:: THE RANGE
'93 - something tells us
» '94 - start of a generation
'96 - one extra cylinder
'98 - Limited Edition
'98 - sequal to Limited Edition
'00 - Y2K versions, final chapter
:: '94 - START OF A GENERATION
With the 6th generation Celica being presented on the Tokyo car show, Toyota met yet another competitor in the challenge for the coupe customers...
The Fiat Coupe made its debut on the Brussels car saloon, just before 1994 arrived on the calendar. It was very longed for by car enthousiasts, and many magazines already featured the upcoming Fiat sportscar in an issue. The come-back of fiat in segment of attractive, prestige sports coupes wasn't based on an already existing model of the Fiat range. It was a brand new car, albeit based on the Tipo platform, like the Lancia Delta. In addition, it also got the Lancia Integrale 2.0 16v engine.
Paolo Cantarella, general director of Fiat, with a pure Italian passion for cars and company management, made Fiat appear in the category where it had left some 15 years before.
Moreover, it was Pininfarina that took on the test of manufacturing the brand new Fiat, of which it also designed the interior.
Somehow, the two companies managed to combine sleek design, high performance and manufacturing by hand with a very good price and reliability.
Nevertheless, Italian electronics (although everything is branded 'BOSCH' never really were top of the charts and that's what some Coupe's suffered from, which somehow affected its reputation. Strange, as the general reliability reached very high standards.
The car also suffered from another thing that was typical for its time: a high weight. Bearing airconditioning its job was to offer an ideal compromise between comfort and a sporty feeling rather than sheer supercar performance. But with 195 stampeding horses and 290Nm torque, the 16v turbo Coupe was anything but slow. A large reserve of power, resulting in great overtaking performance.
The personality and fun that was offered by a company actually targeting a large public, at least at that time, meant a good amount of positive reactions by the public and especially loads of pleasure in a good-looking car that could also carry 4 persons.
In the end, nobody's perfect, and even the Coupe can't escape from this. It's not a car quickly put together. It's received a lot of attention by the engineers and can count on a good behaviour on the road and the circuit.
The launch colours of the Fiat Coupe were red and yellow, quickly it came also available in Metallic Blue, Metallic Green, black and white.
» Model overview
16v | 16v Plus | 16v Turbo | 16v Turbo Plus | |
Engine displacement | 1995 cm³ | 1995 cm³ | 1995 cm³ | 1995 cm³ |
Cylinders | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
Compression ratio | 10.5 : 1 | 10.5 : 1 | 8 : 1 | 8 : 1 |
Power | 102 kW 139 bhp 6.000 rpm |
102 kW 139 bhp 6.000 rpm |
140 kW 190 bhp 5.500 rpm |
140 kW 190 bhp 5.500 rpm |
Torque | 180 Nm 4.500 rpm |
180 Nm 4.500 rpm |
290 Nm 3.400 rpm |
290 Nm 3.400 rpm |
Viscodrive | no | no | yes | yes |
Turning circle | 10.3 | 10.3 | 10.3 | 10.3 |
Tyres | 195/55R15V | 205/55ZR15 | 205/55ZR15 | 205/55ZR16 |
Wheels | 15" | 15" | 15" | 16" |
Brakes | 284 mm 240 mm |
284 mm 240 mm |
284 mm 240 mm |
284 mm 240 mm |
Weight | 1.250 kg | 1.250 kg | 1.320 kg | 1.320 kg |
Topspeed | 208 | 208 | 225 | 225 |
Accelleration* 0-100 km/h** |
9.2 sec | 9.2 sec | 7.5 sec | 7.5 sec |
Airco | no | yes | no | yes |
Black leather trim | no | yes | no | yes |
* Acceleration figures measured carrying 2 people + 20 kg luggage.
** Equals 0-62 mph.