels:    14-inch

Dimensions:

Wheelbase:    2300mm
Length:    3546mm
Width:    1627mm
Height:    1488mm
Track F/R:    1414/1408mm
Kerb weight:    980kg

Performance:

Max speed:    175kph
Economy:    4.2l/100km

Words: Ben Dillon Photos: Adam Croy

There is something about the way Italians do things which is rather indefinable, but fires admiration in all of us

Just listening to Italians talk, in their own language or someone else’s, prompts a quiet private smile — and car manufacturers the world over use Italian-sounding names for their motor cars to give the product a certain brio.

Brio is an Italian word which in many ways sums up their culture, temperament and designs. Italians are spontaneous, artistic, stylish and apparently carefree, and they are damn good engineers too — you just have to drive along autostradas which tunnel ingeniously through mountains and span deep ravines on beautifully-designed bridges to appreciate they aren’t engineering lightweights.

You have to drive in Italy to understand why Italians design their cars the way they do — they drive their cars, rather than conducting them or using them like an appliance. They actually concentrate on what they are doing. Italian manufacturers must supply a vehicle which responds to that. But it’s their free spirit which endears Italian car designs to us. It is so free that sometimes practical details and reliability get lost in all the brio, but those who love Italian cars quite rightly put that down to character!

The link

It’s a rare car enthusiast who doesn’t secretly dream of owning a Ferrari. Enzo Ferrari insisted he made road cars simply to finance his high-level racing activities. The road cars reflected their racing lineage by being fast and capable, but their price ensured they’d remain the preserve of those who had arrived, rather than those that were getting there.

When the Scuderia went through a lean patch in the mid ’50s, worried Italian motor sport authorities suggested Gianni Lancia should hand his racers over to Ferrari. Lancia had the basis of a great Grand Prix car in his V8 Lancia D50 — but financial problems which precluded racing.

The president of FIAT was persuaded that the prestige of Italy was at stake, and Fiat should contribute. That ‘contribution’ not only resulted in a successful couple of seasons for the Lancia Ferrari D50. It was meant to last five years, but resulted in FIAT eventually taking a controlling interest in Ferrari in the late ’60s. Despite, or maybe because of, its brilliant technical solutions, Lancia continued to founder financially and it, too was swallowed up by FIAT in 1969.

Ferrari 308GTB

Motor racing definitely improves the breed. Major innovations developed through racing usually find their way into production cars — for practical reasons, or simply marketing kudos. At the end of the ’50s, Ferrari’s run of Grand Prix success was halted by the Cooper team, which had adopted the mid-engine layout. Ferrari has tended to be a follower of fashion rather than an innovator, both in racing and production cars. But its first foray with a mid-engined car resulted in a Grand Prix world championship in 1961, and a similar result in 1964.

Famous for its fabulous but expensive front-engined V12 cars, Ferrari decided to go for volume and launched its first production mid-engined car, the Dino 246GT, in 1967.

It was a huge success, and gorgeous too. However, Ferrari saw his competitors achieving higher volumes with 2+2 seating layouts — and thus developed the 2+2 Dino 308GT4, which was announced in 1973.

Designed by Bertone, the 2+2 car was indeed more practical, yet the styling didn’t quite capture the market’s imagination.

But the Pininfarina-designed 308GTB made up for that on its release in 1975. Initially produced with a fibreglass body, the Pininfarina car produced the sales surge Ferrari wanted. As demand went up its body parts were increasingly tooled in steel.

Our featured 1981 all-steel-bodied car is believed to be the last sold with carburettors, rather than fuel injection. This classic shape became one of Ferrari’s all-time best sellers, and survived until 1989 when the 348 came on stream.

FIAT Bertone X1/9

The key to the genesis of the mid-engined volume car was not its ideal weight distribution, but the development of the low cost transmissions needed for bread-and-butter front-wheel-drive cars. The new transmission format was required to put an engine amidships.

BMC’s failure to capitalise on this resulted in one of motoring’s great lost causes. Renault provided the breakthrough for Lotus with its R16 engine. Had Lotus used a BMC unit in its Europa, and if Porsche hadn’t used the VW name for the VW Porsche 914, both cars would have encountered much less customer resistance. And if both manufacturers had adopted less radical styling these basically sound cars might have lead a blazing trail. As it was, FIAT was left to kick start the mass-produced mid-engined trend.

Bertone was keen to produce a budget-priced mid-engined sports car to replace the obsolete 850 Spider he was building for FIAT, and secretly produced a styling study called the Bertone Barchetta Runabout, badged Autobianchi but using a disguised FIAT 128 engine. FIAT was never totally on-side with this project, and without Bertone’s persistence it quite likely would have gone for a rear-drive convertible. However, when American regulations on convertibles looked like turning nasty, Bertone’s ‘targa top’ concept won through.

Though the chassis plates refer to it as a 128 Spyder, the car was released under a prototype name, the X1/9. Affordable mid-engined motoring was available at last — from the same group that produced Ferraris.

When new, the X1/9 was highly praised, but Italian manufacturers were in a period of rust-prone bodies, poorly constructed interiors and unreliable electrics: and the car’s 1290cc engine had a lot of weight to pull along.

A slightly more powerful 1498cc engine was offered from 1978, but in 1981 Bertone took over the X1/9 and the car gained Bertone badges to replace the FIAT ones. Bertone cars were generally better built and appointed, but Bertone didn’t have the resources to fit an engine that would do justice to the car’s potential, so the X1/9, ceased production in 1988 without having fulfilled its sporting promise.

Lancia Montecarlo

Ironically, Lancia was ideally placed to be first with a mid-engined sports car with its narrow angle V4 front-wheel driver from the 1961 Flavia and 1965 Fulvia. However, it wasn’t until years later, after the last Lancia V4, that the FIAT group’s racing needs — and its requirement for a mid-size sports car — called for the X1/20 be drawn up using FIAT’s twin-cam motor.

The Lancia Beta appeared in 1972. FIAT’s idea of what a Lancia should be, it was a respectable design at the time, though clearly not Lancia inspired.

The Beta family soon grew, but the most adventurous Beta variant was the mid-engined Montecarlo Beta, the first idea for which emerged from Pininfarina in 1970. Coded X1/8, it represented a new departure for the coachbuilder as it wasn’t based on any existing production car chassis. Intended as a Fiat 124 Spider replacement and big brother to the impending X1/9, its designation was soon changed to X1/20, and the company worked closely with Abarth to build a 3.0-litre V6 prototype.

Following 1973’s oil crisis, the X1/20 was re-engineered to accept the Beta’s engine and gearbox. Pininfarina designed and built the new car, unveiled at the 1975 Geneva Motor Show. The X1/20 had now become the Beta Montecarlo — named to mark Lancia’s third Monte Carlo Rally victory. Although the Montecarlo’s twin-cam engine derived from the Beta unit, it was the first Lancia to use a new 1995cc configuration — with the engine transversely mounted behind the seats and tuned for 89kW (120bhp). Independent suspension all round was achieved by using MacPherson struts. Oddly, Lancia didn’t use its normal dual circuit braking system, instead opting for a split circuit with servo-assistance on the fronts only — this decision later caused many problems.

The Montecarlo’s reputation was helped by the Montecarlo Turbo race car’s domination; it won the World Championship for Makes in 1979, ’80 and ’81.

Early Montecarlos were recognisable by solid sail panels behind the cabin, which restricted rear vision. Later cars had glazed buttresses. It was available in either fixed head or spider versions, the latter with a clever folding roof-panel. In 1978 the Montecarlo was suddenly suspended from production, for reasons that weren’t credibly explained. This allowed Lancia to effect much needed modifications. The suspension was retuned to take advantage of new Pirelli P6 tyres; front and rear track was increased by 10mm; and 65-series rubber necessitated a wheel change from the car’s earlier, quite distinctive alloy wheels.

The Beta name was dropped, and Lancia solved the early car’s premature front wheel lock-up by removing the brake servo and fitting slightly larger brake discs. Alas, the revised Montecarlo was dropped in 1981. The Montecarlo is believed to be the first car with a bonded-in windscreen and fibreglass bumpers, the first designed and built by Pininfarina, and its soft top system was so cleverly designed, Pininfarina patented the concept. There are 14 Montecarlos in NZ, but only one running on the North Island.

Ferrari Owners

Peter and Maree Bockett achieved their dream of travelling the world through sheer hard work, and bought their Ferrari in 1996. As Peter says; “It was always our dream to own a Ferrari, we went over to the UK to find one, and having been told the straightest vehicles are selected to have the exterior painted black, that’s what we went for. We looked at 308 GT4s, Mondials, and QVs but realised the 308 GTB suited our expectations.

Our car was British market, registered new in 1981, the last RHD steel-bodied and carburetted 308 GTB built. Its six previous owners — including the Lord Mayor of London — had only completed 25,000 miles [40,233km] in the car altogether.

We brought it back to New Zealand, gave it a bare metal strip and repaint and a full engine rebuild (preventive maintenance), rebuilt the suspension and have carried out the general maintenance and servicing. “We get a huge amount of enjoyment from the car, having taken it to the South Island three times. Never any problems, it is just a dream to drive. We have met many wonderful people via the Ferrari Owners’ Club, all with the same enthusiasm for the marque.”

Fiat Owner

Maree Nicholle is going to Sydney to follow her nursing career, and will soon have to let her beloved X1/9 go. “The story of my 1989 Fiat X1/9 Bertone is rather short. There have only been four owners, including myself, and I’ve had it for the past 12 years. I bought it in December 1993 after I fell in love with the car’s style, and just had to have it. I have never been out of Auckland with it, but it has been my everyday transport for most of this time and it has been extremely reliable, apart from the little electrical problems and regular mechanical maintenance. “It is a great car to drive and the way it looks — do I need to say more? It is absolutely gorgeous, and it always gets noticed when being driven. I love it as it has been my baby but I feel now, after two years of trying to decide, that it is time to let it go, and my circumstances mean I can no longer use it as often as I would like.

Lancia owner

Onno Le Roy caught his father’s infectious enthusiasm for Lancias when growing up in Holland and Belgium. He brought an unfinished Montecarlo over with him when he immigrated to New Zealand, followed by his father who has started the Lancia register here. The car Onno brought is not the one you see here.

“My 1978 car was imported from Hong Kong in ’87; I am the sixth owner since then. My brother Robin spotted it years ago when it was in for service at The Italian Autocentre, in Otahuhu. I immediately drove out there. The car seemed to be in reasonable condition, but had quite a few ‘alien’ parts on it. It was owned by Frank Lester of Waiuku, but it wasn’t for sale.

“In August 2002, a silver Montecarlo was offered for sale at the Lotus dealer in Auckland. I immediately rang, only to hear it had been sold three hours earlier for a price I would have paid within two seconds.

“I felt pretty down and rang Frank Lester. Two days later he rang me, having decided to sell, but first I drove to Hamilton where I bought a trailer load of spare parts from Nelson Marshall, the previous owner of the silver Montecarlo I’d missed.

“My other Montecarlo is a LHD first series with a fixed roof and solid buttresses. Dad bought it in 1990 in Germany, and I brought it to NZ in 1996. It’s still in my garage and will be restored as soon as this black Montecarlo is finished.”

My drives

Three Italian mid-engine coupes, representing three different sizes of the same concept by the same manufacturing group. We also had three levels of preparation — an unrestored daily driver (the FIAT) a part-restored car (the Lancia) and the fully restored Ferrari.

The Fiat was amazingly good considering it had never been restored; yes there were rattles, and the steering wheel leather was losing its colour slightly, but its general condition for its age was absolutely superb.
It was the same with the Lancia; rattle free and beautiful inside, with only a few minor issues to prevent it from being a perfect car.

The Fiat is tiny, and can be hustled about the road just as you like. It’s a nimble, fleet-handling package that is actually screaming out for more power. The 1500cc engine does its job, but a rorty twin-cam in the back would be easy to achieve and would sound magnificent. Tall people have to work their leg around the steering wheel to get in, but once in place it is very comfortable and snug. Everything that is full-size in the X1/9 looks outsize in the cabin, and everything that is brought down to size looks tiny.

The X1/9 is a fun little package, and particularly with this remarkably unspoiled example you don’t have to pay a premium for being different.

Montecarlo

The first surprise about the Lancia was how good the gear change is. Stu’s Trim shop did such a good job on the interior you might think you were already in the Ferrari, but the raucous sports manifold reminds you there’s a four cylinder behind you. It’s such a stylish car inside; the open roof is so completely free of buffeting that you are immediately relaxed and happy.

The great torque and gear change encourage you to make use of the car’s excellent handling, although you must keep your concentration as the brake pedal is well left and lower than the throttle — excellent for heel-and-toeing once you are familiar with the layout. The steering is light and tactile, if a little low geared, but once again this feels like a chassis that could handle much more power.

Ferrari

The Ferrari is just bliss on wheels. It offers a luxurious but understated interior, and each of the controls a tactile delight. The carburettors, superbly set-up recently by Continental Cars, provide no reason for the later car’s fuel injection, and are only noticeable by the lovely induction howl. The engine has as much torque and power as you could practically use, and the gear change is so clean that you have no hesitation about snicking up or down a gear. You don’t need to most of the time, but the noise makes you do it.

Surprisingly, like the other two Italians on test, the Ferrari rides superbly, and the whole car inspires total confidence and feels as comfortable as a supple leather driving glove.

Fiat, Lancia or Ferrari?

No matter what your budget — big or small — one of these mid-engined sports cars should fit the bill. All three are packed to the brim with Italian brio, and each one provides a rather different driving experience from their more traditional, front-engined sports car rivals. As the man once said; you pays your money and you takes your pick — we loved them all.

Tim meets a genuine Italian beauty — a Dino Spider that has been entered into the Masters’ Class for next month’s NZCC Intermarque Concours at Ellerslie.

I was sorely tempted to turn up to my appointment with a sharp black suit and sunglasses. My assignation was with a black Fiat Dino, which had been owned by someone with strong connections to the most powerful family in Italy — the Agnelli family, owners of the entire Fiat Empire and with connections to who knows what; which means you had better do what you are told and be on your best behaviour, otherwise¦?

This expensive and rare black convertible was sold new to the Treviso area in Italy, first registered in March 1970

This expensive and rare black convertible was sold new to the Treviso area in Italy, first registered in March 1970. The first owner was Prince Egon Sebastian von Furstenberg, a very famous fashion stylist of the era. He was the son of Ira Furstenberg, renowned Italian actress, and nephew of Mr Gianni Agnelli, chairman of Fiat Auto. This vehicle was believed to be his first car. Egon died in May, 2005.

The second owner was a well-known surgeon, born in 1915, again in the Treviso area of Italy. He bought the car in 1971 and sold it the same year to a friend of Gianni Agnelli (they were at the same school). In 1993, the car was sold to Mr Alexandre Alexandre, the Fiat/Alfa/Lancia agent for Treviso.

My meeting was at noon under the Harbour Bridge at Westhaven Marina, on a stormy but otherwise quiet Tuesday. Contemplating the possibility of a Mafia connection, it was with some trepidation that I noted lots of deep dark water around — not to mention concrete being poured into the nearby motorway extension.

The white box

As the black Dino pulled up, its immaculately suited driver stepped out with a white box file under his arm. I recognised this man from somewhere else. He handed me the box. My colleagues will vouch for the fact that my short-term memory would not save me in a life or death situation, and it wasn’t about to assist on this occasion either. “Tim Nevinson,” he said, “I recognised you, you were on Targa weren’t you?”

I nodded, brain rattling through the many people you meet on such an event. The sharp suit did not match up to the light casual atmosphere on Dunlop Targa 2005. Targa is like that, though — everyone in Nomex overalls with common interest, and you could just as easily be talking to a merchant banker, a plumber, managing director or storeman. I took a look inside the box file, which contained every detail you could think of with regard to the black beauty we stood alongside, all neatly typed and bound. A professional then, no question. “Yellow Fiat 125, Mark McCaughan,” he said. The synchromesh in my brain finally found a gear.

Mark was one of a large group of Fiat Waikato boys (and girls) who make up a substantial chunk of the Dunlop Targa midfield, each with a fabulous team spirit, handy with a spanner, a great Kiwi sense of humour and a passion for anything Italian — usually cars, wine and cappuccino, but I suspect other things that come in alluring curvy packages as well. Now I knew that the worst I could expect from this smart suit was a relentless dig about something I’d said in the magazine, some witty repartee, and a deep knowledge of Italian cars, in particular the ones he owns. Mark’s interest in things Italian began when his father owned a Fiat 125, and Mark followed in his footsteps, and now rallies one for fun. I was on safe ground. Relatively.

The Money

Mark had scoured the world for the nicest Dino Spider he could find, and here it was, probably the nicest in Europe, with one of the best provenances you could wish for, and complied and road registered in New Zealand. When Alexandre, the Fiat Agent in Treviso, bought the car in 1993, it was sound and straight with good mechanics, but needed a minor cosmetic restoration and an overhaul. This work was professionally completed in 1994 and the car was sold in 2005, and exported from Italy for the current owner.

The light tan leather interior couldn’t be a better match for the shiny black exterior, and Pininfarina’s detailing IS, as usual, superb

It is currently one of only three Fiat Dino 2400 Spiders in New Zealand — the only black one and the only one in the North Island. Amazingly, 11 Fiat Dinos are believed to reside in New Zealand — quite remarkable given that every Fiat Dino was built left-hand-drive, something our authorities struggle to get their heads around, and the fact that no Fiat Dinos were ever officially sold in English-speaking countries.

The coupe was roughly 165,000 lire (five per cent) more expensive than the Spider, and a Fiat dealer, at the time, could have sold you a 124 Spider, a 124 coupe and an 850 coupe for the price of one Dino. A new AC Cobra and a new E-Type both cost less than the Fiat’s weighty premium when new.

Mark said he had made a few bob as a computer and IT systems designer, and has used the comfort zone from that to set up something else he knows and cares about — it’s called Platinum Classic Car Services — searching for, purchasing and importing very specialist cars for people who want something just that little bit different. It doesn’t stop there. Mark will arrange restoration, overhaul, storage and care of specialist cars in the manner expected of someone who has the money and inclination, but not the time to get engaged in such activities. Basically a turn-key classic, when and where you want it, prepared to a standard you expect to be able to drive as you wish, with none of the heartache. Of course, you can choose to use any part of this service to suit your needs. Each car has a professional surveyor’s report on it, and whatever history is known, neatly and professional presented.

The Fixer

Mark says, “A customer of ours wanted a very specific vehicle — a Fiat Dino 2400 Spider. There were only 420 of these ever made, so our work was cut out for us!
“With the help of our partners overseas and here in New Zealand, we managed to locate two superb examples of the vehicle — one in silver, and one in black. Both were sitting in a private collection in Treviso, in Northern Italy. Our client decided he wanted the black one, so we did a full survey and report on it.”

I looked at the survey, and whilst the car looks really nice, the survey is extremely thorough and refreshingly honest. Taking a look through the white box, everything is there, from original registration papers, bills, handbook, workshop manual and history, to the survey and a road test report.

Mark goes on, “The client chose to inspect the vehicle in person. Given the value of the vehicle and the rarity of the marque, we invited New Zealand’s prime expert on Fiats to join us — Malcolm Simmonds, from Dino Enterprises in Cambridge (www.fiatparts.co.nz). The next phase was to get the vehicle back here in one piece. That was not without its issues, what with the collection of the vehicle in Italy, actual shipping arrangements, containerisation, insurance, MAF and customs. Difficult at both ends.

“To comply a vehicle on the roads here in New Zealand, regulations more suited to modern Japanese imports have to be surmounted — from seat belts to brake rotors to windscreens. This is our headache, not the customer’s. Having jumped through the hoops of finding the vehicle, shipping it, getting it here into New Zealand and getting it on-road legal, we have the great pleasure of delivering it, or of course storing it for a sunny day.”

The Pool

Mark is good mates with Mike Lowe, Phil Sutton, and Mal Simmonds. All are Dunlop Targa competitors, and owners of most of the Fiat Dinos in New Zealand, so between them they have an immense pool of knowledge, parts and expertise on these rare thoroughbreds. We have featured Mal Simmonds’ and Phil Sutton’s Bertone coupes in NZ Classic Car before, so much of the Fiat Dino story has been told in these pages (NZCC, August 1998 and October 2004). This, however, is the first time we have been lucky enough to sample Pininfarina’s curvaceous Spider version, a totally different body style to Bertone’s coupe. Pininfarina’s coachwork gives the Fiat a mini-Ferrari look, set off with the same Cromodora elektron-alloy wheels as Ferrari’s mid-engined Dino.

The Dino has a place in history, being the first production car with Magneti Marelli electronic ignition

The Spider’s hood was immaculate and very easy to raise and lower, a blessing in the conditions we had. The light tan leather interior couldn’t be a better match for the shiny black exterior, and Pininfarina’s detailing was, as usual, superb. The dashboard and much of the interior fittings were the same as the coupes, as was the wailing engine note. The Spider has a 270mm shorter wheelbase, was 373mm shorter and 240kg lighter than the coupe — but both use the same running gear which, in turn, was altered quite significantly during each car’s production life.

The early (1967-’68) 1987cc Dinos had an aluminium block, wet liners, alloy heads, dohc per bank and three twin-choke Weber DCN carburettors. The cam chains are driven, not by the nose of the crank, but from an idler driven by the crankshaft using almost square-cut gears, giving the characteristic wail quite different to most V6 engines.

Emergenza

The Dino has a place in history, being the first production car with Magneti Marelli electronic ignition (Dinoplex), a points-triggered CDI system so prone to failure that a factory emergenza button switched the system back to a conventional points ignition.

‘Ferrari’ Dino 206/246GT owners will be quite satisfied their mid-engined beauty has a genuine Ferrari power unit, and Fiat Dino owners will tell you their engine is Ferrari V6. The truth of the matter is that the engine block and head castings on the Dino V6, which powered both the Fiat and Ferrari Dino road cars, have Fiat, not Ferrari, markings, and every V6 component is listed with a Fiat part number! So, although the Fiat Dinos are normally referred to as having Ferrari engines, to be strictly accurate the ‘Ferrari’ Dino was fitted with a Fiat engine! Similarly, the wheels used by Ferrari on its Dino have Fiat part numbers!

Certainly, Ferrari distanced itself from the small mid-engined V6 sports car which never officially wore the prancing horse badge. You could say that ‘Dino’ was a marque in its own right, translated into the less attractive English vernacular meaning ‘Little Freddy’. The arrangement whereby Fiat financed the production of the V6 called for a new name, and Dino was chosen as the V6 owes its original conception to Enzo Ferrari’s son, Alfredino. Enzo and his lad had many discussions about using a V6.

Known affectionately as ‘Dino’, Little Fred died in June 1957, but not before Vittorio Jano’s 1955 V6 was named in his honour. The 1498cc Dino 196 V6 was fired up at Maranello in 1956, and placed in the Type 156 racer in 1957. The road car engine in our black convertible Fiat owes much to that original race engine, albeit after much development from Vittorio Jano, Aurelio Lampredi and Franco Rocchi.

Power games

Like many of our very favourite classic cars, this one would not have existed but for the international motor sport class rules of the period. Unlike most homologation specials, it was only the engine that needed to be built in the required numbers for Formula Two rules, not the car. However, Ferrari was quite incapable of making, let alone selling, the required number of cars with engines of the specification required by the CSI’s Formula 2.

The new ‘Dino’ family consisted of the beautiful mid-engined Dino 206, 246 and the Fiat Dino Spider and coupe

Ferrari went cap in hand to Giovanni Agnelli of Fiat — who had filtered funds through to Maranello since the ’50s. His scheme was to provide the 2.0-litre quad-cam Type 196 racing V6, Fiat would assist in the engine’s road-car development, and both companies would use the new V6 as the basis for producing their own Dino cars. The original idea was to market both Ferrari and Fiat Dinos as a separate marque — simply badged as Dino.

Ferrari followed this through, separating the Dinos from his top-shelf status symbols. Fiat, however, wanted the reflected glory of the Ferrari association, and badged its product as the Fiat Dino. The new ‘Dino’ family consisted of the beautiful mid-engined Dino 206 and 246 (now almost universally called the Ferrari Dino), and the equally stylish Fiat Dino Spider and coupe. The 246 powerplant was also later used in the Lancia Stratos.

Fiat and Ferrari had 18 months to produce the 500 V6s required for racing in F2, and it would require considerable modification for use in a volume production road car. Ferrari’s Franco Rocchi cut the rough diamond, producing a 65-degree V6 with aluminium cylinder head and block, wet-liners, twin overhead camshafts per bank and a six-throw, four-main bearing crank machined from billet steel. Capacity was 1987cc, breathing through three twin-choke Weber carburettors, and the new engine was rated at 119kW (160bhp, DIN) at 7200rpm.

Changes

Pininfarina was contracted to style and produce convertibles for the Dino, while Fiat provided a mixture of Fiat 1500 front suspension and Fiat 2300 live rear axle on semi-elliptics to suspend it. Dual shock absorbers were specified to stop the V6 power and Borg Warner LSD giving axle tramp. The Dino V6 was mated to a Fiat five-speed manual gearbox.

In November 1966, the first production Dino Spider from Fiat’s Rivalta factory appeared at the Turin Motor Show. Early Spiders can be recognised by having ‘knock-off’ wheels rather than the five-stud fixings used for coupes and later Spiders.

The biggest changes came when the Dinos were enlarged to 2.4 litres in 1969. The Maranello (1969-1972) engines were larger, at 2418cc, the block was changed to cast-iron and the triple DCNs were replaced with triple DCNF Webers. Other changes on the 2.4 Fiat Dinos included replacing the early Fiat 2300S-derived gearbox with the stronger ZF gearbox with dogleg first gear, and replacing the live rear axle of the 2.0 cars with independent rear suspension. These changes contributed to a weight increase of 110-120kg over the 2.0 cars, a 12 per cent increase in power and a 25 per cent increase in torque, making the 2.4 a much more driveable car.

Much use was now made of Fiat 124, 125 and 130 components, including new independent rear suspension. In this form the Fiat Dinos remained in production until 1972 — the coupe outlasting the Spider by five months. These later cars were known as Fiat Dino 2400, and were assembled at Maranello by Ferrari from 1969 to 1972.

Production of the 2400 Spider began with serial number 1159, and this black one is 1194, built in 1970, one of 179 built that year.

1970 Fiat Dino Spider 2400 – (Chassis #1194)

Engines: 65° V-6 cast iron block
Capacity: 2418cc
Bore/stroke: 92.5 x 60mm
C/R: 9:1
Valves: Quad-cam
Carburettors: Triple Weber 40DCNF
Max power: 140kW (188bhp SAE) at 6600rpm
Max torque: 222Nm (164lb/ft SAE) at 4600rpm    Transmission    Five-speed manual ZF, LSD
Suspension: Independent front and rear
Steering: Worm and roller
Brakes: Ventilated discs
Wheels: Cromodora cast electron
Tyres: Michelin XAS or Pirelli CN36

Dimensions

Length: 4134mm
Width: 1710mm
Height: 1270mm
Wheelbase: 2280mm
Weight: 1240kg (unladen)

Performance

Max speed: 210kph94.83mph (152.6kph)
0-100kph: 9.0secs(440ci)
Production (1969-’73): 424