This is one of the bulkiest-looking developments of the humble and boxy Fiat Uno hatchback. Small Italian cars are rarely anything but awesome, and when they’re all puffed up with a bodykit, packing a turbo engine, they get just that little bit cooler.
The wonderfully historic Auto Giannini, originally founded all the way back in 1885, got their hands on a Turbo Uno in 1990, and this is the end result. It’s boastful.
The handiwork of the Italian tuner raises the power output of the 1.3-litre turbo unit to almost 150 horsepower from 118. There are sturdy Sparco buckets inside, and the car is lightened by about 300lbs despite the improved bodywork. The tire size is upped to 195/50R15, and the wheels are chunky if anything.
I have no clue where the Giannini Uno Turbo lies these days, and whether only one prototype was built. Surely there’s a reader somewhere who is more well-versed on punchy show car Fiats than I am.
Numero Uno: 1990 Giannini Fiat Uno Turbo i.e. Torino!
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“Small Italian cars are rarely anything but awesome, and when they’re all puffed up with a bodykit, packing a turbo engine, they get just that little bit cooler.”
Still, as I discovered on Youtube a while ago, Fiat managed to find the only way of making the Uno uncool. I don’t speak Italian and I wasn’t even born in 1992, but as someone who’s now roughly in the age demographic Fiat tried to be Fellow Kids with in this ad, I still feel the same shame as the youth of Italy combined must have felt in the 1990’s. Viewer discretion is advised. Seriously. Because you’ll have a lot of explaining to do if you start playing this among people.
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That reminds me of this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfXh1ihkigA
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Those four point belts look just a little optimistic. Much as I like the Uno, and the upgrades are all good and fun…
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Box flares!! Tuners at it:
http://fotoforum.fr/photos/2011/07/23.273.jpg
http://fotoforum.fr/photos/2011/07/23.270.jpg
http://0101.nccdn.net/1_5/0a2/18b/105/915_1325846634_260_915.jpg
http://www.invoauto.co.uk/images/Products/Exhaust/Fiat/uno3-lrg.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v305/ECL/Uno00.jpg
http://dimma.com/dimma-uno.html -
I don’t know what’s more surprising…. From Wikipedia, from the Fiat Uno entryhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiat_Uno
‘With approximately 8,800,000 built, it’s the eighth most produced automobile platform in history, after the Volkswagen Beetle, Ford Model T, Lada Riva, 1965–1970 GM B platform, 1981–1997 GM J platform, 1961–1964 GM B platform, and 1977–1990 GM B platform.’
That the Uno was a big seller, or that those GM products or the Lada would be up there too.
Trivia: The Uno was a big seller in NZ, outselling many of it’s Japanese competitors that normally rule the market here. Probably because of the competitive pricing. No other European car has been as successful since but given the way FCA is pricing the current models that might change.
And they do seem to be more rustproof than the Toyotas, Nissans, Hondas and Mazdas of the time, so that’s one shibboleth slain. I still see a few being driven around here.
One of our local garages still runs one of the Brazilian made wagon versions as a runabout- they seem to share the hatchback’s hatch with a bit tacked on at the bumper level. I doubt I’ll see a Giannini though.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/15/Fiat_penny2.jpg/1024px-Fiat_penny2.jpg
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