One could rightly say it was the last modern shot at the classic front-engine rear-wheel-drive formula for a compact sedan, before the big shift to FWD small cars. And Fiat did it very well indeed: a roomy body, well-designed all-coil suspension for unparalleled handling, lusty engines, slick gearboxes, and perhaps the real coup: four wheel disc brakes, in on an economy car!
They were almost polar opposites: the Fiats had four doors, handled well, and its engines always were happy to rev. Not surprisingly, that typically meant a shorter engine life, typically. The base mill was a 1. There was also 1. Needless to say, the suffered in the US at the hands of emission and 5 mph bumper regulations, as well as the salt on the roads and the very iffy dealer network.
But even then, the fun still came through. I drove one once through hilly Western Pennsylvania, and my time behind its oddly-located steering wheel is etched in my memory as one of my more enjoyable drives ever.
The story is mammoth; the Last Lada Riva came of the assembly line less than a year ago, and there is still a Lada variant being built in Egypt. Still far from the crusher and keeps its undaunted courage to cope with the daily urban stress. The most visible issues are some bits of rust, an unmatching rim on the other side , the missing chromed skirt trim and other hidden flaws. This one is a second series base trim level. It lacks the additional side trim under the door handles, the reverse light and a rear defroster.
Its dashboard was rectangular and simpler. And it had cloth upholstery. This model was quite rare here the later was very popular, Funny how you mention the cc Fiat could smoke a VW everything other than a Fiat could outperform the VW by I get that it was an important car. The introduced Escort MK2? How about the E70 Toyota Corolla of ? What am I missing about the Fiat that makes it the last modern attempt at its type?
