A Gamble Too Far? Revisiting FIAT's Most Controversial Car - COUPE 20V

[@fmontuori40]

One of the most distinctive and memorable cars of its time - glad FIAT were brave enough to make it.

[@gottliebdee263]

Do you mean ugly?

[@gottliebdee263]

@@ChrisPatrick-q6k The word he meant, "maybe not", the car, definitely so.

[@Luke-PlanesTrainsDogsnCars]

Greater bravery was needed for the Multipla I would say, with the interior looking like a Dalek that had fallen off a shelf....all apart from the exterior.

[@gottliebdee263]

@@Luke-PlanesTrainsDogsnCars Agree with that for sure.

[@mattc9875]

@@gottliebdee263this was the prettiest fiat ever, and guess what, it was designed by Pininfarina. Tutte le altre fanno caghèr 😂

[@misterbarrows1]

Had a yellow 20v Turbo between 2014 and 2018. It was my daily and I put over 40000 miles on it. Loved that engine. Its origins were from a diesel engine that went into some Fiat vans I believe! The power delivery, the noise. Even drove from North Yorkshire to France for a camping holiday when the kids were young. When we got down to Dover we'd averaged 37mpg which is pretty good to be fair. It was rock solid reliable too. And a specialist changed the cambelt for £350, not £1200 like Fiat did. I loved the design but the wife hated it. She clearly has no taste. Well, she did marry me😅

[@ThunderChunky101]

Oddly they sound like a BMW straight 6. Lively, raspy, distinctive.

[@fteoOpty64]

I don't think your wife have no taste. I think she prefers a SUV rather than a coupe. In your case, she married the personality of you, not so much your physical outlook. 😊

[@pereldh5741]

⁠nope, Fiat Powertrain engine

[@pereldh5741]

No, originally 1996 a petrol. 2.0 20V 5 cyl with or without turbo. Debuted in Fiat Coupe, Bravo HGT and Lancia Kappa. Later stroked to 2.4 petrol (170hp) in the Stilo Abarth. THEN later as 2.4 diesel 5cyl in said Lancia, Thesis and Alfa 156, GT, 166 etc

[@SillyPuddy2012]

You weren’t getting 37 mpg out of that, your calculations are off.

[@hanspeeters3246]

12:20 Who tf wants an italian sports car that "plays it safe"?? I want my italian sports cars to be flamboyant, and this Fiat does just that!

[@TassieLorenzo]

Do you think Fiat Chrysler will lose their way under Stellantis? You can say what you like about the quality of Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Maserati, Chrysler, Dodge, RAM and Jeep products but they are were always distinctive and bold products for the most part -- you might not buy the cars for their quality, but there were lots of other reasons to buy them. There's a worry that the conservative PSA influence will doom the ex-FCA brands IMO.

[@mattc9875]

This was a cheap sports car

[@samueldowney2806]

I have to disagree that it's ugly. It's just unconventional looking. It's looks great to me. I love it.

[@brianweekes1]

Wow that interior is absolutely stunning!!!!!

[@ThunderChunky101]

They had lovely interiors, those old Fiats. I had a Bravo and something else I forget... I remember the interiors being great! Very distinctive. Orderly and subtle. Though the electronics were... Well they were Fiat! When the right lights were on and the wrong ones were off, they looked wondeful.

[@ThunderChunky101]

Stilo! That was the other one! 😂

[@alfpetzer5812]

They also had some great leather interiors. Really nice place to be.

[@andrewthornton2562]

Always makes every drive a special occasion, unlike the Puma/Calibra/Corrado/406 coupe dashboards.

[@oliversalmons7416]

Owned a 20VT. Loved every minute. Great power for mortal folk. Handles brilliantly for your everyday person. Funnily enough, it was reliable and contrary to popular belief, easy enough to work on. Ugly? Well, that’s subjective. Compared with modern cars, it’s gorgeous

[@alfagtvjan]

I have a broom yellow Turbo Plus, and I think it looks great in that colour from all angles. The later wheels and bodykit transform the car. It wasn't actually built by Fiat - it was handbuilt by Italian coachbuilder Pininfarina, who also built Ferraris in the same factory.

[@richarddavey9547]

And Peugeot s 406 Coupe 👍

[@martinrichardhorrocks9869]

True on the build and I think Pininfarina did the car´s interior design as well but the Fiat Coupé was designed in house at Fiat Stile, led by Chris Bangle, I think?

[@alfagtvjan]

Correct. ​@@martinrichardhorrocks9869

[@AndrewVanDay]

Do you want to buy an 8 spoke wheel 'just in case '?

[@mattc9875]

Pininfarina didn’t “build” anything, he designed it

[@N13CRM]

I was staying at the hotel In Spain where the European launch took place. Woke up to see the car park full of a rainbow of glistening Fiat Coupes. A sight I will not forget any time soon….

[@julianbrown1331]

What killed the engine wasn't the engine itself, it was the engine bay. In order to perform the full service it was (according to book) a full engine out affair and at the wrong end of £1000 in early 00s money - every few years. Once that small detail became commonly aware nobody wanted one. The residual value of cars fitted with it bombed to the point they were unsaleable. Ignoring all advice I bought one of the last 20v engined cars (Marea Weekend - a wonderful stealth estate) and while I loved the car, the servicing and repair was punishing for a car worth nothing after 3 years... The engine continued in the Lancia range for some time in 2.0 turbo and 2.4 litre guise - notably in the Fiat Stilo (not the Brava/Bravo)

[@Trappygit]

I bought mine in 2004 and cambelt changes were £399 back then if you went to any of the specialists.

[@julianbrown1331]

@@Trappygit That's because they didn't remove the engine - they dropped the engine mount off the side and let the engine twist in the bay. Made the job of a belt change in-situ possible but had a tendency to destroy the beautiful welded tubular exhaust manifold (any other engine would had used a cast manifold...) The same approach is used to service the 500 with similar problems if done badly

[@rthomasbox]

Still about that now. Full service with every filter and plugs plus all belts for around £600. Had four still got one.

[@Trappygit]

@@julianbrown1331 they all have a cast manifold.

[@shaunpowell7513]

@@julianbrown1331 yes did one the engine was half out

[@bobbymcgee6149]

Still a proud owner of a 20VT+. Here in Malaysia the Coupes were the Alpha car amongst Fiat owners and were very popular. In fact, Malaysia recieved the last production batch of the 20VT+ and the car has a legendary status here. That 5pot engine never fails to bring a smile to my face, and she's still the one car where I catch myself driving without the radio on.

[@jslender]

The engine wasn't developed for the coupe (or even Fiat) though, it was a Lancia engine that was first used in the Kappa. The engine lived on in turbo form in the later Lancia Thesis and that was procuded until 2007. So the lifespan was quite a bit longer than just 5 years. Great engine though and loved it in my formerly owned moon grey 20v turbo plus.

[@robertsanders9068]

5:40 - Can't transversely mount an inline 6????? - BL landcrab & Princess with the 2227cc, now that that would be an episode of No27 I would love to see - great channel 👍👍👍

[@simonelliott5956]

I had one of the first 20v Turbos from new at the very beginning of ‘96, absolutely thrashed it to within an inch of it’s life for 65,000 miles and I had one hose burst on the car in that whole time and nothing else. The car had an inch off all round with some springs and a mild chip, it was absolutely ballistic, handled really well for what it was and I enjoyed every minute of it.

[@brianshorey]

I was visiting Scotland from the US when these things had just come out and convinced a salesperson to let me take a 20v Turbo for a test drive. I loved it! Great power and super fun to toss around. I'm an Alfa guy, and drove a GTV of the same era, and I remember the Fiat as being quicker and more fun.

[@XeniosKofteros]

The 20V lived on as a 2.4L naturally aspirated version in the Fiat Stilo (2001-2009). There was even a Michael Schumacher special edition Stilo with this engine in 2004. Also the 2.4 5 cylinder diesel that went on until 2010 in the Alfa 159, Brera, Spider was a very close relative to this. To the point were various stuff like exhaust headers and exhaust gaskets are interchangeable.

[@ianjenkins4641]

Stilo Abarth.

[@ThunderChunky101]

Wondeful pedigree.

[@GSimpsonOAM]

I have just sold my Stilo Abarth after 12 years as my everyday driver. Still going strong. The only things to fail were crank position sensor, a coil and thermostat. All easy fixes. Timing belt much easier to do on Stilo.

[@GSimpsonOAM]

I got the car cheap because it had 87 errors on the computer. It turned out all that was wrong was a loose battery clamp and a cheap battery. Fitting a new clamp and decent battery solved the problem.

[@IgorHorvat]

That engine was also in Lancia Thesis.

[@pantani9886]

When these came out, I went straight to the local Fiat Dealership to see it sitting in the showroom! It was a bright yellow colour which is what I would have had, if I had the money! Years later, I had the opportunity to buy one, but I really wanted a modern Chevrolet Camaro SS, as it was better looking and had a more powerful 6.2L V8 engine! The took the Camaro SS option, which I never regretted, and it always gave me a smile on my face! It was an amazing car, which blew everything away including an arrogant German in their Porsche! They were dithering about on the back roads, then floored it on the open road, giving me the middle finger, so I floored it, catching them virtually instantly, and flying past them into the distance which took the smile off their face, and this time showing me a shaking fist! I am glad Fiat made this car, but unfortunately most people in the UK don't like nice cars, and will do all they can to spoil your smile on your face! I had it all the time in the Camaro, and it would be worse now driving a brightly coloured fast car, while they drive a bland, boring grey SUV!!!

[@ryanmccormick2150]

There's a yellow 20v turbo rotting away next to my local Chinese takeaway...... I always feel sad for the 20v when I pick up my beef and Black bean. Great stuff as always Jack buddy 👍

[@dortkommendieclowns1474]

Save it 😢

[@Number27]

‘When I pick up my Beef and Black bean’ 😆😆😆😆😆

[@willsimm6695]

This and the closely related GTV looked out of this world at the time. They looked like exotica, closest thing to a Ferrari I had seen growing up in a depressed northern mill town.

[@Westmoreland348]

"There is no excellent beauty that hath not some strangeness in the proportion." Francis Bacon This is a quote Jeremy Clarkson also memorably used about another Italian coupe.

[@martinrichardhorrocks9869]

Fiat Coupé is not even jolie-laide, it´s entirely itself. If Gandini had signed it off, it would be considered one of his best (I´m not massively into Gandini fan, tbh!)

[@leoedward7363]

Had no idea about the flash of colour on the badges. That makes me love it even more.

[@andrewthornton2562]

One of my favourite features, rarely ever mentioned in reviews, just shows the attention to detail by the designer/details designer.

[@kimwalton2873]

I agree with you about the interior, very attractive!

[@73caddydaddy93]

I love how they made a relatively inexpensive and unremarkable on paper car feel like a priceless concept car someone got lucky to find, and that interior is a masterpiece!

[@marcelhandsome6042]

The most "DESIGN" excelled focused car in its segment in its era. Nothing matched it in creativity and progressive design terms! Superb first-rate engines as is usual for Fiat.

[@simonhodgetts6530]

Glorious cars! Why these haven’t become a highly valuable classic is beyond me. Sharp chassis, superb engines (especially the 5 cylinder 20v Turbo), and, in my view amazing styling inside and out. I drove a 20v Turbo once - acceleration through the gears was brutal - loved it. And all the design details - stunning, and a reason why I love Italian cars!

[@martinrichardhorrocks9869]

Unfortunately it is hard for anything wearing a FIAT badge to become a highly valuable classic, particularly in English-speaking zones. Which is nice for those of us who do understand.

[@andrewthornton2562]

The performance of a 20V Turbo sold me the idea of having one of these. A couple of years ago found this one just 3 miles from me.

[@sdry1688]

One of the best dashboards of the 90s

[@masskisto]

Chris Bangle was the chief designer for the project, before moving to BMW

[@chriscarbaugh3936]

And he brought that Bangle butt to BMW 😢

[@juanviera5974]

The Marchionne era, when Fiat stopped being a car manufacturer and transformed into a finance company;. everything that mattered was money... I had a fiat dealership, was in love with the brand, had a Uno D, 147 D, a Tempra 2.0, and a Marea 2.0, but all things come to an end... when Fiat launched the Palio/Siena lineup they asked the water pump provider to manufacture 1 M pumps @ 50 pounds each, and so the manufacturer put the effort and the quality behind... the next year fiat said: "ok, we didn't make 1 M cars, but this year we'll do, we promise... but we need the pump to cost 45 pounds..." so the guy reluctantly dropped the price... the next year "ok, we din't make 1 M cars, only 100 K, but this is the year, I promise! but we need the price to be 40 pounds..." The guy said to himself: "F%$k it" and he made a 40 pound water pump that run well for a couple of years... I know the guy who made the pumps, all in my hometown, and I also know how they treated their dealership network... How long did the stilo sell?; The Marea?, Tempra? how big the lineup today? The Stellantis move is purely financial, keeping the bits that sell and discarding the ones that not....

[@narvul]

What are you rambling about... you really think FIAT or any comparable car manufacturer paid anything even remotely in the neighbourhood of 50 GBP for a waterpump ever?

[@juanviera5974]

@@narvul 75 dollars in 1997 in Argentina, try not to defend those thieves, are you working for the italian crap makers?

[@wandeling127]

A Chris Bangle oddball design, but I like it!

[@ferrumignis]

As with some other Bangle designs it gets better as it ages, like a fine wine. That said I still think it's sister car, the Alfa GTV, has the edge in looks. A GTV with the Fiat engine would have been my perfect car at the time (V6 Alfa is ridiculously thirsty), but I still loved my Fiat.

[@robertkirchner7981]

Far better than his BMWs for sure.

[@TassieLorenzo]

@@robertkirchner7981 Bangle BMWs are positively attractive compared to some of the BMWs they make nowadays!

[@Vampirebear13]

Misha Charoudin just made a video with a Fiat 20V coupe too.

[@grahamsmith2022]

I really like this car,I liked them when they were current and it's aged well, it's the antithesis of all the bloated "cross over " rubbish on our roads today.

[@62Miles_SPH]

Lovely car, the Coupe. Always fancied one of the those but, sadly, couldn’t afford it. I did have a Bravo HGT, from new (which has the same floor pan), for nine years and loved it. As you say, its all about that fabulous engine - torquey, with a fabulous soundtrack. Sadly it was saddled with a rather ponderously slow and long-legged gearbox, when it really needed a much snappier one - there were some very good ones in Alfa’s of the time. The box was prone to baulking 3rd and 5th quite badly if rushed. The return spring for reverse broke, which was a known weak spot and is buried right at the centre of the box… There was no recall for it, either. Another problem with the Bravo HGT was it was the factory suspension set up was a little soft. I fitted mine with the Abarth lowering spring set which didn’t firm-up things much at all. Then I had a Koni adjustable kit fitted, which transformed things quite a lot. Body control was vastly improved, which was to be expected, but what I didn’t expect was vastly improved ride quality! I swear the kit also greatly improved overall performance though better traction. Easily outran a Mk5 Golf GTI, which surprised the hell out of me. The big problem with the 5 cylinder engine, though, is its size. The cam belt end is right up against one of the monocoque legs, so a belt change means lifting the engine up a bit - ideally, out altogether. This means a Fiat dealer charged just under £800 for a cam belt change - in 2005! Add to that a main service, and you’ll be charged around £1200 - which I was (admit I threw money at my cars in those days). No-one tells you that when you buy the car, funny enough. I think that is most probably one of the main reasons this engine was eventually discontinued. The big problem with Fiat Group at the time, as I understood it from motoring articles, was Fiat, Alfa and Lancia were essentially competing with each other, in the same price bands, and diluting overall sales potential - and the management of the Group were at a loss as to how to - er - manage that. Also, while I agree the whole Group was producing very interesting cars at the time, the output seemed a little erratic - like a huge blob of lovely coupes, all at the same time. I’m sure you, and others bothering to stay with me (thanking you, by the way), are ahead of me in thinking that the way to position and differentiate the three Group brands was obvious to anyone with two grains of common sense. Fiat Group completely missed the boat with Lancia on the 1990s - something that was staring them right in the face. At the very height of its powers, it had one of the ultimate halo cars of all time - the Integrale Evo’s I and II. They should have made Lancia the high-tech 4-wheel drive car brand of Italy. This would have been completely in keeping with the history of Lancia. Instead, the Group left that to Audi, Mitsubishi and Subaru. Alfa should always have remained the out-and-out sports car brand, aiming to be a BMW alternative. It’s taken the Group far too long to get around the that market position. Fiat should remain the ‘everyman’ brand, producing sporty small hatches like the 500 and Punto (why is there no Punto?…). Lastly, Abarth should not be a stand-alone brand. Previously, all Abarth tuned Fiats and Lancia's have always been referred to as a ‘Fiat/Lancia [insert model name] Abarth’. It just sounds right, because it is. Like the Mustang should be a FORD Mustang. That was the whole point - they are the ‘obtainable’ performance car. I fear the Fiat Group decision-making at the time was a bit too hap-hazard. Unfortunately, things are now far worse for Fiat Group. Stellantis are just a bunch of clueless accountants. When announcing the new Lancia Ypsilon hatchback racing programme, who does Stellantis get to do the press introduction? A real racing driver with true Lancia form, like Miki Biasion? No - the CEO of Stellantis thinks he should do it himself, of course! The conceit of the guy is just insulting - he’s there at the front-and-centre of any racing programme Stellantis commissions. Sorry everyone - I’ve only gone on like this because I love Italian cars so much.

[@bbl5499]

Nice comment.

[@R-Tap]

Chris Bangle's 1st piece of design madness, cool, super cool.

[@davidwilliams-lr3dz]

The coupe turbo is an absolute gem. A true joy given to those of us not put off by the servicing / reliability scare stories. Get a good one and enjoy it while you can. You won't be disappointed. I did Tresaith to Bournemouth in well under 4 hrs in a magical evening drive to meet a non existent scaffolder but I didn't care because it was so enjoyable and stress free. Go on. You know you want to ?

[@clivebrackstone1896]

BK IN 2005 I TRADED IN MY ROVER 216 GTI TWIN CAM FOR A 97 PLATE BRAVO HGT WITH THE 1ST VERSION OF THE ENGINE 147 BHP COMPAIRED TO THE LATER 154 BHP WITH VIS ( VAIRABLE TIMING) GORG CAR IN ICE BLUE AND WITH JUST 41K MILES. HAD THE BELT, PUMP AND TENSIONER DONE, WITHOUT DROPING THE ENGINE FOR 500 QUID AT A VERY BESPOKE ITALIAN SPECIALIST IN WORCESTER. WHAT A CAR. AND IN 2014 GOT A YELLOW 154 VIS COUPE

[@P.Galore]

Only the Italians and the French take chances on car design. The Italian because they are talented artists; The French because they are French.

[@paulie-Gualtieri.]

The Fiat Brava and Bravo of the 1990s were fantastic cars

[@ninjastream3596]

I had the fiat bravo diesel awesome car

[@Steve-xm7tl]

I have a white brava 1.6 amazing car

[@grahamlockley4435]

Still looks gorgeous in my eyes :) I had to seriously show restraint and not buy a Barchetta when I first saw one though.

[@rover-t]

It was a great era of Italian design! The Alfa 156, 159, Brera, Fiat Coupe and Barchetta. But the German builders had the reputation for reliability.

[@flavioc5389]

AFAIK, this car was not designed by Pininfarina. Chris Bangle was the FIAT designer back then and Pininfarina just produced the body.

[@StephenWhite55]

You are correct - Farina did only produce the body for this car - but jack didn't say that Farina designed this car. Farina's design submission for this FIAT project was later used for the Peugeot 406 Coupè (that he showed a quick 'still' photo of, at 13:39).

[@duzmano8161]

It was only coachbuilt by pinin, thus the badge. 100% bangle in house fiat designed

[@f.d.robben159]

Efficiency and emissions may have made the five-cylinder unprofitable, but the sound is also part of the driving experience. As the driver of an old Volvo five-cylinder, I can say that this sound still brings a smile to my face. Almost like the Busso V6 in my Alfa 156 did back then.

[@sailingspark9748]

Two things I have heard: the Coupe was one of the first cars Chris Bangle, of BMW fame, styled. Knowing that, you can see where he was going with the E90 and beyond. Also I have heard that when Fiat redesigned the Multipla to have more conventional styling, sales fell off. As for the video, I like 5 cylinder cars. I love the roartyness of them. I had a Volvo 850 sedan with the 5 speed, letting that engine tach made a noise that was totally at odds with that staid swede's styling. They are just fun engines!

[@markwgoldsmith]

For the sake of pedantry: pretty sure the old Austin/Morris 2200 from the seventies was a transverse inline 6, my best mate at schools Dad had one.

[@DavidFoster-g2e]

On a whim , and shortly before Covid hit , I bought a one owner and very well maintained 20VT . I loved the car. Fantastic fun to drive either tootling along or pushing on . Not the best handling car , drive a Boxster for that , chalk and cheese . Very clever limited slip diff so torque steer hardly there unless you’re really pressing on . Seats 4 and a decent sized boot. A slightly loose gear lever feel but delicious to use . A smooth as silk engine with a MAGNIFICENT sound. The radio was rarely switched on . And the car looked so different than other cars. I spent a fair bit on precautionary maintenance but the car’s bodywork was beginning to rust and living in the New Forest couldn’t use the car’s performance much ,so I reluctantly sold the car . The new owner has been in touch and I’m very pleased to say has restored the bodywork ( and no doubt some other stuff ) so my former car is in very good hands I’m pleased to say . Is the car ugly ? From some angles yes . A Pininfarina badge because he did the internal styling . I always thought the car had a rather dated look . Compare it to a Audi Quattro produced a decade or do earlier or a Fiat X19 20 +years earlier. Any 5 ( or 3 cylinder engine ) with a manual box makes a car journey special . Drove a really battered loan car 3 cylinder Polo diesel a couple of years ago and loved it . Never knew that the 20VT had a faster steering rack so I learnt something from Number 27’s video ! Must say that the 20V in the video looked in great nick. Andrew Frankel of Autocar once said he doubted the 20VT had 220 bhp. He thought it had more !

[@andrewthornton2562]

Thanks, this car is mine. Shame it rained on the journey to Jack as I'd spent much time making it look spotless.

[@trajanaugustus8783]

Had a 1998 Fiat Coupe turbo 20v ink jet metallic color. Absolute joy to run it on the autobahn here in Germany. It was slightly tuned, and the suspension had been beefed up and lowered. Also had larger special alu-rims with racing tires. Drove it for about 3 years, then traded it off for a more normal limo after son was born.

[@darrenhanley7540]

I had a 99 reg Bravo HGT 155. Lovely motor. And did two timing belts without engine out. I also often wondered why this engine only lasted a few years in production. But I think the coupe was fiats last great car. Unfortunately I never owned one though. The limited edition 230 HP looked fab.

[@Trappygit]

The LE had exactly the same power plant at 217bhp.

[@misfire33]

One of my all-time favourites and biggest dream cars--I know that's odd considering they're not all that expensive or rare, but as a minimum wage nobody in the 2020s where cans of tomato sauce get 50 cents more expensive every week and wages go up fifty cents every five years, well.

[@clementecattalani1042]

Stunning looking car, it was at least 10 years ahead of the other cars that came in the 90's

[@mikadavies660]

I used to own a 20v turbo. Standard it had horrible suspension. But with a nice turbo, retune and adjustable suspension.... It was a true delight. Shame they are so expensive and collectable now.

[@alfagtvjan]

There're not expensive. £5000 will get you a decent one.

[@ferrumignis]

I didn't find the suspension particularly bad. It did need fresh wishbones on a regular basis though, and the handling would get quite scary when the bushes got tired.

[@alfpetzer5812]

5000 for a decent one? You seem to have an odd definition of „decent“.

[@cristiancristi9384]

The first time I saw one of these Fiat Coupe I was just a kid in a sea side holiday ... All of a sudden I saw one, all red just like this..and I shouted in awe: ---"Look!!! A FERRARI 🤩...." 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@aussiebloke609]

5:52 I think you'll find that Volvo was the first to introduce us to a 5-cylinder transverse engine in the 1991 850. The AUDI Quattro of the '80s was actually a longitudinal mounted package that left a lot of weight hanging ahead of the front wheels, and the TT RS didn't get its 5-cylinder engine until 1997.

[@arconeagain]

And it appears Mercedes Benz were the first to introduce the 5 cylinder in a road car.

[@pauloldfield6968]

Ya I thought the audi had a non transverse set up but still FWD

[@mrkiplingreallywasanexceed8311]

True, although the second generation Audi 100 launched in 1976 and included a 5cyl engine from the outset, albeit as you say, longitudinally mounted....

[@andrewdking]

But the Audi 5 cylinder layout was very easy to work on, I had two. My mate was a Lancia collector and admired my Audis from the days when Audis were classed as unusual, as Subarus are today. All transverse layouts are pants, even the original BMC Mini. My 96yo Mother's Vauxhall Zafira is transverse and so badly shoehorned in, some of the various fluid reservoirs are under the windscreen overhang, therefore within the massive dashboard area - absolutely pants for servicing 👎

[@MeMe-qm5zz]

The TT Mk1 didn't get a 5 cylinder engine until 2009 - the MK1 had a 1.8 20v 4 cylinder and the 3.2 VR6. VAG did a 2.3 5 cylinder (VR5, not inline) from 1997, but it never made it to the TT.

[@EyesWideOpen61]

I absolutely and totally adore the styling of this car, Peak Bangle 🤩 But I thought I heard you say Audi had a five cylinder so they could mount it as a transverse engine, alas Audi motors are longitudinal

[@bikespages1897]

The coupé was designed by Chris Bangle I guess. The most desirable Fiat Coupé are the turbo versions, incredible torque and power though their main drawback - to me - is the FWD. I'm dreaming of a Fiat X1/9 with the coupé engine ;-) Cuore Italiano!

[@624radicalham]

Actually, this 5 cylinder engine was used in the Bravo as well. And the styling is almost brutalist gorgeous in a way that only Italian cars can be, like "Il Mostro", the Alfa Romeo SZ. Badass styling, throaty engine and genuinely a museum piece

[@adelkheir]

One thing about the 20V. That engine is massively overbuilt to the point that people have able to push the turbo ones all the way to 800hp with stock internals.

[@MisterHughes]

I ran of these for 3 years, it was a superb GT that could eat miles in total comfort and at great speed. Whoever owned it before had "enhanced" it a little, including removing the 155mph limit. It was knocking on supercar performance. I loved how it looked, how it drove and how it sounded.

[@PB200559]

Certainly no oil painting and hasn't improved with age for me. I do however really like the interior design and agree with you about those extra little exterior design details, quite special. Nice on your reviews if you gave us an uick look at boot/hatchback area too. Keep up the great work though Jack, everyday is a school day for 90s cars for me 😊

[@EnglishTMTB]

I always liked it, though it's nostalgia rather than having improved with age. The real reason I wouldn't buy one, though... Another marmite car - a Volvo C70 coupe with the T5. They're much easier to work on, sound at least as good and I actually really like how they look. In honesty, though, I know the fiat will always be the cult classic of the two.

[@Tacko14]

It's amazing how much influence the size of the wheels has, and the trackwidth, on the overall look of a car. I remember when we went from the Golf III to the IV, from wheely bin to monster truck it seemed. Sometimes bigger really is better. There's too big as well. It now takes two mechanics to offer up a wheel to the axle. Some garages don't do it by hand anymore with those 20 inchers. This Fiat? The small wheels do me in, like an elderly douarière hobbling on stilettos in the snow

[@multislipful]

Thanks for bringing this excellent little coupé out for a drive. The interior was a minor triumph. It was great to have Fiat going off at a bit of a tangent in those days. I bought and enjoyed a top spec Multipla for nine years and it was such a clever design. The coupé also dared to be different and perhaps we should be more grateful for the flair of those more daring designers.😢

[@andrekardol]

Love these. I believe this engine was also used in the stilo abarth

[@JeremyJones-t8e]

Things I recalled from the 20vt forums. Original exhaust manifold cracking on early cars. Oil loss through the turbo seals as the turbo only had a 270 degree thrust bearing rather than 360. Any issues with then oil loss, due to seals degradation exacerbated by the shallow sump and limited oil capacity could lead to low oil or oil starvation and bearing damage. The only useful looking wheels are the bigger 16"ers. Though they all have an interesting 4x98mm PCD when most other things around were 4x100 or 5x100. Brembo brakes suffering galvanic corrosion of the pad runners vs the alloy caliper leading to seizing pads. Exhaust tip rusting off after a few years and blowing the rear dam away with hot exhaust gases unless replaced before it failed. 20VT in Portofino Blue with black leather looks stunning in sunshine. The 20VT was the go-to car in the late 90s, early 00s for EVO mag to set a baseline for far more exotic cars. Some of their comments lead me to reassess as the "the way it continues to build speed above 100mph" etc, comments aren't something to ignore if one is prone to "emotional throttle footing". And the 5 cylinder soundtrack would obviously not encourage that.....!

[@joaomatias]

Not everyone likes the Chris Bangle exterior design but the Pininfarina interior is universally loved.

[@andrewthornton2562]

Yes, very marmite design.

[@GuusvanLienen]

Great review, thanks! Imho very dark or very bright colors and the 'double' more open 4-spoke turbo wheels make an enormous difference.

[@andrewthornton2562]

The 4 spokes certainly look better I agree. This is my car, 16 inches could be an upgrade when funds allow.

[@arthurdardalis]

Have driven the Turbo Plus extensively, loved it, such a great car, definitely a future classic!

[@PenryMMJ]

The design is classic Chris Bangle. It's ugly, and then it isn't, then it is again, and then it isn't.

[@michaelorlando6159]

I have one i find it very attractive yet there are some points that are not .but i cant pin point it. Fat quarter panels perhaps

[@brianiswrong]

Spot on with a few Chris bangle designs, love it,hate it,love hate it, 20 years later miss it.

[@Trappygit]

The turbo didnt have an LSD, it had a viscous coupling (called Visco-drive). There are options from Quaife though 👍🏻

[@Barmybob]

I absolutely love these cars, had one for 15 years. I can fully understand the cars still having a lot of support and attention. Second hand these cars always seemed like an absolute bargain, but they were quite expensive to keep and not everyone was prepared for that. Cars that were run on a tight budget inevitably suffered. Fortunately there are people out there who are prepared to spend significant sums restoring, and keeping these cars alive but it is unlikely this spend will ever reflect in the cars value. Many cars of a similar age to the Coupé have increased in value significantly and are considered by many as collectable. For me the little Fiat Coupé is better than those cars, indeed it was so good, at what it did, that the only car I could ever replace it with was a MK3 TTRS, a car that was 20 years its junior.

[@Trappygit]

👋🏻

[@Tuberuser187]

It has quite a spicy growl to it, one thing you can say about the styling is that it isnt boring or formulaic which is a quality all of its own. Also that Dodge at 5:15 😍

[@anthonyknox1493]

I've always felt the Bangle design is spot on, and the 'slashed' arches are a bit of a nod to the Gandini Countach arches on some other Italian exotica.

[@alfpetzer5812]

You are right about those arches😮

[@paulross7111]

The engine out issue to replace the cam belt on the 20V was solved by a guy in Birmingham, known by the Coupe owners club. He made up a few tools to make it straightforward and charged me £150 to sort it the same day. Mine was the Portofino metallic blue effect, 1st time I saw one I had to have one. As you've said interior a bit cheap, exterior rear 3/4 view is transformed with this colour. Also w/dealers picked one up and chipped it with Presley at the helm, mighty fast after that!

[@abcdefgh-xf2th]

Maybe you didn't get that in the UK but the Stilo Abarth got a 2,4 version with 170hp.

[@Trappygit]

We did, and the 'big valve' head fits nicely on top of the 2.0 block 👍🏻

[@jgg02]

Thank you for another great episode. Some ten years or so I was thinking of buying a Coupé or a Barchetta for a fun summer car. The Coupé had the performance but I chose the Barchetta for the looks, and the possibility to drive with the top down. Still love both of the cars

[@primarqo]

V6 engine can be transversely mounted.

[@jaap5398]

5:15 yet again I find myself delighted by the oncoming traffic (x2) - thanks Jack!

[@rogerpayne5336]

The problem with the : 16V / 16VT / 20V....is that they were on 15" wheel's , which look far to small for the body. Put : 16" Plus wheel's with the 225 section tyre's on this 20V and see the difference to the appearance ( front / back / sideways ). A big bore ss exhaust completes the transformation into mini exotic .....Good vid. PS: the truncated cut off boot / trunk was purely for aerodynamics , helping the car to 0.31cd...or slippery as.

[@mscd9676]

what a coincidence that I just reached out to you about my Delta with the same engine and platform and now I see your video about the coupe

[@MP-fw4ub]

The audi had its engine longitudinally mounted. 4 and 6 cylinder engines are inherently balanced (4s in primary and 6s in primary and secondary forces) 5s are unbalanced without dynamic help to balance them. Sorry to be nerdy. 😂

[@richardjones-b1v]

Why is it British reviewers in particular go on about Italian cars lack of quality and reliability. Having owned many Fiats going back to a 125 I`ve always found them tough and dependable. I`ve also owned BMW Porsche, Audi and Mercedes and found them long term often inferior in the way they deteriorate trim and body wise and inferior in mechanical reliability. The experience includes owning a Euro workshop. I think most Brits being boring (I`m of British ancestry myself) are naturally suspicious of anything different -and of Latin or Gallic origin especially in styling and have the herd mentality of liking what everybody else likes. Is it the German ancestry?

[@StephenWhite55]

Sorry, Jack - the 'smoothness gains' that you get from adding cylinders does NOT work that way! It's much more complicated than that...Straight-six engines have both perfect primary and secondary balance ( a huge improvement over a five-cylinder), whereas V-six engines do not have perfect balance. Just one example...

[@terryhand]

I love the distinctive design - far better looking than the Peugeot, which to me is a bit anonymous. I also love the painted metal on the dash - a nod to 60's Alfa's.

[@SabotsLibres]

Audi never used the 5 cylinder transversely until the TTRS. And the original 5-cylinder 90, 100 and Coupé models were available in both 5S and 5E variants denoting resp. carbs and fuel injection. I am not sure you can talk of smoothness in terms of percentages. Yes, a five cylinder turns 25% less per spark but that does not make it 25% smoother - a well balanced (using Lanchester balancing shafts) 4 cylinder is no less smooth than a five; the off-beat warble of the 5 gives away its innate imbalance...and a six is always going to be perfect. On the subject of six-cylinders, in-line engines are more space consuming but they will fit in certain applications: the Austin/Morris 2200/Wolseley 6, their successors the Princess range and more recently the Land Rover Freelander 2 i6 with the Volvo-derived straight six.

[@JonathanRoylance-h3c]

Great review. I loved the styling then and still do. I ordered a portofino blue 20v turbo new in mid-90s from the local dealer in Essex but then they put the price up so I canceled and tried to import one but that is another story. Ended up with a used 325i convertible instead. Still think of the coupe as the one that got away! I still have the brochure! Loved those rear lights and the body coloured dash. Have come close to looking seriously at some second hand ones here in NZ but prices have really picked up in just last 2-3 years.

[@TheLimaBravo]

I had a Bravo HGT, Coupe 16v Turbo and 20v Turbo. The Bravo was a refined hot hatch, especially in light blue with leather interior. The 16v Turbo was the rawest of the three and 20v Turbo, with leather interior, was frenetically fast and at the same time refined and GT-like.

[@murdoch9106]

Dream car for me! Got a ride in one years ago by a mad man that drove way too fast on city streets at night... Thing was like a gokart, it was crazy, I was not happy about how he was driving but... what can ya do.... It might have had some upgrades, I'm not sure, I remember it had a brace in the engine bay that did not look standard, so maybe it had suspension upgrades too, it just drove great! This was a very long time ago now...

[@JJHurst]

Had two, one turbo one vis.. Lovely car , Tipo platform same as the GTV , all the same foibles but with that lovely 5 cyl burble..The viscodrive system is brilliant and they're usefully quick. With some suspension upgrades and some turbo and mapping work they can be made to be "very " quick ..

[@Number27]

Yep!! Think I might have to own one for a while.. hard to get a good one now though!

[@JJHurst]

@@Number27 You'll enjoy it no doubt , the problem is selling on afterwards , they're not everyone's cup of espresso..😎

[@easydrive3662]

I own a 20vt coupe, absolutely amazing car, its literally art on wheels, from every angle it has the most beautiful lines and striking yet unique styling, design that just makes todays motors look hideous. Those that say its ugly clearly have no sense of style and probably drive something like an ugly suv of today! Wherever i drive my 20vt people comment, take photos of the car in fact it gets far more attention than many supercars of today! Amazing car!

[@thoregilandersen2797]

Audi did not have the 5 cylinder engine mounted transverse before the TT and RS3 got a 5 cyl.

[@hughstultz7849]

That is correct. Longitudinal, well in front of the front axle!

[@Barmybob]

@@hughstultz7849 Volvo had a transverse 5 in the 850, and by 95 had the impressive T5R

[@meanredspider]

Drank oil in crazy quantities and had a dipstick that was hard to read. Manifolds cracked. Rear round light corroded. Various buttons fell in the dash. Mine melted a piston (failed knock sensor we think). Fabulous car - crazily quick.

[@MaximilianvonPinneberg]

When I was on work experience I had a fleet car that had this engine in a Marea. Cracking engine. Just slightly let down by the rest of the car.

[@dadcars]

Great video as always 👏 I’ve always wanted to drive one of these 😅

[@fritz4345]

This was a great looking car when it came out. Especially in yellow. Probably the only car Chris Bangle really designed on his own.

[@Bowl_of_roses]

When they came out the design looked super-modern, especially in the bright colours - yellow, red and blue. I test drove one of these and loved it, but family needs forced me into a Fiat Marea Estate, with the same engine - which was great.

[@theadventuresofred19]

Me too. LOVED IT! Went all over Europe in it covered 80k miles in our ownership a GREAT car

[@MilosBrajkovic-rc3ik]

One of the kind...

[@benzinapaul7416]

My mother had a Coupe 20V exactly like this around 1997, same colour, same trim, the NA 20V sounded awesome, much better than the Turbo.

[@andrewthornton2562]

The original owner kept this for 17 years, all receipts of work done have remained with the car.

[@TheBTG88]

English correction: “Just TOO Bold?”

[@IPMI_pascal_fanti]

O to 60 and V-Max of the 5 cylinder turbo was exactly the same than the values of my Ferrari 328 GTS

[@richbrice3299]

I've had 6 of these and I still have a nice 16vt and lovely plus. Bang for the buck, back in the day these were unbeatable and they looked so much more interesting than 'normal' cars. Have you done a 16vt test?

[@ralimanpt]

That engine was present in various models. Even in the Marea...

[@mkadair]

The design is unique, but I like it. Then again, I drive a Subaru Baja. Fiat did go above and beyond with the little details. Thanks Jack!

[@Number27]

Had to look up the Baha!! It’s definitely distinctive 😃

[@andydavies858]

Great video of a great car. There were so many different models spun off the Tipo platform. Is the Tipo platform the longest running platform to date??

[@65Antonis]

The Peugeot 406 Coupe is a common beautiful car... The Fiat Coupe is an iconic car and it's the one to have (The Turbo with it's 220 PS)!

[@badbusdriver7160]

I'm a big fan of the Coupe, particularly in that fantastic blue. Also a HUGE fan of the Multipla though, equal measures of genius and madness! BTW, the BL "Wedge" (ADO71) was available with a transversely mounted 2.2 inline 6

[@benzinapaul7416]

Yes the Sprint Blue which was only available on the 20VT was the colour to have