Back then, I had been reluctant to go down to this car meet in the IKEA Tampines car park, thinking that it would still be the usual attendees. However, some Instagram stories hinted of a wider variety than I thought, so I made my way down. I was quite surprised when I saw this 1983 Fiat Strada Cabriolet, as it was something which I had never seen before!
Fiat began the designing of the Ritmo hatchback as a replacement for the Fiat 128 sedan back in 1972. At that time, European manufacturers had started launching small family hatchbacks, notably the VW Golf in 1974. Styled by Sergio Sartorelli, the Ritmo was made using a 'robogate' system where the bodyshell assembly and welding were done by robots; this gave rise to its advertising slogan 'Handbuilt by robots'. Its named is derived from the Italian for 'rhythm' and was launched at the Turin Motor Show in 1978.
Initally, a variety of trim levels and engine types were available. In light of criticism for its basic interior trim (e.g. no fabric on door panels), Fiat added a higher-spec range with gold striping and accents on the wheels, foglights and interiors. The car was sold as the Strada in the UK and North America, deriving from the Italian for 'road'. In 1982, the Ritmo was reengineered and restyled, notably featuring twin circular headlights integrated in a separate grille, tailights fitted on the car body itself and the removal of the air scoop on the bonnet. Another facelift happened in 1985 with restyled bumpers and lower plastic panels on the doors.
The Ritmo cabriolet was originally displayed as a concept at the 1979 Frankfurt Motor Show but was sold in mainland Europe only in 1981. It was assembled by Bertone and, coinciding with the 1982 facelift, was badged as a Bertone instead of a Fiat. Before that, the last Fiat cabriolet was made back in 1954! RHD versions of the cabriolet appeared in 1983, where it was sold in the UK as a Superstrada. Bertone had to reinforce the body to compensate for the loss of structural strength. Additional strengthening around the sills and floor helped maintain rigidity, while the rear section was redesigned to accommodate the folding soft top.
The Strada/Ritmo cabriolet was powered by a 1499 cc i4 engine, allowing it to reach a top speed of 158 km/h with an acceleration of 11.9 seconds (0-100 km/h). It was 4014 mm long and weighed 920 kg, with a fuel consumption of 7.3 litres per 100 km.
Production of the Ritmo ended in 1988 with more than 2 million made. Spanish car maker SEAT also made a derivative known as the SEAT Ritmo, with production between 1979 to 1982. Ritmos were sold in Singapore in 1980 first in 75CL 5-door hatchback version, where they retailed for S$24,000. Local reviews noted its functional design and luxurious seats, good handling and aerodynamics, though it was noted to have ill-fitted joints on the glove compartment and a confusing door lock mechanism. The top-tier Ritmo Abarth 130TC subsequently appeared in 1985, though the cabriolet did not appear to have been officially sold here.
This particular unit was registered on 1 Aug 1983, and appeared to be sold by Tony Brooks Ltd in Byfleet. It was unwittingly photographed in 1992 and by the time the car was imported into Singapore, it had covered more than 57,000 miles with a few teething problems. It was on display at a car meet in 2023 but has yet to appear in recent times.
It is quite amazing to come across a relatively unknown car with a rather interesting history: Fiats of the 1980s are not as well-kept or collectible compared to other European makes. Hopefully the car will be registered soon so that more of you can catch a sight of this rarity!
No comments:
Post a Comment