Splashing out on an elegant and exotic Italian 60’s GT with a legendary twincam engine need not break the bank.
Let’s be totally honest, whether your preference lies with a simple and quirky 2CV, a stately and bold Rolls-Royce, extravagant Americana or a perfectly executed precision-tool from Porsche, we have probably all at some point in time allowed ourselves a dreamy moment filled to the brim with the many charms of an Italian coupé from the 60’s or early 70’s. My own personal favourite has always been the Alfa Romeo Montreal. But why stop there? How about a 60’s Maserati or a Colombo-engined Ferrari 250 of sorts? Or something truly rare like a Bizzarrini? Oh bummer, and then we wake up to the nuisance of real-world financial constraints. Hmmm… scratch that dream then! Or maybe not? Because what’s that entering the scene from the left? Is it a FIAT? Yes indeed, if on a budget, many of FIAT’s tasty little coupés of that era will actually give you more than just a taste of those Italian characteristics without requiring a rockstar bank account.
That last statement is made all the better by the volume of FIAT coupés available from that period – both from FIAT themselves but equally from many of the Italian carrozzeria. Granted, some of those rare carrozzeria bodied FIAT’s have well and truly joined the upper realms of the classic car collector market, but you might be surprised that it doesn’t apply to all of them.
To my mind though, the best value FIAT coupé has to currently be the 124 Sport Coupé which was manufactured from 1967 to 1975. Unlike the utterly charming – but rather small – 850 Sport Coupé, the 124 is big enough to actually qualify as a real car. While it obviously has the low roofline required by the coupé badge stuck on the back, it still manages to have a real rear seat, a boot which will easily swallow all which two people will need for an extended weekend away, a wheelbase long enough to make the car not feel like you’re sat on top of a rollerskate, oh… and a decent sized engine too.
Needless to say, the coupé is based on the floorpan and drivetrain from FIAT’s perhaps most successful saloon car – the 124 Berlina – which was introduced in 1966. With thanks to Tom Tjaarda at Pininfarina, we got the evergreen 124 Sport Spider that same year, and then in 1967, FIAT launched their coupé version which was designed in-house by Mario Boano who is no doubt better known for sculpting the stylish 1956 Ferrari 250GT Boano when Pininfarina ran out of resources.
With the excellent little Lampredi twincam engine, disc brakes on all four corners, coil springs, anti-roll bars front and rear and not least a 5-speed transmission available from only a few months into production, the FIAT 124 Sport was really quite an advanced car for its time. Understandably, it was popular in period and the coupé alone sold nearly 300.000 examples during its nine year production run spread across three different incarnations known as the AC, BC and finally the CC.
While the later models were probably hot in period as the facelifts obviously reflected the changing trends from late 60’s to mid 70’s. today it’s generally the AC – the first incarnation – which is considered the purest and prettiest design with its lower and sleeker nose, those elegant Espada sourced taillights and the woodgrain inlays for the dashboard and centre console. It’s beautifully unadorned and all the better for it.
The BC which came along in ’70 is still a clean and well-balanced design which arguably looks more masculine than the AC. The 1.4-litre twincam also grew a bit to 1.6-litres boosting power from 89hp to 108hp and with its oversquare dimensions of 80mm in both bore and stroke, it’s also the most rev-happy of the Lampredi twincams.
Then in ’73 we got the CC which – at least when compared to the two earlier versions – is rather ungainly. It’s especially the front grill treatment which looks like a half-finished prototype which was canned before it ever reached the showroom. A taller and squarer boot accompanied by broader and heavier bumpers does nothing to make up for the unfortunate front grill. I guess it still has some funky mid 70’s vibe which might appeal, but I know where I would be placing my hard-earned cash…
We always encourage our readership to send us suggestions for our Prime Finds, but sadly we don’t receive a whole lot from you. However, for this week a big thank you goes out to Steen Petersen for finding a stunning FIAT 124 Sport Coupé for us. And yes, it’s a 124 AC – thankfully.
This 60’s mini-GT is currently for sale in Uppsala just north of Stockholm in Sweden and I must confess that it looks absolutely mint! The vendor’s description backs up the pictures in explaining that both panelwork, brightwork and paintwork is in great condition with the respray dating back to 2004/2005. If it’s still this tidy 15 years later, it’s probably fair to assume that this was a high quality respray with thorough prep work being done by a professional. Even door shuts and the engine bay are super clean. The interior certainly doesn’t let the FIAT down either presenting both hugely original and in excellent condition too. Details like the original steel wheels, stainless steel hubcaps, the original door mirrors, original faux wood steering wheel and a period-correct radio all add to the picture. And then there’s that vibrant dark yellow colour! Surely this has to be the best colour available for the 124 Sport Coupé? We’ve borrowed some pictures from the advert so we can share them with you:
The vendor continues to state that everything functions as it’s intended to on the coupé and that the car is very usable and a pleasure to drive. Most impressively, the FIAT also still retains all its original keys and comes with a complete file of documentation dating all the way back to when the car was brand new. That’s always a good sign of a car that has been cared for during its entire life. It’s also freshly serviced, ready to go and clearly just waiting for a new and loving owner…
So rather than spending an obscene amount of money on a flashy Italian classic, you could treat yourself to this fabulously stylish and entertaining FIAT 124AC 1400 Sport Coupé which surprisingly will only set you back SEK 129.900. At current exchange rates that equates to a fairly modest Euro 12.700 or £11.500 – if that’s not value for money, frankly, I don’t know what is! Nonetheless, we still recommend having the car professionally inspected before any money changes hands. In case any of you are considering doing just that, here’s a link to the full advert: FIAT 124AC 1400 Sport Coupé
With our Saturday instalment of Prime Find of the Week, we’re offering our services to the classic car community, by passing on our favourite classic car for sale from the week that passed. This top-tip might help a first-time-buyer to own his first classic, or it could even be the perfect motivation for a multiple-classic-car-owner to expand his garage with something different. We’ll let us be inspired by anything from a cheap project to a stunning concours exotic, and hope that you will do the same.
Just remember – Any Classic is Better than No Classic! We obviously invite our readers to help prospective buyers with your views and maybe even experiences of any given model we feature. Further to that, if you stumble across a classic which you feel we ought to feature as Prime Find of the Week, then please send us a link to primefindoftheweek@viaretro.co.uk