Long Lost Hot Hatches - Fiat Tipo Sedicivalvole

"ATaylor-Jones" (alanjtaylor) 04/07/2014 at 17:35 • Filed to: LLHH, Fiat, Tipo, hot hatch, GTI, 16v, twin cam

2

14

Ask anyone to name a hot Italian hatchback and they'll probably say Lancia Delta Integrale. The Tipo Sedicivalvole shares much with the legendary Lancia. Not the turbo and 4 wheel drive sadly but much of the platform plus a 2.0 litre version of the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . But what does Sedicivalvole mean? Only the most important thing in late eighties/early nineties hot hatch badging; sixteen valves.

The Tipo had been around since late 1988 and was a big step on from its predecessor the Strada/Ritmo, even if it did share the same basic platform (as did the Delta). The boxy styling gave exceptional room inside, it was 70% galvanised to stop the rust bunnies and even won European car of the year in 1989. Sadly what the car was lacking was a proper Golf GTI rival. Fiat produced a lukewarm 110bhp 1.8 litre 8 valve from 1989 and a warmer 1.8 16v with 138bhp from 1991, unfortunately the Tipo was a bit tubby.

Although we don't think of 1180 kilos (2601 lbs) as heavy for a modern car, back in the early 90's it was positively obese for a smallish hatch. Fiat had no choice but to drop in the 2.0 litre 16 valve lump from Lancia, upping power to 148bhp and reducing 0-60 to 8.4 seconds. As with all the best Italian engines, it looked pretty damn good too. Thanks to a slippery drag co-efficient of 0.31 top speed was 128mph, more than the Golf 16v. Handling was improved with 15" alloy wheels and uprated suspension, braking was dealt with by all round discs that were vented up front.

To distinguish it from the cooking models, the Sedicivalvole got more aggressive bumpers with a red pin stripe, side skirts, a more open grille and body coloured mirrors. Inside you avoided the questionable digital dash of some models, gaining a smattering of analogue dials instead along with a leather Momo steering wheel and the option of Recaro seats. According to the wonderfully 90's !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , there was a strong eco push too, the car receiving a 3 way catalytic converter that allowed it to comply with the 1983 American clean air act. Wow.

So it was roomy, pretty well equipped, didn't rust and was reasonably fast. So why has it been forgotten? For a start it looked a bit too much like the smaller Uno, for seconds the Italians still had a bit of a reputation when it came to reliability and for thirds it just wasn't exciting enough. Still, if you do fancy one the above car is currently on sale for just £1450 here in the UK. Even though the white makes it look a bit like a refrigerator with windows, I am strangely drawn to it. With 126,000 miles on it, I fear it could only end one way, expensively.

From AJTaylor's blog !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! .

PhobosBrazil > ATaylor-Jones 04/07/2014 at 18:19

1

Wainting for BlazinAce to appear... he loves his Sedicivalvole too.

BlazinAce - Doctor of Internal Combustion > PhobosBrazil 04/07/2014 at 18:30

0

You called? :D

BlazinAce - Doctor of Internal Combustion > ATaylor-Jones 04/07/2014 at 18:45

0

:D !!!

Here's mine. You can't have one of these in four door guise, the two door is much better looking. Just like the Stilo that replaced it, the two door had both a lower beltline and top when compared to the four door version, and looked much sleeker.

Also, I'm not sure the interior pictured above is stock...

Here's mine, with the leather steering wheel and the optional Recaros. The above one could be from a different year though, mine's from late 95, probably one of the last to leave the plant.

ATaylor-Jones > BlazinAce - Doctor of Internal Combustion 04/08/2014 at 02:36

1

Fantastic looking example you have there, nice to see one in a colour that isn't red! How does it drive?

I know the stereo in the above pic isn't stock but the wheel is the Momo item I mentioned. I saw it in the video I linked to and had to get a pic :-)

BlazinAce - Doctor of Internal Combustion > ATaylor-Jones 04/08/2014 at 09:42

1

Like a million bucks. It has a couple gremlins here and there, but it's easily a better drive than most comparable cars sold in Brazil nowadays, with lots more pull and stability than even a modern Punto T Jet. And then there's the glorious Twin Cam exhaust note... I'm definitely going to go deaf because of it, but, hey, no regrets. The engine is definitely the car's highlight. Mine's pushing 19 years now and still going strong!

BlazinAce - Doctor of Internal Combustion > ATaylor-Jones 04/08/2014 at 09:55

0

As for the wheel, I'm still thinking it be due to year differences; the car in the video and the white pictured above are both pre 93, while mine and the red one on top are 1994-1995

ATaylor-Jones > BlazinAce - Doctor of Internal Combustion 04/11/2014 at 16:05

0

Ahh, the Fiat Twin Cam. Always able to produce a good tune. It's good to hear of one still going strong, the UK has a bit of a throwaway culture when it comes to cars so sadly I haven't seen one in years. Does yours have an airbag? It may explain the change....

Eazy-O > ATaylor-Jones 04/13/2014 at 06:42

0

My girlfriend's neighbour still drives one. Prolly has a hole in the exhaust, sounds a bit fartcan-ish. And you're right, when I was a kid, I'd always have to double check whether it was a Tipo or an Uno. The Ritmo was far more distinctive. Just goes to show that early '90s were kinda bland.

Ritmo Abarth, y'all:

Mr Joshua > ATaylor-Jones 04/13/2014 at 08:13

0

FIAT=Fix It Again Tomorrow.

We had the Fiat Tipo here in Brazil too and they rust out quicker than you can say "merde". Absolute crap that should never have been produced. I find it hard to think of even one modern Fiat that I would let into my garage.

Mr Joshua > BlazinAce - Doctor of Internal Combustion 04/13/2014 at 08:16

0

I live in Brazil too but as you would know, Brazil had major problems with steel quality at the time these were being built and they are just rustbuckets now. I would not give you dez centavos for a Tipo. It's one of the few cars you can actually park here and nobody will steal.

BlazinAce - Doctor of Internal Combustion > Mr Joshua 04/13/2014 at 10:07

0

Mine was made in Italy though. Not a single rust patch in the entire body. :p

Porschephile > ATaylor-Jones 04/13/2014 at 10:59

1

My Grandma had a 1.8 16v from new.

The absolute best thing about it were the electric window switches.

I shall explain: from the passenger seat, if you pressed 'up' when your window was already closed, it would make a click somewhere behind the dash. The exact same click and from the same place that the indicators made.

Ergo, I used to time my clicks with the actual indicator and carry on after it cancelled - queue Dramatic Italian Grandma going NUTS trying to cancel her indicators back and forth. Lord knows what people behind thought...

I eventually came clean about it in her last week alive two years ago and, from the 5-second look in her eyes, I think it may have slightly spoiled our once-beautiful Grandma-Grandson relationship!

ATaylor-Jones > Eazy-O 04/13/2014 at 16:54

0

These look better every time I see one.

ATaylor-Jones > Porschephile 04/13/2014 at 16:55

0

That's hilarious!