The best Fiats of all time

Fiat Coupé

You only need to look at the Fiat Coupé to understand its main appeal when it went on sale in 1990 – its Pininfarina-designed body gave it the look of a mini Ferrari. Whether it's aged well is a subjective point; its Perspex headlights housings are oh so 1990s and the slashes above the wheels are just a little too try-hard, but, as sure as the sun rises, its time will come again. 

Either way, objectively, there's lots to like. The Coupé started life as a four-cylinder, but the facelift brought a 20V five-cylinder that, in turbocharged form, offered serious firepower with a 155mph top speed and 0-62mph in as little as 6.3 seconds. If anything, these numbers underrate the car's mid-range clout. Underneath the body lay Fiat Tipo underpinnings, but despite its humble origins, the Coupé had decent steering, an adjustable chassis and a limited-slip differential that did an excellent job of feeding power to Tarmac.

Fiat Panda 100hp

Momentum cars like the Fiat Panda 100hp are one of the best ways to hone your skills as a driver, rewarding those who dare to corner as quickly as the car's grip levels allow rather than mashing their right foot into the carpet and letting the motor do the rest. With a mere 100PS (74kW), the 100hp is about as 'momentum car' as you can get, with acceleration that would struggle to pull the skin off a rice pudding.

But does it matter? Absolutely not. The Panda's rorty four-cylinder twin-cam is every bit as Italian as a Ferrari V12, and the Fiat's small pan of performance keeps bubbling with enthusiasm thanks to a short-throw, six-speed low-ratio gearbox. The combination of a tall body, wide tyres and comically stiff suspension only adds to the character. With a boxy shape and five doors, the Fiat is as practical as possible for its size and price, starting from less than £2,000.

Fiat Multipla

On face value, calling the Fiat Multipa one of the best Fiats of all time seems like a bit of a stretch. To begin with, the Multipla looks like two cars that have been stitched together – by a butcher, not a surgeon – thanks to a glasshouse that bulges out from the chassis below (further research tells me the Fiat was actually shown at New York's Modern Art Gallery – what do I know, etc).

While the looks might be subjective, no one can argue with the Mulitpa's packaging.  Fiat, the master of squeezing ample space out of small dimensions, took a root-and-branch approach to designing its new MPV. A Volkswagen Golf was 300mm longer, but Fiat stretched its width, freeing up space for a third seat up front. Each of the Multipa's six seats is big enough for tall adults, and removing five transformed the Fiat into a fairly plush van. 

Fiat 500 (original)

Like the Citroen 2CV and Volkswagen Beetle before and BMC Mini after, the 1957 Fiat 500 was designed to mobilise a nation by providing cheap and reliable personal transport. But, while the Citroen 2CV could cross ploughed fields with hens’ eggs intact, the Beetle had to deal with autobahns, and the Mini was a British B road specialist, the Fiat was a city slicker with tiny dimensions that gave it scooter-like manoeuvrability, only with four seats, a roof and doors. Being Italian, it also had to look good, and to this day, we can't think of a car that nails puppy-like cuteness quite so well.

Fittingly, the 500 had the performance of an ungainly four-legged newborn. The original car puffed out a mere 13PS (10kW) from its 500cc (hence the name) air-cooled twin, but 1958 brought with it the release of the fire-breathing (alright, mildly tepid) Sport model, with 22PS (16kW) and a heady 65mph top speed.   

Fiat Dino

While the Ferrari Dino is often chastised for not being a real Ferrari, it works the other way for the Fiat Dino – it's a Fiat with a dusting of Ferrari magic. Actually, it's more of a dollop than a dusting, the Dino's engine is pure Ferrari, designed by Dino (son of Enzo) Ferrari no less, which is obvious the minute you turn the key and bask in the music of the triple-carbureted V6. While you might think Ferrari was doing Fiat a favour, it was actually the other way around – Ferrari needed to homologate its motor to go racing. Fiat provided the sales volume to do it. 

While the engine was Ferrari, the Fiat Dino's restrained lines and chiselled jaw gave it the styling of a baby Aston Martin, with space for four adults and a decent-sized boot. EV resurrections of old coupés are all the rage these days, and Fiat, if you’re listening, the Dino’s effortless style would surely make it an ideal candidate. 

Fiat X1/9

As coupés go, the Fiat X1/9 couldn't be more different to the Dino that preceded it. The X1/9 was the first small sports car with a supercar aping mid-engine layout, and its Bertone-styled wedge shape copied those found on more serious performance machines. The Italian featherweight guaranteed nimble handling, tipping the scales at less than 900kg. Power came from a 1.3- or later 1.5-litre twin-cam four-cylinder engine that produced up to 85PS (63kW) and the kind of gleeful performance you would expect of a small Italian sports car. 

It was even relatively practical despite its tiny build, with front and rear storage compartments and – thanks to its targa roof – infinite headroom. Prices start from £5,000 for a smart example, making this one of the cheapest routes to a mid-engine sports car. 

Fiat Uno Turbo

The standard Fiat Uno won European Car of the Year in 1984, thanks largely to clever packaging that made this small car surprisingly spacious. The Turbo broadened the appeal by opening up the addictive thump of a laggy turbo motor – complete with a boost pressure gauge – to its owners. With a top speed of 120mph and 0-62mph taking less than eight seconds, on paper, the Uno was on par with rivals like the 205 GTI. But in reality, it felt significantly quicker with a mid-range that could blow its French rival into the long grass. 

Unfortunately, the Uno suffered from noticeable torque steer, couldn't match the GTI's traction and had none of the playfulness of its lift-off-oversteer chassis, leaving the Italian stallion feeling one-dimensional in the face of its exalted competition. 

Fiat S76

The Fiat S76, aka "The Beast of Turin", is a familiar face around this parish, treating the Goodwood crowds to its particular brand of suck-squeeze-bang-blow combustion hedonism, courtesy of its 300PS (221kW) 28.5-litre four-cylinder engine. The Fiat didn't just rely on cubic inches, with four valves and two spark plugs per cylinder; its airship-derived motor was cutting edge for the time.  

Built to set Land Speed Records, Pietro Bordino took the S76 to a top speed of 90mph at Brooklands but, understandably, refused to go any faster. The car was later let loose at Saltburn Sands, recording a maximum speed of 132mph back when a Ford Model T barely topped 40. 

Fiat Strada 130TC Abarth

The Fiat Strada 130TC Abarth is one of the lesser-known 1980s hot hatches, its memory washed away by a sea of Volkswagen Golf GTIs, Ford XR3s and Astra GTEs, but it's worth refreshing the grey matter. The Fiat's claim to fame was its twin-carburettor 2.0-litre twin-cam four-cylinder motor, which, through a series of coughs and splutters, produced 130PS (96kW) at its frenetic redline. Character you'll struggle to find in any of the fuel-injected competition. The motor was good for a top speed of 121mph and 0-62mph in 7.9 seconds, making it comfortably faster than a GTI, and the all-independent suspension made it a tidy handler, too.

With twin headlights, polished four-spoke alloy wheels, a boot lid spoiler and heavily bolstered Recaro seats, the Fiat looked the part inside and out, so it's a shame the Italian's low sales figures (and cruddy build quality) mean it's now rare to find a good one.  

Fiat 8V 

Alfa Romeo's recent brush with onomastics – it had to change the name of its Milano SUV to Junior because the Italian government objected to it not being made in Milan – is not new. In 1952, Fiat faced a similar issue when naming its new V8 sports car, believing Ford owned the copyright to 'V8' Fiat instead christened its car the 8V. It featured a 2.0-litre V8 producing around 115PS (85kW) and sent its power to the road via an all-synchromesh four-speed gearbox. Drum brakes and all-independent suspension were also featured, and the car's passenger seat was set back to avoid interfering with the driver's elbows. 

Available in a variety of body styles, the 8V is most distinctive in its Ghia Supersonic suit, with a body inspired by the jet age, complete with headlight-capped flanks that imitated a jet intake. Just eight cars were ever made. 

Fiat S76 Goodwood photography by Tom Baigent.