1979 Fiat 127 Sport driven - and enjoyed!
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- Опубліковано 17 лип 2024
- As arguably the first supermini (certainly to the modern formula), the Fiat 127 is something a bit special. This colourful Sport is even more so, with a Weber carburettor and other engine tweaks to turn it into a quite hilarious, yet practical, little car.
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My Dad bought a black one when I was a child in the 70s. He absolutely loved it......My Dad just walked in while I was watching this video......He was transfixed, his abiding memory was transmission whine.
My dad had one too.
Fiat 127 was my first car had 44hp and was 30 year old compared to my 18
Fabulous car. I remember having a test drive in a new Fiat 128 . I couldn’t afford one but the sales bloke didn’t know that . It had just launched in the UK. What an eye opener. The engine was a revelation compared to any competitor. The noise and the way it revved. The car was roomy, comfortable and charming. Fiat made some of the best small cars at that time .
That's really true.
Totally agree with you. They also made a miniature camper, i cant remember the model name. Really small but such fun to drive. We had a beige one and it was so small the passenger rubbed shoulders with the driver!
@@tilerman perhaps the miniature camper was the 850-900 T?
@@riccardosabatini353 Thanks. Thats the one, the 900t. I always though they would look pretty cool painted matt black with tinted windows and alloys! Or perhaps that's just me!
@@tilerman Why not? I think old cars may let your creativity flow better than modern cars (my opinion, of course). Saluti!
Watching Iain Tyrrell tune and drive an older Ferrari 456 and HubNut just having fun with an old orange Fiat is an interesting study in contrasts. I admire Mr.Tyrrell's work, but I know for sure which car I'd prefer to live with. It's the one that encourages bonus hoon footage.
I owned the 75 hp version, with a 1300 cc engine. I liked that car.
That’s the best looking 127 I think I’ve ever seen, Viva Italia. Very interesting car, nice find
I don’t remember them looking that nice when they were brand new. In fact I knew a Fiat dealer and most of the new cars had to have paint before they went into the showroom, not so much rust in brand new cars, mostly minor damage from the shipping and delivery from Italy, but rust was not unknown in brand new, as yet unsold, cars..
Andrew Stones Back in the 70s when there were constant strikes in Italy, unpainted cars would sit outside in the salt air. The crappy Russian steel they got in the Lada deal didn’t help either
127 MK2 the Best looking 127
The dad of an old school friend of mine had one of these, it was class. Although one time when he was driving us home from a birthday party the driver's side door wouldn't close. My 8 year old self found it hilarious, my 40 year old self....... Still finds it hilarious. Maybe my wife is right about my lack of maturity.
Its funny, these were considered junk when I was a kid but I'd love one now.
The golf mk 1 handled like a flatulent lord after a bullingdon club meal.
Remember, it was only called junk by idiots.
@@pereldh5741 exactly. The Fiat 127 was one of the finest super mini of its generation. When it comes to the issue of rust, all cars of the time had the same issues, except for top cars.
@@TheKenjoje true. It is all a legend, of those who speak without knowing, to claim the opposite
@@TheKenjoje I would say late 80s. The Fiat Tipo was the first full galvanised car for Fiat.
The first car, that I "piloted" on my own - with my uncle in the seat next to me, mind you - was excatly this model, and also in a bright orange! Happy days! I was about 13 years old, and the car was nearly new ;-)...
First car I "piloted" was when I was about eight, and it was my godfather's Vauxhall Victor. I was sat in his lap :)
That colour! In my late teens I remember lusting for a Fiat Mirafiora Sport in that colour, with a big black grille, bumpers and other trim, it looked the bee's knees.
It was actually much better than the bees knees.
My classmate's dad had a blue metallic one and since Fiat was big on the rally scene he tried to impress us kids, we had big smiles on our faces sliding around in the backseat, without safety belts of course, this was the 70's!
@@robenglish416 a local Curit had one. She was a gorgeous light metallic red twin cam 5 speed. Sadly, for some unknown reason he committed a terrible sin, he painted her black with a brush. 🤔 Definitely not an improvement.
@@seancooke4127 I bought a Mirafiora estate to tow my 127 race car as I thought they'd match nicely. Went to see it at night. All I can remember is that the seller had a broken foot and was on crutches. The price was right so I didn't bother with a test drive. I just handed over the cash and gave the keys to my brother-in-law and he drove it home for me. The next morning I looked out of my bedroom window to survey my new steed...and screamed.
It had been brush painted in magnolia household gloss.
It's the only car I ever owned that I never drove.
@@DealerD8vE I remember watching a stock car event at Aghadowey race circuit one evening. It was Vivas, mk2 Escorts, Granadas, Cortinas, Bluebirds and a single 127 Fiat. The 127 managed about 6 or 7 laps then got to close to a tyre in the infield and rolled three times. Just too small and narrow for a stock car race on dirt. Fair play to the chap who drove it though. He was game cos he was on the ragged edge from the start right up until the inevitable. Pure entertainment
My first car was exactly one of these in black a 1979 V reg, I wish I still had it, so much fun, always window down to hear the exhaust rasps.
Memories of the early 80’s hooning around the lanes around the Belfry and Wishaw. I had a Mk1 escort, but used to jump at the chance of driving my mates little Fiat, which was identical to this. 0-60 as always is a poor benchmark because this little thing with its close gears was unbeatable around the lanes, up and down the gears with the revs high. There was a simple brake upgrade from the Fiat parts bin, which in the day was cheap as so many Fiats ended up in the scrappy. He had a tiny pancake filter and a strait thru to a Cherry Bomb......it sounded like a rallye car. Iv had all incarnations of mk1 and 2 Golf Gtis later on and nothing got close to the fun of this Fiat, only later when I drove 106 and 306 Rallyes did I get near to this experience. This could be my favourite HubNut car of all time.
My husband borrowed one in 1979 for a week. Fiat must've impressed him because he went to the fiat dealers. He didn't buy a 127 though he bought the next one up. A 128 3P Berlinetta which really was a gorgeous sporty looking car. Was rally red with amazing stripes & fancy seats
Lovely 127 in the most right colour for it!
Considering their age, they look so modern!
This brings back memories. My mum had the cooking version when I was about 10 and my little brother was about 5. She kept it for about three years and it was great. Later on she had a couple of Unos, and a flat glass Panda. FIAT really knew how to do small cars and the success of the new 500 and Pandas show they are back on form. I hope they can survive for a long while to come as we need a car company whose products don't shout, "Smug".
....and just up the road from where you were filming is my Yugo 45 cabriolet 😉 - gorgeous car the 127, that example especially.
When I were a lad my old man went to buy a used car and there was an orange 127 sport day next to a green 128. He chose the dull, but bright, saloon 128.
That car in south américa is the Fiat 147. I have one and is my lovely car (look my profile picture jajajaja) My car have the 1.3 Liters 4 cylinders engine, two holes carburator, 5 speed mechanic gearbox. best regards from Colombia.
When my mate and I were 17 we went with his dad (who was over 6ft and had a stout tummy) AND A DOUBLE-BASS on a journey 70 miles each way, in a Fiat 127.
The double-bass was laid diagonally, with its fat bottom on the parcel shelf, and the head with the tuning pegs on the dashboard against the corner of the windscreen in front of the front passenger. Amazed we all fitted, but we did, and with very little discomfort.
I bought an old Punto as a runaround and get the same fizzy Fiat experience, it's a blast. I drive it more then my modern car as it is just such fun. Love to see a review on a Strada
In the states we had the 128. The gearbox was a superb design, the geartrain ran on brass bushings instead of bearings, and it was simple and very easy to repair. One of the driveshafts was a nested type and this reduced the tendency of a front wheel drive car to pull to one side under acceleration. The 127 was never sold in the States.
As a fellow Yank, I just gotta ask you what you think when you see pedal clusters pushed to the left because of wheel arch intrusion, putting the accelerator into the middle of the foot well. Obviously, "whatever you know first is right" and one can get used to anything...but I always think I'd much rather have the accelerator at the end of a straight leg and, if something has to be offset, let it be the clutch.
I had a Zastava Yugo in the 80s. Sounded pretty much the same as this one. Lasted me well.
Well that’s put me in my place ! Went to an Italian car rally recently where I drooled over an immaculate Fiat 128 Rally , the modern Maseratis I ignored.
Dad used to own a Zastava version of this (the Yugoslav' take on this very vehicle). I remember how he was amazed on the Zastava to be miles apart from a Trabant, in driving experience... Now I have to drive both and see .. you made me WANT this! :D
I have always been a big fan of French cars, but nobody can style a car like the Italians. That car is GORGEOUS. What a cutie.
@Lord Rupert yes the Italians have drawn some ugly cars but the prettiest ones are almost always styled by an Italian. I don't just mean Italian cars - lots of pretty Peugeots, Triumphs, even the Mazda 1500 were Italian styled.
A friend of mine had a Yugo 45 with a leaky cylinder head and not being the engineering type went on to totally balls up the block trying to get a snapped head bolt out.
So not being able to find another Yugo engine (why would you want to?) I persuaded the friend to go all out and get a scrapped 127 I'd seen in a yard.
It took 2 days to pop everything needed (including a fuel gauge...not factory fitted by Yugo!) Into the beige monster.
Fun times indeed seeing off xr2's and xr3's around Bury.
Sweet memories. A car from my car history. I had a 127 with 903 engine, 1 inch widened rims and an extra 5 mm wheel spacer. He really went around the corner like a cart.
Ditto... 903 cc, head ports polished, sport exhaust, tarox discs, egn would rev forever...
You were smiling so much that it must've been amazing fun. Those rims are amazing
Fab video! Love Fiats, would be great to see one in your garage. I own the Grande Punto eleganza that Matt from Furious driving reviewed
What a lovely little car! As with all Fiats, it has that "revvy" sounding engine and the noise makes one want to drive it harder-brilliant!
What a smashing little car! Have to say, I'm sold on it.
I had a 128 3p Berlinetta with the amazing kick down Dellorto carb it looked like a shed but was faster than an XR3i it needed constant tuning to get it to run right but rust got it in the end still happy days
70 bhp,that's more than my 1.3 Vauxhall nova had when I was 18 ! I'm 44 now ,that was my second car 😊
Can you imagine that now - the hp of the car on a badge. Brilliant...just brilliant Happy Days
@@paredding the that's done quite a bit on Ford's like the st 220 ,Vauxhall used to as well like the cavalier Sri 130 I rd mostly done in America with ford mustangs and dodge rams 😊
Never had one but back in the day I had a 1979 Strada 65CL in ORANGE and later a 1998 Uno 60S which had a 1100 engine, both felt quicker than they were but great fun. The condition of this 127 is stunning and lovely to see its a Sport, I think the door mirtor is correct and looks similar to those fitted to the Ferrari 308. The later 127's had a GT with the 1300 cc engine and 5 speed box.
Just been thinking how well this car has dated the proportions are really good.
Yes those are the correct mirrors - and much sought after. The ball joint in the arm can seize making it difficult to adjust the mirror. Apply too much force and you'll break off the housing. Don't ask me how I know...
You're correct about the later GT. The Sport's 1049 "Brazil" engine/4 speed combo makes it feel fast and frenetic. The extra torque of the 1300 with the extra cog made for a better all-rounder - if you could live with its looks.
Many aficionados regard a tuned version of the original and legendary 903 OHV engine as being the most fun of all.
The gen3 version with the ugly plastic add-ons was only called a GT in the UK, Fiat UK renamed it from Sport to get it into a lower insurance group, the word Sport sent it up the groups while GT apparently was okay?!?!? . As you say they are the correct Sport Mirrors, the standard 127 versions used mirrors which were common to the 126, 127 and 128.
@@ncbhtc Thanks, I had no idea about the name change. And as if the gen3 GT/Sport wasn't pig ugly enough, it also lost those gorgeous mirrors. I retrofitted a pair onto my race car.
Oooohhhh my god, I can't believe it. You tested really one of my favourite cars! Those days I spent most of the summer hollydays in Italy and from the age of a young boy I loved those cars a lot. Always I thought, when I will ever get my license, I will definitly buy one like that as my first car. So when I got my license in 1985 I was always searching for a 127. Unfortunately most of them rusted quickly. My neighbours daughter had a 45 HP version from 1977. Most of the weekends he was busy with some repairs. Also he complained about the rust. Most of the 127 here in Germany were sold with engines between 40 or 50 HP. The Sport versions between 70 or 75 HP. The ordinary 127 versions you could get somewhat cheap second hand. But only 50 HP was to slow I thought. And the Sport versions were rare and always expensive, even second hand, and as a young beginner who startet a first job training I could'nt afford them. Also the insurance was very expensive. So the choice of my first car was not the 127, even when I loved them a lot. Instead of that I got a 1978 Opel Kadett C (Chevette) 1.2l with 68.000 km on the clock. I loved it a l lot, but I could'nt really recognize that it was a better choice than the Fiat, because it rusted as quickly and many parts got broken and had to be changed. But those days it was easy to find second hand parts on the scrapyard. Dear Ian. Thank you a lot to give us this impression of this very beautyfull small Italien car. I like to see more of entertaining roadtests like this. 👍👍👍
My dad had the later 127 with the indicators in the side and it was a blue comfort model, early childhood memories of RAC men jump starting it. What a lovely little sport sounds fun, looks fun and that's what fiat do!
You have to give it to the Italians for their lively, rev happy motors and tidy handling. Love the funky orange colour. I’d happily spend a day in one.
My friend had the exact same car .... it was a Babe Magnet when we were 19/20/21
Knickers came off faster than at a Tom Jones concert, Boyo ....
Try to explain that to an American
This video brings back happy childhood memories of package holidays to Spain in the 70's. The hire cars were always Seat 127's. Usually with bald and/or egged tyres and dented and scratched bodywork.
I learnt to drive in a 127 fantastic little car, wished it was a Sport. Thank you for bringing back great memories..
Had a bad day ? Have a wiz out with this, that should put a smile back on your face.
I can proudly say, perhaps for the first time, that in Argentina we got the mos powerfull 127 based production car, the 147 Sorpasso. A true pocket rocket
Now that's interesting. What kind of engine did that have?
@@ralfhenke677 the same 1.1lt ohc but with a rework done by IAVA (Industria Argentina de Vehículos de Avanzada), some sort of a sport division of Fiat Argentina during the 70s and early 80s
@@ralfhenke677 the fiat 147 sorpasso has an 1.3 lt engine, with performed camshaft, close gear ratio,,sport exhaust sistem, a solex 34,34, carburator and manifold, and 90hp, in the exterior, has an special bumper, with an spolier incorporated, a rear spolier in the back door, and all cames in two color body, i owns one of the few remaining sorpassos
@@marcelomenendez1971 Thanks! Interesting car. I know the European 70 hp Sport version which is a joy to drive but never heard of the Sorpasso. 90 hp must be a hoot! ;-)
@@ralfhenke677 thanks ralf, if you put in google fiat 147 sorpasso you can see it,
The daft grin on your face as you tonk it down the road shows how much fun that little car is!
I owned a 1976 127 special from 85-87. Special in that it had bri nylon seats, heated rear window and cigarette lighter. Was a good first car for me 😁
I went on a school trip to Littlecote House in the early 90's. They had a car museum then. Shame it's gone now.
I've always preferred fun cars over fast 👍
I as thinking it looked like Longleat til I saw the sign for Littlecote.
Thanks Ian! This was my first car! Fun started above 4000 rpm I remember.
The Fiat 127 was my first car I had a 1978 (S Reg) in Red. Sadly not the sport version but still fun to drive. I passed my test at 17 in 1986. sadly i didnt have it long. It was a bit of a rust bucket by the time I got it and then it was broken into, so I traded it in for a 1982 Chocolate and Gold Vauxhaull Chevette (X Reg).
By the way, I was taken to the Zastava (Yugo) factory in Kragujevac, Serbia (former Yugoslavia) for a brief look around whilst working nearby.
The car my friend had was a little Red Zaz 965 which also looked a bit FIAT inspired.
Ford loved em they were the pony car for the original Fiesta using Fiat shells with ford engines. The original plan was to use Fiat engines in the Fiesta but Fiat said no(missed opportunity as Fiat later sold engines to both GM and Ford(1.9 diesel a legend)and the Ford KA mark two is a Fiat 500 built at the Fiat factory in Poland ). Goes some way why the original Fiesta looks like a Fiat 127.
A great car, a great review, thanks.
Great video, just subscribed you! The only thing, when you got the bonet open you should start and run the engine as well, so we can listen to the engine sound. I always do in my videos, have a look at them please!
I’m glad you brought up the Primula - one of the most important, yet forgotten cars of the late 60s! This 127 is superb - I always liked these a lot, and also the Palio special edition, which my friend’s mum owned.
I had one of these back in the day, same colour too !😁
With my lifelong love affair of Fiat's (which started when I was about 7 and I'm now 48) I am SO jealous of you right now, Ian 😂 glad to see you driving her how a Fiat wants and needs to be driven too - basically thrashing the guts through the gears 😂 I've now got a 1.2 Grande Punto and when I first bought it I didn't like it, it was so remarkably gutless for a Fiat - then I remembered...thrash her through the gears...I'm now having much more fun in her 😂 and in fact, the rev guage doesn't even have a red line. I could tell by the look on your face that you really enjoyed this one. Great video....still jealous
Absolutely love this car - the colour is fantastic! I naturally assume this one has been restored? It’s beautiful. Gutted the rear wiper has been removed - how rude! Regardless of problems - you cannot deny the appeal and charisma of any Fiat. Great video Ian!
my dad used several of these for rally sport and slalom , love them and the smell of mobil shc;))) my dream car would be a 72 128 coupe, 1300 s
What a beautiful car! They remind me of my childhood, not because anybody in my family ever had one, but because you’d see them all over Britain in the 1970s and 1980s. Of course, they never sold in huge numbers like, say, a Metro, and even back in the day they were known for rusting and poor reliability, but what a great looking, practical car! The second gen facelift made it look prettier, in my opinion. This one is a true survivor and obviously somebody has spent a lot of time and effort making this car look as good as it does. Would love to drive it! Thanks HubNut for taking us along for the ride!
My mum got one of these new, same colour (orange, not black!) and found it too nippy so as a 19yr.old I got to run it in and use it. I was cool!!!
Oh, YES PLEASE !!.
I had a black one, with an orange stripe, back in the 80’s, it was fabulous.
Although something broke or fell off it every week it was a very fun, fizzy little car to own and, as a mechanic at the time, it was easy to fix and super cheap to run.
Haven’t seen one for years, probably not many left in the U.K. but, THANK YOU Ian for this video, many happy memories.
Cheers.
Such a lovely car, my favourite 127!! My parents had 2 series 1s and a 128 series 2 in the 70s and I remember drooling over this Sport version as a little boy in the showroom of my uncle's FIAT dealership.. Wonderful video, Ian! We need more of this Italian spice 🇮🇹🏁👌😊
i had a couple of these, then i got the van version for a little business i had, when the engine blew i swapped it for a sport engine and interior, it was a fantastic van and left several people cursing my dust.
That was a lot of fun. Little zippy is perfect for all around enjoyment.😀
My goodness, that one makes all the right noises! Delightful.
Gryf Ketcherside k
Reminds me of a mk 1 Punto I had, bog standard basic but the 1.1 litre engine was an absolute blast, Fiat really knew how to make a little car sooooooooo much fun! Wish I still had it 😊
me and my friend had one, both rust on same spot behind driver seat in size of football, you could see right through if you remove floor mat
my dream car when I was a lad, sadly only had a 900cl, but with a lot of the sport equipment, including the black headliner and the AMAZING steering wheel. rarer than hens teeth in denmark now (and also 20 years ago)
Cracking little car! Fiat really knew how to make good engines back in the day. The Fiat 127 was great fun, and very exciting when you discovered the brakes were abysmal. Fiat handbrakes were just for show! I also loved my Unos, both had 1.1 engines and were surprisingly quick. Those engines never seemed to give up. They had a nice power band as well!
Now cars are almost twice as heavy and the engines are burdened with emission control gear, so despite the advances in engine technology in the last 40 years, small petrols actually feel a lot slower now. I could never get on with a small engined modern car.
Brilliant video, thanks. I had one of these in the same orange (W reg) back in the 80's for a couple of years as a 19 year old. It was quick, not fast, but lots of fun to drive and handled very well.
Bad points for me were cruising on the motorway at 70 was almost impossible as IIRC it was doing almost 5000RPM's and very tiring. I once did 80 for an extended period along the M54 to Wales and ended up with a headache and half the tank of petrol gone.
It would do the ton, but at almost the red line of 7200RPM. That engine did love to rev, not much torque, but plenty of high end power for an 1100. Of course mine rusted away over the couple of years I owned it and bits started to fall off; the side protectors were fastened through holes, not glued on and they ended up flapping about a bit as the rust advanced.
On A and B roads in Wales it was tons of fun. I did work out the MPG over a couple of tanks of fuel and I was getting 25 MPG! But I was 19 and didn't care, driving at 9/10ths everywhere and it never let me down.
One point on the car test driven. I seem to remember the mirrors on mine were shallower, more rectangular and somewhat bigger. Mine also had an enormous ashtray where the oil pressure and clock were on the one in the video. I had a volt gauge and an ammeter retro fitted by the previous owner on the right and a radio where that cubby on the left was.
Mine also had air horns, but the switch in the middle of the steering wheel was dodgy, so to sound the horn you had to press the button and simultaneously turn the steering wheel left and right a little to make it work. Looking like a nutter swerving along the road with an intermittent horn that sounded like there was a large train arriving any second.
There was a 1300 version with 75HP and a 5 speed gearbox, I'm not sure I ever saw one on the road.
I watched the video with a smile and it brought back some nice memories, I remember winding people telling them that I "drive an Italian sports car".
That car has been looked after beautifully to look that good, a credit to the owner.
Bigger Mirrors and Large Ashtray were part of the L and CL spec, are you sure you weren't sold a fake?? I don't remember mine running out of steam on Motorways.
The door mouldings on mine rotted away after about 3 years and were a fortune to replace so I fitted standard L mouldings to cover the holes. Didn't look as nice but were 20% of the price of the sport ones.
@@ncbhtc I don't think it was a fake, I insured it for a couple of years and it was expensive, shame I don't have the log book anymore. Apart from the ashtray and mirrors everything else about it was identical to the car in the video (rev counter, speedo, steering wheel and all the badges and trim etc). Given that mine was definitely geared strangely compared to the video car and it was just about able to match an XR3i from a standing start to 60 (or so), I wonder if my gearbox was swapped? The previous owner added some extra gauges and the air horns and the installation and wiring looked competent so maybe they made more changes I wasn't aware of.
@@Potts1966 Standard Spec didn't get the rev counter so it sounds good, maybe just owned by a smoker who wanted the big ashtray..
Utterly gorgeous. Remember seeing a blue one parked near my school around 1979/1980
“It is the Italians -and the Italians alone- who possess the ability to provide a car, even a 1 liter family car, with the sound and feel of a race car” -Car & Driver, 1969
I get the vague impression you quite enjoyed that ! Great review of a (now) very rare little car and good to hear someone singing the praises of the great Dante Giacosa who proved that a logical design can also be a lot of fun ! I was doing a fair bit of road rallying back in the late 70s in the era when modified Mnis, Imps and Escorts were the standard tools of the trade, a couple of guys in the same club as me bought 127 Sports at the time, bolted on a set of spots and were instantly competitive with a car that was also civilised transport throught the week. I also read somewhere recently that a director of engineering from Ford US hired a 127 on a trip to Europe in the early 70s and was so taken with it he initiated the line of development that eventually spawned the first Fiesta !!
That car brings back some memories. My father had a 127 Sport for a few years in the early 1980s. One day in 1984 he stacked it into the side of an Audi 80 a when i was a passenger. I was aged 10. The Audi drove away but the entire front of the Fiat was shunted to one side. We both walked away with just bruises. I do remember driving the car round his private business yard with him in the passenger seat. I must have been about 8 or 9 years old.
I've always loved these, so nice to see one up close. In the long tradition of brilliant small Fiats. Series 2 looks the best to me as well.
Brilliant cars and went like the clappers. Front indicator lens and lights used on Maserati Biturbo. The 127 Sport was ahead of its time and was the affordable GTI.
Heh. Me like :) Whoever your new camera assistant is, keep them on - it's adding a new dimension to the videos. Now, what I'd like to see is a comparison with a forgotten Renault - a 5 Gordini. The Gordini cars seem to be all but forgotten now - my neighbour had an 8 Gordini many years ago.
That looks like immense fun. 😀 Its in the best colour too. Someone who lived near my 1st and Middle schools in the 1980s had an orange and black Mirafiori. It looked very sexy.
Also worthy of note is that Steph from "I drive a classic" has driven a SEAT version of this.
Great video as usual, and it was really nice to see the car in motion drive past - something that should be part of all videos if possible, please. Love the camera work by your assistant!
Do my eyes not deceive me... has Mr HubNut sir... got a camera person; look at you being all of the professional lol.
I think it is Miss Hubnut!!! 🙂
Thanks Hub Nut - lovely video as usual. This was my dream car as a 12 year old boy. That fruity sound is just great as you pulled away. Available in Black (most popular) silver and orange. Noticed the choke on the steering column and the single speaker for radio at the end of the dashboard on the passenger side. Luxury. We had the bog standard series one car with 903cc engine and two doors (notch boot). It had no sound proofing and first gear was almost impossible to find. My uncle had one and he always started in second 😁
Thats a beauty! Remember seeing these in the showroom - my mum had a T reg 126 at the time - perhaps not quite so 'cool'! (but i loved that car...). Small fiats with 'raggable' engines rock!
Definitely makes for a better viewing with a camera assistant, as you know doing film alone can look static, Miss H is doing sterling work. 👍
That looked such fun! There’s not a lot can beat thrashing a little engine and feeling like you’re on the ragged edge, but only travelling at 45mph!👍
Great video, that!!
Loved this! I owned a black one in the late 80s, and adored it! Great fun, and 70 bhp was phenomenal for a 1050cc engine at the time; it revved out to 7K as I remember! Enough power to have fun, but not get into trouble. Thanks for finding this, and a great video - the smile says it all!
Remember we had a Fiat 850 when I was a kid my mother taking us to school, came to turn at a roundabout car went straight on never forgotten that episode, never looked at fiats in the same light since
Hubnut, now with added Cameraman or Camerawoman. Lovely video, lovely car.
I have already watched the video three times, a cousin of mine had exactly the same car and what fun we had with it! And a compliment for the good quality, nothing beats a professional camera(wo)man :-)
The Autobianchi/127/128 layout certainly set the standard for all small to medium cars thereafter. It was common knowledge that other makers (e.g. VW and Opel) bought 128s to dismantle and see what made them tick. In addition to the engine/transmission layout (as you mention, Iain) refinements such as McPherson Struts all round and spigot-located wheels were also trend setters. Thanks for the video.
This is the coolest thing ever, I bet it's a riot to drive!! Superb 😍😍😍
Lovely . My Dad had a 128 for 13 years brilliant engine great sound !
Thoroughly enjoyed that - impressed to see some dynamic camera work during the drive segment too, very swish.
looks like someone (the owner?) was filming him as he reviewed it :)
Im currently restoring a Fiat 127 sport 1300 with some friends that belonged to my dad. Its a really unique car and there are like 19 left in The Netherlands, so I can't wait to get it back on the road after sitting still for 30+ years
Hubnut....you legend! I had one of these as my first car. Every day I ask myself why I sold it.
Sounds lovely. I remember how very sporty these appeared to ten year old me in '79!
Ah a good old Fix It Again Tony. I've always loved the sound of the starter motors on older Fiat's and the engines are bombproof as well.
I mean these engines weren't all THAT good. Had a Zastava 101, and at about 130k km on it the engine was just constantly unhappy. Nothing a week's worth of repairing couldn't fix but still much better engines out there.
@@GlamStacheessnostalgialounge Were Zastava units built to the same standard? In my experience, fitting contactless ignition, cleaning the carb, fitting a fuel line filter and a new alternator would take maximum 1 days work and you were good to go - forever!
@@DealerD8vE I honestly think they were built better than Fiats, or maybe it's just our mentality of keeping cars MUCH longer than western countries that made them last longer. But the engines very often started developing fatal issues around 130-150k km, many needed engine rebuilds, but then also I've seen cars that rolled over 3-4 times and ran like a clock with the original engine.
Fix it again tomorrow!
@@GlamStacheessnostalgialounge True, we take it for granted that modern cars can do that kind of distance no sweat. But back then, doing 130-150k km in a Fiat would indeed be pushing it.
However, I've owned several and taken two on pan-European trips. I only had problems with the ancillaries rather than the engine itself.
That's if I don't count racing at Mallory Park. At the very least, you'd better baffle the sump before tackling that track's sweeping right-hander, or you'll be waving goodbye to your bigends for sure.
I had one in a rather more restrained livery of silver grey . Agree about pedals which were a bit too dainty for me and the wiper slap !!!I had this for three years and apart from minor paintwork issues it served me well . It replaced my subaru and people thought I was mad because I was in a Highland area but it never let me down . I replaced it with a Chevette ....that was a mistake . Great video !!
AHH the sights and sounds of my childhood!! my dad had the Series 2 similar to this but in 1050CL trim. Like most 127s it dissolved before it was 7 years old. But the memories all came flooding back
9:18 the view from the back seat
10:13 the sound of a Fiat 127 not starting (almost)
10:51 The first gear whine!
Even in standard trim the little engines made rorty Italian noises.
When I was about 16 a friend of ours got himself one of these as a first car. Tearing around hilly Torquay with five teens in it was a hoot although there were times we thought some of us might have to get out and push. That was the hot summer of 1995 i think. His next car was a 1st gen, non-turbo Renault 5 that overheated *constantly*. Well done on finding one that wasn't a pile of orange dust 20 years ago! I'm guessing it's either been restored or squirreled away in a dry barn or garage somewhere since the Eighties.
Great camera work in the passenger seat. Focusing on the road at the right times and on Mr Hubnut when necessary. Feel like this is the next level point of the channel.
Thanks. Won't be possible every video, but she did a great job.
What a cracking little car. Perfect colour as well. Also the perfect epitome of why the sensation of speed is what’s fun rather than absolute speed.
December 1985: I just turned 18 years, received my driver's licence on my birthday and took my sister's FIAT 127 (1972) for a spin. A few weeks later I bought my very first car: a 1979 FIAT 127 1050 CL (corrosione larga). Growing up in a non-motorised family I didn't have any clue about this italian diva and how to repair it. After two years I had enough and bought a 1972 Mercedes-Benz 200 D (with absolutely no extras). This was the right decision! But: the concept of the 127 and it's design are great. So, thanks for this road test and the time warp!
I cycled down that valley some time in the 70's, glad you weren't coming the other way. 🤣 Stay safe.
Little Fiats sure do make their driver grin. You seem to have rather enjoyed testing this one Ian!
I loved my 127, it had severe rust but by God it was so much fun to drive.
1991 i had this Version when i became 18 years . 1050ccm 69hp . Lot of fun with this reving engine . And many hours of work at the chasis to make to rebuild .Once i build in the 1300 75hp from the later model . The problem was that it reved only 6000 rpm and so the top speed was only 140 kph . The 5 speed gearbox couldnt be fixed because there is no space from the chasis . The newer one was build for 5 speed , the older one not . So i replaced it again to the old conditions . And the sound of the 1050 was better also . Great moments to remember to the youth . Thanks for showing