Monthly Archives: May 2020

Gandini, Lamborghini

1998 Lamborghini Diablo VT Roadster

How often have you heard of someone who had a Lamborghini Countach hung up on their bedroom wall in their childhood? We weren't around for Cannonball Run, so we never bonded with the Countach. Instead, we idolized the Diablo - in scale model form in place of the bedroom poster. And, the reason we picked this particular Diablo is due to its resemblance to the 1993 Diablo featured in Dumb & Dumber.

Really, the red on tan caught our eye because of the movie association. The movie car was actually not a VT model like this one, so it would have been a more hardcore Diablo, lacking the AWD and power steering of the VT models. We've always been puzzled by AWD roadsters when a RWD version exists, but the two features don't necessarily need to be utilized at the same time.

Continue reading 1998 Lamborghini Diablo VT Roadster →
Giugiaro, Maserati

2004 Maserati Coupe GT

The Maserati Coupe and Spyder bridge the De Tomaso and Fiat ownership eras at Maserati. The 3200GT, on which the Coupe is based, was the first new chassis developed under Fiat's sole ownership of Maserati. The twin-turbo V8 was borrowed from the Quattroporte IV, which remained on a De Tomaso era Biturbo chassis.

Ferrari's 50% stake in the outfit led to a substantially improved version of the 3200GT, renamed the Coupe and Spyder. Ferrari took advantage of its new luxury division to send the Enzo racing in Maserati MC-12 form, and it released its new F136 V8 to market in the Maserati Coupe before later introducing an uprated version of the engine in the F430. Better to get the teething issues out on the Maseratis than the Ferraris, we'd say.

Continue reading 2004 Maserati Coupe GT →
Ferrari, Pininfarina

1989 Ferrari Mondial T – Revisit

1 Comment

The odometer on this black Ferrari Mondial T, featured here in February of last year, hasn't moved a single click in the span of 15 months since its first listing. Conversely, the price has softened by 8%. Our attraction to this example? Steadfast, if not even stronger.

The Mondial can seem like a compromised 308 or 328, when in reality it is more fairly compared to something like the 964 generation of Porsche 911, which came to market in the 1989 model year. Both are high-end sports coupes with both engine and a pair of passengers (theoretically) located aft of the driver. From a 3.6L boxer 6, the 911 manages 247hp, while the Ferrari produces 300hp from only 3.4L of displacement. That fact that the Ferrari tops out at around 158mph while the Porsche carries on until 163mph is an indication that the Mondial T is geared to rip, with a shorter final drive. Once into the power band, the Ferrari is likely to trounce the Porsche on acceleration.

Continue reading 1989 Ferrari Mondial T – Revisit →
Maserati

1990 Chrysler TC By Maserati

As car enthusiasts, we sometimes respond irrationally to brands that we perceive as the mark of excellent engineering. The Chrysler TC By Maserati features pistons by Mahle, a Cosworth and Maserati cylinder head, a transmission by Getrag, and the list goes on. If we were to assess the TC solely on the merits of its component suppliers, it would rank among the greats. But, the whole probably comes up short of the sum of the parts.

The TC rides on a modified Chrysler K-car platform - specifically, the truncated chassis of a Dodge Daytona. Bodywork was a product of Innocenti facilities in Turin, while the final assembly took place in Milan. The intercooled Turbo II powertrain was an amalgam of Chrysler and specialty components. The base engine was similar to a standard Chrysler Turbo II, while the cylinder head was cast in a Cosworth foundry and assembled by Maserati.

Continue reading 1990 Chrysler TC By Maserati →
Centro Stile Fiat, Fiat

1997 Fiat Barchetta

The original Fiat 124 Spider production ceased in 1985, leaving about ten years between the 124 Spider and the Barchetta replacement. Compare this to the continuity at Alfa Romeo, where the Spider nameplate didn't skip a beat between the Series 4 spider and the 916 series Spider, swapping out RWD for FWD without so much as a name change. That Fiat abandoned its old nameplate to position the Barchetta as a new model was wise to us, as it allowed the Barchetta at least a chance at being evaluated in its own context.

In our experience, the formula for a hot hatch doesn't feel out of place in a roadster. Sports car reflexes are lost when the chassis is mined from a FWD economy car, but the result is far from hopeless. We've spent a lot of time behind the wheel of a first-generation Audi TT - a car that by all logic should be a disapointment - and yet the car just feels like a droptop GTI. No need to fret the FWD, in our opinion.

Continue reading 1997 Fiat Barchetta →
Fiat

1984 Fiat 127 Fiorino

The Fiorino on this Fiat 127 pickup name caught us up for a minute, as we confused it with the Fiorano test track at the Ferrari manufacturing center in Maranello. Look, if you owned over 50% of Ferrari, wouldn't you be tempted to borrow just a handful of names? How about an Alfa Romeo 75 GTO? Or a Fiat 130 Coupe Lusso? Again, we were confused by a vowel and this never actually happened, but the idea is pretty amusing.

The Fiat 127 would be analogous to a Volkswagen Polo, but since the Polo was never offered in a pickup truck version, we'll compare it to the slightly larger Golf Caddy. In this comparison, the Giugiaro-bodied Golf takes the prize on design. Really, no compact from the car stands a chance against the German Golf. They squeezed the very best from Giugiaro on that design, that's for sure.

Continue reading 1984 Fiat 127 Fiorino →
Abarth, Centro Stile Fiat, Fiat

1984 Fiat Ritmo Abarth 130TC

The Fiat Ritmo Abarth range started out with a relatively tame offering, the Fiat Ritmo Abarth 105TC. It aped the famous VW Golf GTI's performance, producing 104bhp from its 1.6L mill. As time went on, the Ritmo Abarths continued to see more powerful engine options, and by 1984, Fiat had installed a 128bhp 2.0L twin cam 4-cylinder in the Ritmo Abarth 130TC. In contrast to the fuel-injected GTI, the Ritmo Abarth sucked down fuel through twin carbs - more exciting, if not as livable in day-to-day driving. The Fiat also featured a more favorable cylinder head design, with a cross-flow twin cam architecture sure to breath better than VW's single cam reverse-flow design.

Unique trim separated the Abarth models from the standard Ritmos. Inside, optional Recaro seats were available. Exterior improvements included Abarth-specific wheel arch trim, spoilers, bumpers, as well as upgraded alloy wheels.

Continue reading 1984 Fiat Ritmo Abarth 130TC →
Alfa Romeo, Bertone, Gandini

1985 Alfa Romeo 90 2.5i Quadrifoglio Oro

We make a trip to rural Illinois every summer, usually in the Milano Verde or the Maserati, to see our friend Andrew and check in on his German cars. Invariably the Milano and Andrew's 1991 BMW 535i are lined up to see who has the edge on acceleration. Even after building up a hot 3.0L Busso V6 with higher compression pistons, hotter cams, and ported heads, we have failed to keep up with the Bimmer.

Today's Alfa 90, or Novanta, would be a closer competitor to our friend's 5-series in terms of passenger space, but would stand an even worse chance of embarrassing the 5er in a straight line. Clean lines come courtesy of Marcello Gandini at Bertone, and the underpinnings - torsion beam front suspension, rear-mounted transaxle and DeDion rear suspension - are largely shared with the Giulietta, just like in the Milano / 75. The Quadrioglio Oro models like this one share their 2.5L Busso V6 with the Milano too.

Continue reading 1985 Alfa Romeo 90 2.5i Quadrifoglio Oro →