New Fiat Spider 124

[Dogwalker]

I might but the mini got there first.

The Mini had the gearbox in the sump, and that was a common source of problems. None use that scheme any more.

The 128 had the gearbox at the side of the engine, and so the driveshafts of different lenght.
That's the scheme used today.

[Idontwantapickle]

You can say it. Every modern front weel drive - transverse engine car owes its mechanical scheme to the 128.

There was always Cord. They built a nice FWD. And who didn't enjoy smokin' the tires off the front of a '66 Toronado? Calm down, I know they weren't transverse.
I had some 124s, the 124 Coupe was the best of them, beautiful styling, a 1400 that revved like crazy and handled great due to the roof.
Sigh.
Hunter

[rodekyll]

Saab made a 1500cc V4 with the crankshaft longitudinal and front wheel drive.  The transmission shared the sump with the engine.

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

Saab made a 1500cc V4 with the crankshaft longitudinal and front wheel drive.  The transmission shared the sump with the engine.

Look separate to me.

[rodekyll]

OOps.  . . ?

Those are 96s?

[edit]

I owned mine 40-some years ago.  I think I got it mixed up with the Datsun F10, which was one of Datsun's first tries at front wheel drive.  The F10 (iirc) has the stacked transmission. 

[Tom]

Always thought that Fiat made some nice cars.

[Dogwalker]

a 1400 that revved like crazy

Fiat Bialbero.
An incredibly robust engine. In the years 1980-81, in the Lancia Beta Montecarlo Turbo of the World Endurance Championship, the 1400 version developed up to 480 hp, and the 1700 up to 520 hp, even in 24h races.
For a comparison, in the same years, the 1500 turbo engines used in F1 developed little more than 600hp, had to last only for 300 km, and they broke very often.

Fun fact, the Lancia Beta Montecarlo, as the Fiat X1/9, used a 128 frame, turned 180� to make it rear-engine, RWD.

[Aaron D.]

Yes, the SAAB 96 V4 had a separate transmission. The engine came from Ford of Germany.

[keuka4884]

I have a cousin who had a 124 back in the day. I remember it had no synchromesh. Not fun to shift at all. But mighty fun to tool around in.

[Lannis]

Always thought that Fiat made some nice cars.

They did.   You couldn't treat them like a Datsun, though ....

Lannis

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

I have a cousin who had a 124 back in the day. I remember it had no synchromesh. Not fun to shift at all. But mighty fun to tool around in.

Must have had totally knackered synchros then.

"As a clean-sheet design by Oscar Montabone, the chief engineer responsible for its development, the 124 used only the all-synchromesh gear box from the Fiat 1500. The 124 featured a spacious interior, advanced coil spring rear suspension, disc brakes on all wheels and lightweight construction."

[jcctx]

The good looking original~~~ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiat_124_Sport_Spider

[wplyler]

My twin brother and I both own 1979 Fiat Spiders.  Both bought new.  We still own them.  Both now have well over 100,000 miles (one has over 200,000).  Not very many problems.  The cylinder head has never been off of mine.  The biggest problem either of us had was when his starter went out and he bump started it in reverse.  After one of the transmission shafts went through the side case, he won't do that again.

These cars have been amazingly reliable.

If you say these are unreliable cars, you aren't doing the maintenance properly.

[Tobit]

The windshield frame - A pillar is too bulky. 

What, no 850 Sport Spyder?  Had one as a teen in the '70s.  900cc, dual barrel Weber, rust bucket.  Fun to drive after the weekly poke-a-wire-through-the-idle-jet tune up.

Tobit

[cruzziguzzi]

They did.   You couldn't treat them like a Datsun, though ....

Lannis

As well we know, it's interesting to note just what manufacturers will and will not import into America.

Being a red-blooded, gun-totin', right votin' 'Murican... I learned to distrust vehicles slathered in metric fasteners.

Slowly, grudgingly, over time my family warmed up to; Datsun, Opel and Toyota but those pesky English and Eye-talian offerings were considered to be, at best, only in temporary custody on their natural course from import port to Maxie Schwartzman's scrap yard.

I won't even get started on French-fried rollers.

Anyhow, fast forward to me dilly-dallying about Europe and Africa with Uncle Sam and I came to understand that Fiat pushed out some outstanding work-a-day transports in the 124, 127 and Panda to name a mere three - even their red-headed-step-sibling the Yugo was a much better transport than American comedians would have the consumer believe.

Oh, and the French? Was I wrong there! I was amazed at the beatings Citroens and Peugeots can take in Africa... They just simply will not die.

A friend on my team had finally reached his limit in listening to his wife bitch and moan about his string of 4th hand cars and all that that entails. So, we're laid up sorry in the team house one day and another fella shifting through the newspaper says: "Hey Chuck, shut her up with a new car..."

Given our, what... $400 take home every two weeks, Chuck responds in an unkind fashion but Mark retorts with something like: "No, really, look at this..."

It was an ad for brand new, very nicely warranted Yugos for $1,700-$1,800.

Chuck calls his credit card company - goes down and slams the full price on his Diner's Club and offers the car to Ina - half expecting to have it rejected and end up driving it himself while she co-opts his Jeep.

Hell's bells... She loved it and ended up whisking all over the country like a manic bumble bee. Ended up with something like 300,000 miles with oil and filter changes only. No plugs, CV boots, sensors or any of the other weak points of many cars was ever addressed.

OK, sure, the wipers were hit and miss... mostly miss. The side view fell off, but who needs that? And A/C? That's for the constitutionally weak.

When even the fuzzy copy of a Fiat can take what Ina handed that Yugo - I'm open to giving Fiat a second look. That Serbiat was a hell of a car and a lot less than a new Nissan at the time.


Todd.

[Lannis]

Oh, and the French? Was I wrong there! I was amazed at the beatings Citroens and Peugeots can take in Africa... They just simply will not die.

Todd.

We were the Odd Ducks, our family was, among the Navy families where we lived.    My Dad had bought a Renault Dauphine and it did very well for us.    Over the next 10 years, we bought an R8, an R16, and finally an R10.

My Dad had recently passed away, and I remember going with my Mom to pick up the new R10.   1970, four steel-belted radials, four-wheel disk brakes, fully adjustable seats, sealed cooling system ... and $1500 cash out the door in 1970, WAY less than a Beetle of the time.

Really good cars, they were ....

Lannis

[Arizona Wayne]

OOps.  . . ?

Those are 96s?

[edit]

I owned mine 40-some years ago.  I think I got it mixed up with the Datsun F10, which was one of Datsun's first tries at front wheel drive.  The F10 (iirc) has the stacked transmission.

Ken Hand has a Datsun F10 still running far as I know.

[Arizona Wayne]

We were the Odd Ducks, our family was, among the Navy families where we lived.    My Dad had bought a Renault Dauphine and it did very well for us.    Over the next 10 years, we bought an R8, an R16, and finally an R10.

My Dad had recently passed away, and I remember going with my Mom to pick up the new R10.   1970, four steel-belted radials, four-wheel disk brakes, fully adjustable seats, sealed cooling system ... and $1500 cash out the door in 1970, WAY less than a Beetle of the time.

Really good cars, they were ....




In `61 I was living in a boarding house in Sacramento, Ca.  4 of us had euro cars, Porsche 1600 Normal, VW bug, Renault Dauphine, and my PV544 Volvo.  The guy's Renault's gear shift rod literally broke off in his hand while he was shifting!   

Had a mc friend who drove a `70s Fiat 124 Spyder for years who never had any rust or drive train issues for well over 100K miles. 

[Penderic]

I really like those petite, easy to park, cars.

Vroom Vroom.

[Arizona Wayne]

Our Toyota Rav4 is like that, tho it carries a lot too.