Fiat 124 Sport Coupé


The Fiat 124 Sport Coupé is a two-door, four-seater notchback coupé produced by the Italian automaker Fiat in three generations between 1967 and 1975. First shown at the 1966 Turin Auto Show, it was based on the Fiat 124 saloon.
Its four-cylinder aluminum and iron, twin overhead cam "Lampredi engine" was designed by ex-Ferrari engineer Aurelio Lampredi. Originally, the AC, or first generation, featured a 1,438 cc engine, which was joined by a 1,608 cc unit in the second, or BC, generation. The third generation, or CC, was first officially offered with the 1,592 cc and later the 1,756 cc engine.
Equipment included a five-speed gearbox, four wheel power disc brakes, double wishbone front suspension, one carburetor per cylinder, electric fuel pump, and suspension by coil springs.
The Fiat 124 Sport Coupé was also built under license in Spain with 1600 and 1800 engines as the SEAT 124 Sport.

Design

The 124 Sport Coupé was designed as a three-box, 2-door notchback coupé by Mario Boano, known for styling the bodywork on the Ferrari 250 GT "Boano". As many parts as possible were used from the 1966 FIAT 124 Berlina saloon. Boano was hired by FIAT and made responsible for the in-house Centro Stile Fiat, while the iconic softtop Fiat 124 Sport Spider, which also shared the same basic platform as the 124 Sedan but rode on a 14 cm shorter wheelbase, was outsourced to famed Italian carrozzeria Pininfarina.
Approximately 113,000 AC Coupés, 98,000 BC Coupés, and roughly 75,000 CC Coupés were manufactured. There were ongoing changes with all models making them almost individual by year
The Fiat 124 Spider Abarth came with dual Weber 44 IDF carburetors unlike the regular 124 coupés and spiders which were equipped with dual Weber 40 IDF carbs. Fiat twincam engines tend to be oversquare, with a larger diameter bore than length of stroke, allowing it, when combined with dual camshafts and proper carburetors, to rev to high rpms. The 1608 cc, however, is a perfectly square engine, 80 mm by 80 mm.

Engines

  • 1400 - at 6,500 rpm, at 3,600 rpm
  • 1600 - at 6,400 rpm, at 3,800 rpm
  • 1600 -
  • 1800 -

History

First series (Type 124 AC: 1967–1969)

  • 1967 AC - starts 000001 - #034513
  • 1968 AC - #034514 - #066279
  • 1969 AC - #066280 - #113869
The AC model began in 1967 and came with a 1438 cc twin cam, 4-speed gearbox, front and rear anti-roll bars, and a torque tube rear axle. It featured a speedometer, three supplementary gauges, a faux wood steering wheel, a woodgrain dash and console top. The 124 Sport Coupé's tail lights were also used on the Lamborghini Espada and Iso Rivolta.
124 Sport Coupés were modern in chassis and engine design. Braking was via four 230 mm disc brakes with a front/rear weight-sensitive proportioning valve. It also had a sealed cooling system, viscous fan clutch and a toothed timing belt for the twin-cam engine, the first mass-produced engine to feature this instead of the usual chain-drive.
The torque-tube rear axle of the A series was replaced by a four-link rear axle with a Panhard rod in mid-1968, and remained the same throughout the B and C models.

Second series (Type 124 BC: 1969–1972)

  • 1970 BC - #113870 - #115876
  • 1971 BC 1438 cc - #115877 - #139912
  • 1971 BC1 1608 cc - #139913
  • 1972 BC1 1608 cc - #181442
The BC featured revised styling with twin headlights and revised taillights; the taillights were also used on the Lamborghini Jarama. The 124 BC, including the 1600 model, was first shown at the 1969 Turin Auto Show.
The BC was available with both the 1438 cc and the new 1608 cc engine. In the United States, initially only the 1400 was offered. Other details remained similar to the AC except the interior dash now had a speedometer, 9000 rpm tachometer in 1608 cc models and a clock. The steering wheel now had black painted spokes and the seats had for the first time cloth inserts in the centre. There was no woodgrain inside like before and "eyeball" vents were fitted in the centre console where the AC had a decorative panel simply filling in the space for an optional radio.
Options included green tinted windows, Cromodora alloy wheels with chrome centre hub cap, radio, seat headrests, rear windshield electric defrosting, electronic ignition. At the end of the BC run air conditioning became available as an option as well. The fuel tanks were always around.

Third series (Type 124 CC: 1972–1975)

  • 1973 CC 1608 cc - #206905
  • 1973 CC 1592 cc - #213370
  • 1974 CC1 1756 cc - #240100
  • 1975 CC1 1756 cc - #269934
The third series 124 Coupé arrived in 1973 with new front styling and a revised squarer rear tail with a new deeper trunklid. Taillights also changed to a now vertical arrangement and side rear windows were revised.
The CC started with a small batch fitted with the 1608 cc engine, soon changing to a revised 1592 cc engine and an enlarged 84 mm bore creating an engine of 1756 cc. The 1592 cc and 1756 cc both made use of a single carburetor again. In spite of this change the 1756 cc was the most powerful engine produced with and a top speed of.
In the United States, tightening emissions regulations meant less power: the 1592-cc engine produced, while the larger 1800 which replaced it for the 1974 model year had at 5,500 rpm on tap. This engine also suffered severe drivability problems thanks to the emissions hardware. For 1974, the US model was also saddled with very large and heavy safety bumpers, increasing weight by over the 1973. The 1974 US-market 124 Sport Coupé weighed, while overall length was up to.
The CC's revised interior featured a new dashboard incorporating a lower panel on the passenger side, an alloy fascia in front of the driver and seats covered completely in cloth. There was a new vinyl-covered steering wheel rim with anodised silver spokes. The optional but not uncommon Cromodora wheels now had a revised design with no chrome centre hubcap, instead having exposed wheelnuts. These were of an 8 slot design, the earlier wheels used coming in 6 slot configuration.

SEAT 124 Sport

The car was also built under license in Spain as the SEAT 124 Sport between 1970 and 1974. SEAT built a total of 23,611 units of the 124 Sport.
The SEAT derivative was presented for the first time at the 1970 Barcelona Motor Show and it was built in Spain under license from Fiat. Identical to the Fiat 124 Sport Coupé, it was launched in order to meet the rising local market demand for sports cars next to offerings coming not only from other car makers – like the Authi Mini C 1275, the Alpine A110, the Renault 8TS and the Simca 1000 Rallye GT – but also SEAT itself with the SEAT 850 Sport Coupé and Spider models. At the 1972 Barcelona show, Catalan coachbuilder presented a Cabriolet version of the 124 Sport; a handful were built.
Power was provided by double camshaft engines, with a displacement of either 1,608 cc or 1,756 cc. Both engine variants were linked to a 5-speed gearbox, a transmission introduced for the first time in a model on the Spanish market. The first series produced from 1970 to 1973 was equivalent to the BC series of Fiat's version, and used 1608 cc engines provided by Fiat itself. The second series from 1973 onwards was a direct copy of the CC model, offered only with the larger, less stressed 1756 cc engine.