This humble 1950 Fiat 1100 was coach-built by Castagna with a radical panoramic windscreen. Massimo Delbo enjoys a new perspective from the driving seat.
As a young 18 year old my first car was a Mazda 1300. I had the big dream that my next car would be a Ford Falcon XY GT 351. My brother told me I was mad, you will kill yourself and so the search of an alternative ended up with the purchase of an Italian Lancia Beta Coupe. This is where my love of Fiats and Lancia’s came from, sharing a common twin cam motor and very easy to work on while offering enough performance and driving enjoyment.
Advanced engineering and design sophistication came as standard in Italy in the 1970s – even for family cars. But in this Fiat 128 versus Alfasud face-off, which one do we prefer five decades on?
Tastefully upgraded two-door saloon. With tasteful and well targeted mods, this 128 really shows why Fiat’s little saloon needs to be more widely appreciated.
The Fiat X1/9 is turning 50 but its philosophy still feels fresh. We try an early 1300 for size to the cutprice, mid-engined trailblazer’s legacy today.
As the world’s most affordable mid-engined car, the Fiat X1/9 was a true revelation 50 years ago. Karl Ludvigsen – who went on the 1972 launch – tells the golden story of an ingenious icon.
The tiny Fiat 500 has recently been given an all-electric makeover, and now the manufacturer has electrified its bigger brother, the 500X. There’s still no full electric option, though. Instead, you’ll find a 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine under the bonnet, with an electric motor bolted onto the side that is powered by a tiny, but useful battery pack.
Simple, rational, essential. That’s the Fiat Panda, whose development ideals stemmed from an ideology that now seems long forgotten. In replacing the 126, Fiat wanted a car that had the same utilitarian abilities as the Renault 4 and Citroen 2CV
