ItaliaspeedTV - Fiat Barchetta (promotional video, 1995)

Description

The much loved Fiat Barchetta convertible was based on the Punto Mk1 platform and entered production in 1995. Designed in-house by Fiat Centro Stile and credited to Andreas Zapatinas, the Barchetta was initially produced by Maggiora at Chivasso. It was a pure two seater with a full, manually operated, canvas roof and an adequate boot. The design aimed to hark back to the small open-topped roadsters of the 50s and 60s, both in overall shape and in some details like the exquisite chrome door handles. Inside too, it was relatively understated, aiming to involve the driver more rather than to place barriers between him and his enjoyment of driving. The engine was a 1747cc, dohc 16V unit with 131 bhp and 164 Nm, which featured variable valve timing (hydraulic on the inlet valves) for the first time in a production Fiat car. Other noteworthy features included a stainless steel 4-2-1 exhaust manifold, piston crown oil cooling jets, forged steel conrods and self adjusting hydraulic tappets. After its launch the Barchetta received much praise for both its handling and performance, helped by its relatively light weight and excellent chassis rigidity for a convertible. The brakes were assisted by the fitment of discs all round and ABS as standard. Despite the lack of a limited slip diff, traction was also rarely a problem, even on tight corners. No variants were produced, all models being two door convertible 1800s, although some 'limited editions' were produced in various markets <b>...</b>

Keywords

fiat, barchetta, top, gear, three, kings, christmas, day, boxing, maggiora, chivasso, special, tv, bcc, andreas, zapatinas, jeremy, clarkson, richard, hammond, james, may, bmw, z3, mazda, mx5, centro, stile

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