This design masterpiece that is the Fiat Coupé was born in the early Nineties from Chris Bangle’s pencil, head of Centro Stile Fiat. Yes, the very American designer who, only a handful of years later, would shake up the BMW range with a series of models that, though criticised at first, had great success (his were the Series 1, the Z4, the X5, and the Series 5 and 7, to mention only a few.) Together with Pininfarina he gave new life to a market segment until then neglected by Fiat, giving prestige to a marque that, at the time, devoted its resources to produce small and medium-sized cars with familiar and uncontroversial lines.
It was launched on the market in 1994: the Fiat Coupé was a bolt from the blue. It immediately shook the public opinion and gathered the admiration and approval of people who had been long waiting for a great Italian coupé to return on the market.
The engine options were satisfying, with both naturally aspirated and turbocharged engines, and a 16-valve turbo at the top of the range.
In 1996 however, Fiat outdid itself and equipped this wonderful 2+2 with a 220 hp 5-cylinder turbo capable of launching it at 250 km/h. A true missile ready to challenge, performance-wise, high-end cars such as the Porsche Carrera 964: all without paying through the nose for it.
Fiat served a lethal cocktail to its own competition: Italian charm, ease of use, an affordable price, and loads of fun.