Nov 14, 2023  •  For Sale  •  3 Comments

Sharp Italian! 1996 Fiat Coupé 16V Turbo

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Fiat cooked up this hot yellow number a decade or more after leaving the American market. Somehow this wedge-shaped 1996 Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo made its way to Morristown, New Jersey, and while not perfect, the tangy slice of lemon pie looks well cared for inside and out. The five speed turbocharged Italian four-seater can be yours via Buy It Now here on eBay for $14,000 USD or tempt the seller with Make Offer. The car runs “very good,” according to the listing.

Though described as “tan,” the interior looks more like the ubiquitous ’90s grays to me. Taking the 83k kilometers (51k miles) on the odometer at face value, buyers might assume that wear on the steering wheel and upholstery came from outdoor storage more than driving.

The paint gleams and, styling wise, you’ll drive a long time before spotting anything like this on the road. Check out this YouTube video for some commentary from a bloke who calls the Fiat Coupé his all-time favorite car.

The engine compartment shows like an untouched ’90s original, with nothing to complain about for a driver-quality modern classic. The 16 valve 2.0L inline four-cylinder turbo makes 187 HP and 214 lb-ft of torque, enough for a 6.6 second run to 60 MPH, according to automobile-catalog. Interestingly Fiat also offered a 220 HP 20 valve inline five-cylinder turbo in 1996 running 60 in 6 seconds flat.

Ultraviolet radiation has aged the headlight covers beyond the 51,000 mile mark, and that’s generally corrected with a restoration kit that includes a coating with UV blocker. Anyone can buff the scratches out, but if you don’t seal them with a proper coating, you’ll repeat the job every year or two. Surprisingly I found replacement headlight assemblies for this car at around $300 each. I’m guessing a fender bender could be more complicated than dropping the diminutive Coupé off at your local body shop. Can you picture yourself in this angular Italian Coupé?

Comments

  1. KarlS
    Nov 16, 2023 at 4:08pm

    I have to say, I have had many Fiats, all rear wheel drive, but after having one front driver fast Ford, I have to say that I do not have any problem with a front driver Fiat. I think Top Gear may have tested one of these and the outcome was that it was quite up to the task in the handling department. If I had garage space, I would be bidding on this car.
    Karl

    Like 0
  2. Joe Elliott
    Nov 19, 2023 at 9:55am

    Well this is disappointing. I came here only to see what kind of naive and/or borderline bigoted comments the peanut gallery would have posted here, but unless my browser is malfunctioning, there aren’t any! Just one well-informed good-faith comment. Bummer.

    Like 0
  3. t-bone bob
    Dec 25, 2023 at 7:33am

    This listing ended on Wed, Nov 22 at 5:20 PM. The seller has relisted this item

    https://www.ebay.com/itm/335132225555

    Like 0

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