Fiat Ritmo

This article is about the Fiat Ritmo (Strada). For the Fiat Strada pick-up, see Fiat Strada. For the new Fiat Bravo sold as Ritmo in Australia, see Fiat Bravo (2007).

The 1978 Fiat Ritmo, styled by Bertone of Italy, was the most distinctive looking small family car in Europe on its launch in 1978 Turin Motorshow. It was badged in Britain, Canada and the U.S. as the Fiat Strada. During its production which ran from 1978 to 1988, a total of 1,790,000 were made.

History

Underneath its quirky looks the Ritmo used most of the front-wheel drive running gear which could be found in the more conventional looking 128, which continued production until 1984. A cheaper alternative to many other cars in its class from manufacturers such as Ford and Renault, the Ritmo struggled to attract buyers outside its native Italy and Spain. The 1.1L (60PS (44kW; 59bhp)), 1.3L (65PS (48kW; 64bhp)) and 1.5L (75PS (55kW; 74bhp)) petrol engines were reasonably refined and economical, but were somewhat underpowered for the size of the car, and unexciting. In 1980 the Ritmo diesel was introduced with the 1714 cc engine (55 bhp)]]. In the following year the Ritmo Super (UK: Superstrada) was introduced with a variety of small changes and, most significantly, revised engines with 75PS (55kW; 74bhp) (1300) and 85PS (63kW; 84bhp) (1500). Also in 1981, the first sporting Ritmo, the 105TC, made its appearance. This used a 1585 cc Fiat DOHC engine derived from that in the 131 producing 105PS (77kW; 104bhp). This model featured the same 14 inch wheels as the Ritmo Super, but with black centre hubcaps. UK & Irish models featured the black & silver Cromadora alloy wheels (5.5 x 14) as standard. The 105TC was distinguishable from the lesser Ritmo models by its front fog lights integrated into the front bumper, black mesh air intake, and lower hatchback rear spoiler.

A few months later the Ritmo Abarth 125TC was introduced in Europe; it was never officially sold in the UK, as the position of the exhaust downpipe would have clashed with the Right Hand Drive steering gear. The 125TC was a heavily modified and revised 105TC with a 1995 cc DOHC with 125PS (92kW; 123bhp), ventilated front discs, a new ZF gearbox, revised suspension settings and strengthened components. The 125TC version had top speed of 188km/h (117mph) and it could accelerate from 0 to 100km/h (62mph) in 8.7 seconds.[2]Significantly the Abarth models were the last true Abarth cars to be assembled on a separate Abarth production line following the Fiat buyout in 1971, thus ensuring the car of Classic status.