 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Fiat 124 Sport Coupé" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(January 2017) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| Fiat 124 Sport Coupé | |
|---|---|
_(10275735714).jpg) 1969 Fiat 124 Coupé 1400 (series 1) | |
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Fiat |
| Also called | SEAT 124 Sport |
| Production | 1967–1975 |
| Designer | Felice Mario Boano at Centro Stile Fiat |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Sports car (S) |
| Body style | 2-doornotchbackcoupé |
| Layout | Front-engine, rear-wheel-drive |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine |
|
| Transmission |
|
| Dimensions | |
| Wheelbase | 2,420 mm (95.3 in) |
| Length |
|
| Width | 1,670 mm (65.7 in) |
| Height | 1,340 mm (52.8 in) |
| Kerb weight |
|
| Chronology | |
| Predecessor | Fiat 1500/1600 Coupé |
TheFiat 124 Sport Coupé is a two-door, four-seaternotchbackcoupé produced by theItalian automakerFiat in three generations between 1967 and 1975. First shown at the 1966Turin Auto Show, it was based on theFiat 124saloon.[1]
Itsfour-cylinder aluminum and iron,twin overhead cam "Lampredi engine" was designed by ex-Ferrari engineerAurelio Lampredi. Originally, the AC, or first generation, featured a 1,438 ccengine, which was joined by a 1,608 cc unit in the second, or BC, generation. The third generation, or CC, was first officially offered with the 1,592 cc and later the 1,756 cc engine (although some early CCs were fitted with leftover 1,608 cc engines).[2]
Equipment included a five-speedgearbox (although very early AC models featured a four-speed), four wheelpowerdisc brakes, double wishbone front suspension, one carburetor per cylinder (two dual-chokeWeber orSolex carburetors on the BC series, 1608 cc engine — except for the US version which received mild carburation due to emissions constraints), electric fuel pump (on the CC series), and suspension by coil springs.
The Fiat 124 Sport Coupé was also built under license inSpain with 1600 (FC-00) and 1800 (FC-02) engines as the SEAT 124 Sport.
The 124 Sport Coupé was designed as athree-box, 2-doornotchbackcoupé byMario Boano, known for styling the bodywork on theFerrari 250 GT "Boano". As many parts as possible were used from the 1966FIAT 124Berlinasaloon. Boano was hired by FIAT and made responsible for the in-houseCentro Stile Fiat, while the iconic softtopFiat 124 Sport Spider, which also shared the same basic platform as the 124 Sedan but rode on a 14 cm shorter wheelbase, was outsourced to famed ItaliancarrozzeriaPininfarina.[3]
Approximately 113,000 AC Coupés, 98,000 BC Coupés, and roughly 75,000 CC Coupés were manufactured. There were ongoing changes with all models making them almost individual by year (e.g. lack of rear anti roll bar on 1969 ACs, etc.)
The Fiat 124 SpiderAbarth came with dualWeber 44 IDFcarburetors unlike the regular 124 coupés and spiders which were equipped with dual Weber 40 IDF carbs. Fiattwincam engines tend to beoversquare, with a larger diameter bore than length of stroke, allowing it, when combined with dual camshafts and proper carburetors, to rev to high rpms. The 1608 cc, however, is a perfectly square engine, 80 mm by 80 mm.
The AC model began in 1967 and came with a 1438 cc twin cam, 4-speed gearbox (with the option of a 5-speed item appearing in mid-1967), front and rear anti-roll bars, and a torque tube rear axle. It featured a 200 km/h (124 mph) speedometer, three supplementary gauges, a faux woodsteering wheel, a woodgrain dash and console top. The 124 Sport Coupé's tail lights were also used on theLamborghini Espada andIso Rivolta.
124 Sport Coupés were modern in chassis and engine design. Braking was via four 230 mm disc brakes with a front/rear weight-sensitive proportioning valve. It also had a sealed cooling system, viscous fan clutch and a toothed timing belt for the twin-cam engine, the first mass-produced engine to feature this instead of the usual chain-drive.[4]
The torque-tube rear axle of the A series was replaced by a four-link rear axle with aPanhard rod in mid-1968, and remained the same throughout the B and C models.
The BC featured revised styling with twinheadlights and revisedtaillights; the taillights were also used on theLamborghini Jarama. The 124 BC, including the 1600 model, was first shown at the 1969Turin Auto Show.[1]
The BC was available with both the 1438 cc and the new 1608 cc engine. In the United States, initially only the 1400 was offered. Other details remained similar to the AC except the interior dash now had a 220 km/h (137 mph) speedometer, 9000 rpm tachometer in 1608 cc models and a clock. The steering wheel now had black painted spokes and the seats had for the first time cloth inserts in the centre. There was no woodgrain inside like before (all the panels were finished in black vinyl and the gauge rims were matt black) and "eyeball" vents were fitted in the centre console where the AC had a decorative panel simply filling in the space for an optional radio.
Options included green tinted windows, Cromodora alloy wheels with chrome centrehub cap, radio, seat headrests, rear windshield electric defrosting, electronic ignition. At the end of the BC run air conditioning became available as an option as well. The fuel tanks were always around 46 litres (12 US gal; 10 imp gal).
The third series 124 Coupé (type CC) arrived in 1973 with new front styling and a revised squarer rear tail with a new deeper trunklid. Taillights also changed to a now vertical arrangement and side rear windows were revised.
The CC started with a small batch fitted with the 1608 cc engine, soon changing to a revised 1592 cc engine (slightly shorter stroke at 79,2 mm to create a "sub-1600" engine to fit the lower tax bracket in Italy) and an enlarged 84 mm bore creating an engine of 1756 cc. The 1592 cc and 1756 cc (sourced from the new Fiat 132, introduced in 1972) both made use of a single carburetor again (theWeber 34 DMS). In spite of this change the 1756 cc was the most powerful engine produced with 118 PS (87 kW) and a top speed of 185 km/h (115 mph).
In the United States, tightening emissions regulations meant less power: the 1592-cc engine produced 87 hp (65 kW; 88 PS), while the larger 1800 which replaced it for the 1974 model year had 92.5 hp (69 kW; 94 PS) at 5,500 rpm on tap.[2] This engine also suffered severe drivability problems thanks to the emissions hardware. For 1974, the US model was also saddled with very large and heavy safety bumpers, increasing weight by 45 kg (100 lb) over the 1973. The 1974 US-market 124 Sport Coupé weighed 1,069 kg (2,356 lb), while overall length was up to 169.8 in (4,313 mm).[2]
The CC's revised interior featured a new dashboard incorporating a lower panel on the passenger side, an alloy fascia in front of the driver and seats covered completely in cloth. There was a new vinyl-covered steering wheel rim with anodised silver spokes. The optional but not uncommon Cromodora wheels now had a revised design with no chrome centre hubcap, instead having exposed wheelnuts. These were of an 8 slot design, the earlier wheels used coming in 6 slot configuration (an 8-slot design was also current but not original to the 124 range).
The car was also built under license inSpain as theSEAT 124 Sport between 1970 and 1974. SEAT built a total of 23,611 units of the 124 Sport.[5]
The SEAT derivative was presented for the first time at the 1970 Barcelona Motor Show and it was built in Spain under license from Fiat. Identical to theFiat 124 Sport Coupé, it was launched in order to meet the rising local market demand for sports cars next to offerings coming not only from other car makers – like theAuthi Mini C 1275, theAlpine A110, theRenault 8TS and theSimca 1000 Rallye GT – but also SEAT itself with theSEAT 850 Sport Coupé and Spider models. At the 1972 Barcelona show, Catalan coachbuilderPedro Serra [es] presented a Cabriolet version of the 124 Sport; a handful were built.
Power was provided by double camshaft (biárbol) engines, with a displacement of either 1,608 cc (1600, FC-00) or 1,756 cc (1800, FC-02). Both engine variants were linked to a 5-speed gearbox, a transmission introduced for the first time in a model on the Spanish market. The first series produced from 1970 to 1973 was equivalent to the BC series of Fiat's version, and used 1608 cc engines provided by Fiat itself. The second series from 1973 onwards was a direct copy of the CC model, offered only with the larger, less stressed 1756 cc engine.[6]
_20120818_090.jpg)
| Related companies |
|  | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current models |
| |||||||||||
| Historic models (List) |
| |||||||||||
| Concept models | ||||||||||||
| Racing cars | ||||||||||||
| Modified Racing cars | ||||||||||||
| Abarth cars | ||||||||||||
| Armored vehicles | ||||||||||||
| People | ||||||||||||
